BIRTHDAY BEAR TRADITION

I have 9 old, wrinkly friends, who are retired or semi-retired. Five of them all used to work together and the other four are husbands. They didn't want to lose touch when they retired so they decided to meet and have lunch or dinner when it was their birthdays. However, they got disenchanted with buying a present every time, and decided instead to give a Birthday Bear (thats me.) I get passed from one birthday person to the next each time they meet. The fun part is, that I get to be dressed differently each time, usually to reflect some aspect of the recipient's personality or life.
PS: Two of my wrinklies, Chris and Bob, have gone on a working holiday tour around Australia so they don't celebrate with us very often.

Monday, December 17, 2012

I'M A DECORATOR

My old wrinklies  celebrated Ann's 70 birthday at Donini's Restaurant in Whishart.   Karen came again to join the group. Karen also taught at Kuraby School with the wrinklies, she is still teaching but at a different school. She isn't a wrinkly yet but the oldies love it when she joins in. Karen makes everyone laugh a lot.
From L to R: Karen, me, Mary, Ann, Bill, George, Paul and Helen.
(All photos from Ann's camera.)
I had my very own table next to the wrinklies.
I was dressed in a smock ready to decorate the house as this is what Ann has been doing recently. So I have the paint charts, rollers and how to instructions. I also have curtain materials ready to go. There are plenty of sales brochures to help me decide where to pick up a bargain.

Mary was the clever one who dressed me this time and Ann is happy to have me help with the decorating.

Karen has been to Europe for a holiday since she last joined us and she was kind enough to bring back a souvenir for each of the wrinklies but I missed out.
Bill was very, very happy with Karen's gift from France. It is his favourite wine, Chateauneuf DuPape. He shared it with me and it is a nice drop.

I'M A FIGHTER


It was Paul's Birthday recently and we were all pleased to be attending his birthday lunch as he is fighting Mesothelioma. He recently completed another dose of chemo therapy and was well enough to go on an adventurous tour to the northern most tip of Australia, Cape York. This area is famous for its tropical wilderness and men like Crocodile Dundee.
 Paul is a fighter like Crocodile Dundee that is how I am dressed for Paul. We celebrated at Hog's Breath Cafe at Garden City in Brisbane.

   Here I am  wrestling a crocodile just like Crocodile Dundee.

Paul liked my hat. I had to have a bit of a nap after subduing the croc. 


 Crocodile Dundee's hat has crocodile teeth in the leather band. I also have Dundee's leather armbands and the famous, "That's a knife."


I woke  up when the steaks arrived. I love my leather/crocodile skin vest and big buckled belt.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

IN THE SWIM

Time flies when you're having fun. Just as I was enjoying going to camera club with Diane it was soon time for me to join Helen in her activities. I wonder what I'll be doing. Ann collected me from Diane's house and dressed me for Helen's birthday.

 Well, Helen goes swimming most mornings to keep fit and healthy, so Ann thought that I would like to go with her. Ann even gave me my own pool to practice in and she gave me a noodle, a towel, a swimming cap, goggles, ear plugs and......

even a nose clip. Wow!!!! I'm so excited. I love swimming especially in the hot weather so I hope summer hurries along. I can't wait to kick along holding the noodle. I could even hit Helen over the head with it, just for fun.

Helen is happy to have me as a swimming companion. 

Helen took us to the Sunnybank Sports Club for lunch. There was plenty of room for me to laze in the pool. We all liked the food it was much better than last time we were there. It was great to have Paul with us this time. He hasn't been well. I will try to make him happy while I'm living at their house.

SNAP!

We all had to wait for Diane to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and come home so that we could celebrate her birthday. Anyway I didn't mind waiting because I had fun in Mary's garden and my greenhouse. She's a good cook too.

Anyway, Diane chose to have her belated birthday lunch at Baan Thai Restaurant, where the food is delicious, the service good and it isn't expensive. Now Diane is a tutor for the Logan U3A Camera Club and Ann thought that I might like to go along to the club. So she dressed me in casual clothes for snapping photos. George made me a tripod and a mini harbour bridge for me to photograph. I might even climb over it.

 Diane was happy to see that had the right equipment to go along to the camera club with her.

 Back at Diane's house I had fun snapping pictures with my three cameras. Ann even gave me a little bird that sings, to practice photographing. She also bought me some new shoes.

 Don't you love the hat that Ann found for me. It has the same words on it as the name of Diane's blog.

YOOHOO I GOT A GREENHOUSE

I'm really upset with my human, she has just ignored me for months and months and has not helped me with my blog. I hope now that she has got around to it that she will post my last Three birthday celebrations. Yes that's right THREE she has missed, can you believe that??? Just because she has been to America and Sydney she thinks that is an excuse for not blogging for me. Anyway I have been having fun.
Back in June it was Mary's birthday. She chose to go to Michael's Oriental Restaurant for lunch.
 Ann and George dressed me. (They have the best ideas of all my wrinkly friends). Mary has just had a green house installed in her yard and she has been busy gardening lately. So Ann and George made me my very own greenhouse and gave me a wheelbarrow and gardening clothes and tools.

 I was so lucky this time because my very special friends, Bob and Chris could join us as they were passing through Brisbane on their around Australia tour. So the oldies talked and talked for hours and nearly forgot to feed me.

I am so looking forward to helping Mary in the garden and putting little plants into my very own greenhouse.

The chinese banquet was delicious but the bestest dish was this pumpkin and chicken curry. I am very lucky to have such a bunch of fun loving friends.

Friday, June 15, 2012

I AM A VOLUNTEER

Once again my human has neglected to keep my posts up to date, these old wrinklies are a worry. Anyway before she forgets let me tell you about George's birthday. I was dressed very smartly in my volunteer's uniform. You see I am going to help George volunteer at the Greenslopes Hospital.
I have my own little trolley to push around the wards and sell them newspapers.

I can't believe it! I'm on the front page!

I felt very important wearing a special badge
George is happy to have me as a helper.



  I can stand tall with my wrinkly friends because I am a real worthwhile Bear.


Thursday, March 15, 2012

ALL ABOARD


Hi everyone, my human blog helper has been so slack lately in helping me record my birthday celebrations. She is helping me now with Bill's birthday celebration, which was last month, when today I am off to George's birthday. Hopefully she'll help me keep up in future.

Here I am dressed as a volunteer for the historic Pitchi Richi train service in South Australia. Bill just loves trains.

 Bill wanted to celebrate at Morgan's famous seafood restaurant at Shorncliffe and stay for a few days in a resort. I was looking forward to going but you would never guess, I wasn't allowed to go to the dinner. I had to stay in the apartment until they came home but they did celebrate dessert with me.

 So I was happy and Bill was happy when he saw I had kept him his favourite biscuit...a TimTam. Mary did a good job at dressing me in my railway gear.

I was happy for Bill to take over my shift of selling tickets so I could go and enjoy some dessert with the other old wrinkleys. I enjoyed my few days at the beach.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

I GET TIDDLY AT LUNCH




Boy am I running late with my blogging. That is because Diane had forgotten to help me put up a post about our Christmas Lunch.
So if anyone is interested this is what I did for Christmas Lunch.
 Ann dressed me as Santa's Helper. I felt very Christmassy in my elf suit but it was a bit warm on this hot summer's day. Yes, I know, you northern hemisphere bears will find it strange that we have Christmas in summertime.
 However, it is a great excuse to have a seafood Christmas Lunch. Doesn't it look delicious? We are at The Lighthouse Restaurant in Cleveland, a Brisbane bayside suburb.

 Diane shared her prawns with me and.....

 Bill shared his wine with me. I know it should be white with seafood but my family prefer red wine. I am not complaining, hic, it's shlovely.

 Mmmmmm...this ish the life.

      Itsha nishe view from here   Zzzzzzz Zzzzzzzz Zzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzz