Birthday girl bakes own cake!!

One would have thought with my brother, father and husband all in the country to celebrate my birthday somebody might have managed to procure a birthday cake.  However, it was not to be and so I baked my own!  To be fair I was assisted by Tess but she lost interest once Olivia arrived for a playdate.  Please don't think that I am complaining because firstly I bake delicious cakes (confirmed by the children!) and secondly I had a fantastic birthday with all my family here to celebrate it.  

The weekend started on Friday with Dad and I contemplating a brisk walk into Manly but settling for a long deli lunch at home instead before picking the children up from school and taking them down to Clontarf for Tess' class play.  The weather was glorious and Dad enjoyed a long swim with Tom whilst Tess played with all her friends.  

Our Saturdays are over for the next 6 months as the netball and soccer seasons have started.  The alarm went off at 6.30 (on a Saturday??!!!) and we leapt out of bed and got everyone ready for Tess' first netball match.  I was told not to have high expectations of what the girls could manage but I thought they were fabulous - they were all catching, throwing and pivoting like professionals.  The team they were playing had clearly played before and were very aggressive, defending properly and trying to bump into our girls to make them lose balance - you can imagine what the mothers were like - the manager had a specially designed t-shirt and yelled fiercely from the sidelines.  

We then had Tom's first soccer game of the season, which because it was at a more reasonable time, Grandpa Mark and Uncle Robert made it along to.  We were quite anxious because last season we spent the entire time trying to bribe Tom onto the pitch.  On Saturday he was a different boy, straight onto the pitch and loving it.  Robert could barely contain himself with the excitement of the game as 8 little boys followed 1 ball in a very tight bunch around the pitch.  Last year Tom's team, The Condors, got smashed in every match but this year it looks like they might do the smashing - not that we're competitive but simply that it's nice to think they have a vague idea what to do!  

Dad and Robert played golf and after their game everyone came round to our house for champagne, cake and presents - yippee!  In the evening Dad, Jules and I went to my current favourite restaurant, The Manly Pavilion, for dinner.  We had the degustation menu with matching wine which was simply amazing and we had a lovely time.  

On Sunday the weather was glorious so we woke Robert and Claire from their hangovers and went out on the speedboat.  We chose to go to Pittwater because Claire was keen to do some doughnuting.  We had lunch at the Basin and spotted a wallaby and a goanna (great for Dad and Claire who hadn't seen either in the wild) and then pumped up the doughnut.  Claire and Rob both had a go and loved it although there was a moment of panic when a jellyfish brushed against Claire's leg!