Family Birthday Lunch and Gifts

 I met my daughter Nicky and son-in-law Robert for a birthday lunch.  We were meeting at a favourite cafe, Robert Harris at Foxton, about the halfway point from our homes.  On the way up I called in to Lewis Farms, it is asparagus season again, and the sorting belts were clattering away as the workers did their thing.  Some of this asparagus is exported overseas,  and some of course is for the local market.

Clatter, clatter, noisy while they are sorting and packing

The freshly picked asparagus is sold in kilo bunches, I always like to buy the thins.  Lewis Farms also grows strawberries in huge tunnel houses, so I bought a container of these as well to take home.

 

Asparagus for sale

We hadn't booked a table for our lunch, so I made sure I arrived early at the cafe, just in case.  There was no worry, there were plenty of tables available when I arrived, but this popular cafe does fill up very quickly.

At the cafe

Nicky and Robert arrived, bearing a gift box and some flowers from the garden, so nice.  We pondered what to eat for lunch, ordered coffees too, and settled back to enjoy our meal and each other's company.  Son-in-law Robert was off work with a pulled muscle, so it was so nice he could join us too.  There is always plenty of news to catch up with, chatting about this and that.  Ooops, nearly forgot the photo, Robert took one of us outside the cafe.  Nicky is not too keen, but kindly obliges her old Mum, the things you have to do to keep the family happy!

Nicky and me at the cafe

We said our goodbyes, they drove North, and I headed South.  Once back home, I admired my beautiful hand stitched gift again.  Nicky had made me a wool needle case/sewing kit with butterfly accents, full of pockets containing sewing goodies.  Such a lot of work.

Wonder what's in here?

Appliqued butterflies

Tiny scissors with a little fob so I don't lose them

Sewing goodies plus one of those tiny fold up thread catchers

And a beautiful bunch of hand picked flowers from her garden

I had a lovely day indeed.  My son Michael had phoned me from Christchurch, in the South Island,  to wish me Happy Birthday.  And it is always so nice to catch up with Nicky and Robert again.