In my last blog I promised to tell you more about the fabulous 80th birthday celebrations we had for my sister Sarah at wonderful Pekes Manor in the county of Sussex in England.
Sarah and her husband Martin had chosen the perfect venue for the celebrations – a fifteenth century Grade lll listed house with oak beam ceilings, panelled rooms and a massive table in the dining room that could seat all (30+) of us!
The first evening we had a pasta night which was an ideal choice as with a variety of sauces and salads there was something to please every age and taste.
What a gathering it was! Three generations – four siblings, their partners and eight adult children with their plus ones, and then nine of their children, one with a partner. Family from Australia, Japan and Vietnam and some in England and Scotland were sadly missing but it was quite a turnout!
Unfortunately Jonathan and I were both feeling under the weather as we were recovering from a brutal dose of flu (get vaccinated everyone in the Southern Hemisphere unless you want to chance your luck with this nasty bug!)
We were very grateful that we were able to be there as it was touch and go until the last minute. At least we could get to be part of the celebrations even though we had little energy and didn’t feel like eating or drinking much.
The house was ramshackle and mysterious with two stair cases at either end and in the main part, on three levels. It felt like we were staying in an ancient house from a children’s story book where adventures were awaiting us any minute!
The two youngest children, small toddlers, absolutely loved going up one staircase, banging on all the doors along the first floor passageway, then back down the other stairs, on repeat!
Our little granddaughter also took great delight in having a splashy time in the massive and ancient ceramic bath with brass taps in one of the many bathrooms! Both the little ones also loved “playing” the piano in the cosy lounge room.
It was so good on the first afternoon/evening to be seeing and chatting to lots of the family – all together in one place – some of whom we hadn’t seen for a very long time, for example one of our great nieces, Hannah C., who was in England on holiday taking a break from her midwifery course in her home country of Japan. We hadn’t seen Hannah since she was a small girl!
The following day was spent exploring the beautiful grounds, swimming in the sizeable (and so I’m told, lovely and warm) pool, playing tennis, croquet and other games, sitting in the jacuzzi and sauna and generally relaxing.
During the day a large group of us also gathered to practice a medley of Elvis songs that we were putting on to surprise Sarah the following day at her epic Elvis party.
The main birthday celebration was held on the Saturday evening. We all “dressed for dinner” and various family members contributed to the amazing meal, either by preparing a starter, cooking a main meal, making a side dish or cake dessert, making up an incredible cheese board or decorating the table.
As a surprise and tribute to Sarah’s fabulous culinary skills, each dish was taken from one of the three volumes of recipe books that she has put together over the years. The books are made up of her best loved dinner party recipes, family favourites and other meals enjoyed at her and other family members’ tables.
where Sarah has either lived or is very fond of, having visited multiple times – France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Algeria, Egypt, Palestine and other Middle Eastern countries.
As you can imagine, it was a magnificent and eclectic spread and a beautiful evening of family togetherness.
On Sunday some more family members joined us, and we had another great day.
At Sarah’s request we had an Elvis themed party (he was her heart throb in her early teen years!) during the day. People dressed up in Elvis appropriate costumes, there were cardboard cutouts of Elvis everywhere and we had some of his favourite foods for lunch – pizza, french fries, hot dogs and hamburgers with all the trimmings. Dessert was in the form of ice cream cones topped with sprinkles and nuts – a great hit with the children especially!
After lunch a large group of us presented the medley of songs that we had been practising – first at home and then clandestinely in the swimming pool building. We had such fun doing it and we think Sarah enjoyed our slightly boisterous rendition of some of Elvis’s biggest hits!!
On Sunday night several families had to pack up and go home for work and school the next day. A few lucky ones were able to stay one more night.
It had been a wonderful celebration for Sarah’s big birthday which was enjoyed by all family members – from the youngest (one year) to the oldest (ninety five years old).
Salty tales from Bali Hai on Sunday 
Leave a comment