Celebrate!!!

KLEINMOND in JULY, 2008

The Girls' Weekend in Kleinmond, to celebrate my 50th, was an outstanding, rip-roaring success!

From champagne breakfast on the deck ....

we went on to enjoy walks along the cliff path ...

... hilarious and well-lubricated games of 30 Seconds ...

...watching for whales - we saw a whole pod frolicking in the bay! ...

Kit, Jenni, Rene, Lorr, me, Michelle

..and in between, there was lots of late-night talking, eating, drinking, laughing, hugging, doing hair, sharing stories, taking pictures, watching movies, and much deepening of friendships ...

Michelle

Rene



Kit



Me



Carol



Lorr



Jenni


until at last all that was left was to say goodbye .....

From left to right: Jenni, me, Rene, Lorr, Michelle, Kit and Carol.

The weather was awesomely beautiful, the whole time we were there. Clear cool days, and crispy nights just right for a roaring fire. We feasted well, drinking far too much red wine and whiskey and cream liquers, indulging in far too many chocolates, nuts, fudge and roasted marshmallows, tucking into delicious pasta dishes and salads ....

During the day, we took long walks in the cold wind along a winding, craggy cliff path that led to a sheltered lagoon, then came home to tea and whiskey and brownies and whale-watching from the front window. Saw a whole pod of whales breaching and blowing and rolling over .. it was just awesome! In the evenings, we played 30 Seconds, which was the most fun, and watched a chick flick (27 Dresses) during which a lot of us fell asleep, lol! And all the time, there was this amazing dynamic going on as people connected and talked and shared from the heart. On Sunday morning, we all ended up bundled up in one of the bedrooms drinking tea and eating rusks and having the deepest conversation imaginable and the openness was just amazing.

What a privilege! What a pleasure! What an amazing way to celebrate the beginning of the second half of my life on earth!! :-)))

It's finally here ... 50 at last.

A friend loaned me a book called "i'm too young to be this damn old". From it a few gems in honor of the day!

I must be getting old. People are beginning to tell me I look so young! (L M Montgomery)

Forty is the old age of youth - but FIFTY is the youth of old age! (French proverb)

Don't think of it as 'wrinkles'. Think of it as 'relaxed fit skin'.

The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and you are not decrepit enough to turn them down. (TS Elliot)

Man fools himself. He prays for a long life and he fears old age. (Chinese proverb)

It is never too late - in fiction or in life - to revise! (Nancy Thayer)

It is hard to feel 'middle-aged' because how can you know how long you are going to live? (Mignon McLaughlin)

'It is quite useless to discuss questions of age with old people, they have such peculiar ideas on the subject. "Not really old at all, only seventy" you hear them saying! (Nancy Mitford)

And my favorite one so far: At fifty, the mad woman in the attic breaks free, stomps down the stairs and sets fire to the house. She won't be imprisoned any more! (Erica Jong)

Soooo ... without any further ado: Happy 50th Birthday to ME!