A Very Special Birthday Gift.

Our friends who visited for DH's birthday, brought him a special quirky gift.
Because he & his friends have been involved with Ham Radio, for ever, those visiting found a valve which was manufactured the year he was born. It was a new one, that had been around for some time obviously & never used. It was still installed in a radio set, type #19, used primarily in tanks during the second world war. They were made in Australia, the UK & the USA.
Our friends had it mounted on a piece of Australian native wood, called Jarrah, a beautiful, rich, warm coloured, hardwood. My husband had one of these radios when he first gained his ham radio license, way back as a teenager. They also had a commemorative plaque made & fitted to the base, along with commissioning someone to make a card, depicting this valve in paper crafting to accompany the gift.. He was thrilled with both the thoughtfulness that went into the gift & their surprise visit.

Arrival of an Ornament from Florida,

This is one of my Ornament exchanges. I am so thrilled.
It is beautifully stitched for me, from Lisa in Florida, unfortunately the photo does not do it justice..
The edges are embellished with tiny beads which also make up the holly in the design, along with the hanger.
I love being part of the Christmas exchanges, looking forward to them as the run up to celebrating Christmas, my favourite time of the year.
Thank you Lisa I will hang it proudly with all my treasured ornament exchanges.

Birthday Visitors, & A Happy Surprise..

Some very dear friends, from Australia, organized to visit as a surprise, for DH's birthday. It was also to be a surprise for me. However, the cat was let out of the bag so to speak, when we visited Sydney at the end of June this year. I was then sworn to secrecy, something not usually hard for me to achieve, although I had not expected it to be so difficult as we approached the time of their arrival. With preparations underway it became more challenging not to make a slip up. On the morning they were departing from Sydney, I stopped myself mid thoughts, as I was about to mention they would be boarding their flight. Another couple of times, I did inadvertently make a comment. Luckily, my dear husband, is not of a suspicious nature, so I was able to gloss over any of my odd remarks.

I've read how studies have shown how many folk hold their breath, when writing emails.
Well, I feel I have been holding my breath for several months now, not only while writing emails. It was rather exhausting in hindsight.

At last the visitors appeared. I contrived for us to be out for cocktails with family, Friday evening. My very dear husband was so surprised to see our close friends, of many moons, appear at the restaurant. He is not a gentleman who is usually surprised by much. This time he was almost overcome. He was amazed & also delighted, to be sharing this right of passage with friends from as far back as school days. I felt for him, as I really hate birthday surprises. Not something I would have relished.
However it turned out to be a really wonderful three days, sharing time, sightseeing, and much laughter with our longtime, dear friends, from home.