I am 60!!!

So today I celebrated my 60th birthday and poor John was just about holding it all together - so many things to organise, so many things to keep secret - he doesn't do well with that sort of pressure!!!  I am in a bit of a state of shock as I try and get my head around the fact that once upon a time that would have rendered me as being an official old age pensioner although lord knows now when that is actually going to happen.  I was also in a state of shock by our unexpected visitors, well unexpected to me though not to John!!!

Laura and Mark called in early with flowers and balloons just in case anyone was in any doubt as to my age - the cats are terrified of the balloons and I have a feeling they will wreck them given half a chance.

So the celebrations went as follows...
...we checked into the Droushia Heights Hotel where we were given the honeymoon suite (for the third time) and I was presented with a cake and given a kiss by the owner and the manager.

I couldn't wait to stretch out in the bath so that was my first port of call and John made sure that our guests were all checked in before meeting at the fireplace for a drink before setting off on our journey.

So here is everyone all ready for their big surprise night out.  Obviously not everything was a complete surprise because I had a vision of what I wanted and I made sure that my vision was made perfectly clear to John - even saving pictures to my Pinterest account of table decorations and layout and colours.  I had wanted to find a nice intimate venue where we could have a meal and some entertainment without sharing it with strangers.  Initially we had thought about the Herb Garden in Akourdaleia but without any form of heating in March that was going to prove unrealistic so an alternative had to be found.

Louise Vreony had suggested the Chakra Gallery in Paphos but when we went for a little nose around it was closed to the public for repairs which wasn't really very helpful.  John did some research on tintyweb and thought it had potential and he decided to run with it even though I thought he was still looking around for a venue.  I had got so despondent that I actually said we should celebrate later in the year when the weather was better and more was open but he just said not to worry and he would sort something and that is exactly what he did.  Periodically he would ask my opinion on things and check it was too my liking and when I had thought it was going to be in Akourdaleia I had started to buy some bits and pieces and so those things I knew about.

I was, however, totally unprepared for what the finished article looked like so beyond the front door of the gallery is a hidden gem made up of the gallery rooms, a pretty little courtyard with views out to sea and a separate bar.  The courtyard garden was filled with little fairy lights and a fire pit was burning away.  It had been a warm but windy day thanks to the early arrival of a coptic so the evening was actually quite balmy although not enough for us to have been able to eat outside and certainly not up in the hills!!

We started out with drinks in the garden and photographs before we were led through into the main gallery room where John, Lauren and Joel had worked their magic and transformed it into the dining room I had always visualised.  The food was cooked and prepared by Ali Rhind who did so in a tiny room without a cooker!!!  The music was supplied by Rhys Taylor who had sung for John's 50th at Tsangarides Winery.

It was everything I had hoped for and more.  The venue was perfect, the food was perfect, the music was perfect and the company was perfect.

We danced, we laughed and we sang - we continued to sing in the taxi on the way home before falling into bed after what had been a fabulous evening.

Lauren had been official photographer and I don't have those pictures as yet so these are taken off of my phone or John's so the quality isn't so good.

John did brilliantly and his little spiel as 'The Great Husbundo' reduced me to tears.  I know that this whole thing was so stressful for him because usually I like to do it all and know that all the Ts have been crossed and all the Is have been dotted.

There may have been a few things which didn't quite go to plan but everything else was so perfect that I didn't know or notice.

All in all a brilliant weekend of celebration, first off just the two of us and then with Mum and then with friends - I really am so very lucky.  So many people to thank for making me feel so special and loved.