At 6 pmMy sister, her girlfriend and my brother and his girlfriend all headed in to the hotel to decorate the tableAnd to sort out any last minute jobsWe put balloons on the tableA banner behind And party poppers and little glittery words saying congratulationsWe then went to bar to wait for everyoneBit by bitThey all dribbled inI was still feeling anxiousAnd just prayed for the speech to be over But I held it together And managed to be sociable
At 8pmWe all headed in to the restaurant We all took our seats I took one on the middleSo that when I spoke Everyone could hear meThere were 15 of us altogetherThe plan was for me to make the speech after the orders had been takenAnd when the champagne was being pouredI swear I was so tempted to take a glassJust for some Dutch courage aloneOh my God you guys I was so freakin nervousI shit you notI kept going to the bathroomAnd sitting on the toilet seatRunning through it in my headAt the table I had so many butterflies That I didn't think I'd be able to eatBut I thought I would feel better when it was done and dustedAll too soon It was time I got the nod after the champagne was pouredAnd I stood up to speakHere is the gist of what I said
Hi everyone and welcomeI was kindly nominated by my brother and sister to say a few words So I will keep it short and sweetFirst I want to thank everyone for comingI know you've come from all overLondonDublinCorkDonegalLeitrim And SligoWe are so delighted you are here to help us celebrate Mums retirement I want to congratulate MumI know she has many things planned for her retirementBook clubs Film clubsAnd learning to swim which has been on her to do list since 1985So please join me in a toastWe are super proud of you MumWe love you very muchAnd I'm looking forward to traveling the country with you on our respective bus passes
Oh the relief when it was overI was just so glad to get the words outAnd everyone w laughedAnd Mum shed a tearI sat down And could finally relax
Then food started to arrive First we had an amuse Bouche Which was a little tea cup of carrot and coriander soupDelicious Then the starters I had the trio of melon As I wanted something light because I really wasn't that hungryOther starters were pork bellyWhich I tasted and it was DevineSoupAnd chowder For the main I had slow braised blade of beefAgainI couldn't really enjoy it As I just had no appetite I ate about a third of itAnd gave the rest to my brother I tried my best to stay put after eatingI really tried to hang onBut about five minutes later I made a little trip to the bathroomPurging in restaurants is always trickyThere is the issue of others hearing youAnd then trying to clean up the mess Thankfully there was no one in there thoughAnd I purged in peaceI cleaned up And headed back to the tableThen it was time for tea, coffee and dessertThey were all quite heavySo I just ordered ice cream Which was niceI then had three cups of teaWhich was very welcome as I was gasping for one
We had great craic at the table So much laughter which was lovelyAnd the time just flew byAt just after midnightWe retired to the bar for drinksHere is where I have to make a little confessionI was really starting to flag and feel really tiredSo I was really sneaky and had two drinks of vodka and orange juiceI tried to keep it quietBut my brother noticedAnd asked me what I was drinking I told himAnd asked him to keep it quiet My brrother and I then had a really interesting conversation about escaping reality And why I find it so hard to live without the use of substances To be honestI didn't really feel the effect of the alcoholAnd I'm not even sure why I did itI know I shouldn't drinkBut I just really craved one last nightAlcohol was not my primary addictionSo part of me still thinks I can get away with having a drink or twoBut I know where it leads
At about 1 30am we started to move out and head homeThe dogs greeted usAnd I immediately changed into pyjamas Put my hair upAnd washed my make up offIt felt so good getting in to comfy clothesAnd I was so glad that the night went wellAnd that Mum enjoyed itI am lucky and blessed to have an amazing MumShe is selfless to a faultAnd has been my cheerleader, supporter, friend, confidant and carer from day oneI can never repay her for all she has done for meThat's the reason I made the speechI wouldn't have done it for anyone else
After chatting got a whileEveryone began to move to their roomsI was on the couchWhich I didn't mind at allWhen I first moved here Even though I had a bedroomI slept on the couch for the first few monthsI could sleep in my own bedroomAs an ex boyfriend had over dosed in thereIt was nearing 4 40am when I finly fell asleepContentRelievedAnd so happy that the night went week
Many many photos were taken last nightHere is a selection of them....
