Well, it Should Have Been a Surprise !!

What a great flight I had from Anchorage to Denver (surprised ?) We seemed to take off on time, and once away from the bright lights,what should come out ? Yes, those elusive Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights)…not a brilliantly spectacular display, in fact I think there was only me and the lady in the window seat next to me who saw them ! We watched them for some time,a curtain dancing on the Horizon, between the stars and then..I nodded off !

I awoke to see a lovely red sunrise on the edge of the sky, and thought how lucky I was to see all these things, then the Pilot must have put his ‘foot down’, because of a ‘medical emergency’, as before we knew it (still no watch) we were landing in Denver…crossing great expanses of wheat fields, stretching as far as the eye could see..which was probably the explanation for the ‘Tornado Shelter’ signs as I wandered through the terminal, all these differing sights and experiences, and the day is still young !

Soon I was on my large aeroplane, more like an executive jet, and en route to my real destination Calgary, Canada, for my brother Sean’s 60th Birthday, and what was originally planned as a ‘surprise’ celebration, with all his brothers (3 of us) and a sister, arriving in Canada to celebrate with him. The surprise had been burst some weeks ago, which as it happened worked for the best..

So, to greet me at Calgary airport http://www.visitcalgary.com/ was the birthday boy himself- Happy Birthday Sean !, and my brother Lawrence..

I was then taken to his house, where the rest of the gang were, prior to the evening celebrations at his daughter Siobhain’s house…and we all chatted excitedly, drank tea, and then I was whisked off to Siobhain’s where I was to be staying for the next few days , there already was son Joseph, with Nicola and Grandson Thomas having flown in from New York..

Soon the party started with all the crowd arriving…Sean and wife Mary

Their children Jack,Siobhain and Rory

My sister Kathleen , brothers Lawrence and Anthony, along with all the partners (and dogs) for the evening of celebration, in the lovely evening Calgary sunshine and reminiscences of all things Mancunian…and the family photos  , helped along by the picture book sent by sister Annette, giving us lots of prompts to our recollections !

What a great day/evening, and we were all glad we’d come to be part of it, once again Happy Birthday Sean !!