Last night’s meeting in Winchester was a surprise celebration for our Group Leader Linda’s, 50th birthday, the week before.  How we all managed to keep this a secret from her we will never know, but I think we all deserve a pat on the back for doing so.  Email exchanges in the preceding weeks had co-ordinated foods and beverages being provided by our members.

We met in our usual venue in the Christ Church Hall in Winchester and we arrived early to put up some decorations and to lay out the huge amount of finger food that our members arrived with.  The food just kept on arriving and two long tables were stacked with an array of savoury and sweet foods, some soft drinks and a little fizz for those who weren’t driving.

Emma’s mum had made a Gluten Free chocolate Birthday cake which took pride of place alongside the presents.

Aly had offered to pick Linda up and we think her suspicions were raised, but still we managed to keep it a secret until she finally walked through the door to cheers from the group.

After the shock had subsided, Linda showed us photos that her husband had collated over the years, showing Linda from University through to current day.

Then we tucked in to the food…..

…… followed by the lighting and blowing out of the candles on the cake…..

…. and then we gave Linda her card and presents, courtesy of the generous contributions from the group members.

A “Rhodedendron Linda” which should look beautiful when in bloom next Spring, some Garden Centre Vouchers, a Gardeners notebook, a “framed 50” made up of the Group Members names and a “50th Birthday Survival kit”.

Everyone was full to bursting but there was a little room left for pudding ……. fruit kebabs, meringues with cream and fruit, chocolate profiteroles, cheesecake, and a gorgeous GF chocolate cake, to name a few.

Then all to soon it was over and time to clear away the remaining food and tidy up the hall.

Thank you to each and every one of the group members who helped with this celebration and/or contributed to the presents – I am sure Linda had an amazing evening that she will definitely remember.