June’s Gatherings…

Part One.

It’s been a busy month full of opportunities to gather with family and friends.

First off we celebrated my darling dad’s birthday at the very end of May.

When my grandmother passed away, my aunt gathered grandma’s recipes into a folder and gave copies to my sister, cousin and me. For Dad's birthday I handed him the folder and told him to choose anything that appealed. Thankfully there were no requests for liver and onions or tripe, so I felt reasonably confident that whatever he selected would suit the various generations gathered around the table. 

Our surname has Scottish heritage,although from many generations ago and I used this as the basis of the theme for Dad’s birthday lunch.

I wanted an elegant look to the table that felt polished, classic and appropriate for a man's birthday. Pinterest provided a wealth of ideas, and I settled on a Ralph Lauren-inspired look using what I already owned, with the exception of a woollen tartan scarf that I used as a table runner. After unsuccessful searches through thrift stores and Marketplace, I bought one new. It looked lovely against the mahogany of our dining table, released from its protective cover yet again, much to the cat's delight. The tartan was also a little nod to the family’s heritage without going overboard.

To echo the navy, green and red tones of the tartan, I alternated navy and green tumblers along the table and added my bargain purchase of 2025: red stemmed wine glasses bought in the Boxing Day sales for not even a song. 

I love how my coloured glasses paired so well with the tartan table runner.

I kept the centre of the table simple and classic by using creamy white roses and paperwhite jonquils in tiny bud vases down the middle. I wove my durable, oh alright, faux, eucalyptus garland between the vases, and placed a hurricane lamp with a battery operated pillar candle in the centre.

Creamy white roses paired with jonquils and my ‘reusable’ oh, alright, fake, eucalytus garland provided an elegant centrepiece when placed on top of a tartan scarf.

Now that I have found my Johnson Brothers Brookshire tableware after storing it securely away for at least a decade, it is getting regular outings. The deep cream, hunter green and brown accents tied in with the overall look really well. Again, as I had only 8 place settings of the Brookshire, I supplemented the other places with Portmeirion Botanic plates that I have treated myself to recently while they were on sale.

To finish everything off, I printed off menu cards using a Canva template, and pasted them onto hunter green cards.

I must admit printing these menu cards turned out to be quite the production, however, I think they added beautifully to the table.

I realise that I declare almost every gathering to be "one of my favourites", but this one genuinely was.  It was restrained (who even am I?), elegant and befitting a family lunch celebrating the birthday of one of our favourite octogenarians. The food was declared to be delicious, although if I'm honest, I wasn't entirely convinced. The chicken and mushroom casserole didn't really appeal to my tastebuds, the mashed potato is best not discussed at all, and the braised leeks were nowhere near as successful as they had been the week before. Such is life.

Dessert, however, required no apologies. It was one of those Woolworths Celebration Cakes, composed of twelve different slices arranged on a platter so everyone can choose their favourite. Black Forest, Hummingbird, Red Velvet and several others all made an appearance.

But the food wasn't the point, nor was the table.

The point, as many of you will no doubt be thinking, was that I was sitting around a table with my family, celebrating together. Not everyone my age still has that opportunity, and I am increasingly aware of what a gift it is.

Perhaps that is why I fuss over these gatherings. Not because I think the table has to be perfect or the menu flawless, but because I want the people I love to know that their presence matters. The flowers, the menu cards, the tartan scarf masquerading as a table runner, all of it is simply my way of saying, "I'm glad you're here, I love you, let’s celebrate that"

And really, that was the success of the day.

The following week was my beloved partner’s birthday. This one had a completely different feel to it, and I have to admit that my inner control freak didn’t cope very well with the preparations.

We are undertaking some rectification works to the back fence and the deck, where we were going to sit with our friends that evening, resembled a building site for much of the day. As the hours ticked by, I must admit I got a little…anxious, then perhaps, just a tad tetchy. 

Again, as with Dad’s birthday lunch, I wanted this celebration of my partner’s birthday to feel special, and I wanted to replicate a tablescape that I had been inspired by on Instagram. I had grand plans for a pizzeria-style setting on the deck and  I wanted to take my time pulling this together, and enjoy the process.

This is a passing nod to the inspiration photo that I had saved. Unbelivably, no-one noticed that it didn’t live up to my expectations, and a good time was had by all nevertheless. I think there is a lesson in that somewhere for me.

Somehow, the deck transformed from a construction zone into the space that I love so much. The festoon lights twinkled overhead, the patio heaters glowed, the pizza oven worked overtime, and our friends settled in for the evening.

This pizza oven worked tirelessly all night producing delicious pizzas on demand.

It's amazing what can be achieved with a second-hand tablecloth, a little optimism, and screenshots from a social media site.

My partner and his friend worked tirelessly, producing pizza after pizza for the crowd. To keep things simple, we used pre-made bases and concentrated on the toppings. It was relaxed, slightly chaotic and completely enjoyable.

The wine was good, the food was great, but the company was exceptional. And that is what really counts.

 Did the table look exactly how I had envisioned it? No.

 Did it affect the evening? (against all personal beliefs to the contrary)

No, of course not.

Which is exactly how a birthday celebration should be.

Then, can you believe it? We had a THIRD gathering the night after the pizza party.

I know! I’m a machine

I'll tell you all about that next week, along with the wonderful Soup Weather gathering that I attended and the delicious-sounding Curry Night, where antique brass tableware was brought out of the family archives for the occasion. These were so fabulous that they need their own spotlight.

Tell me, what have you been gathering around lately? A dining table, a firepit, or a coffee shop table, or perhaps a pot of soup shared with friends? I’d love to hear