Mag's birthday celebration

One major reason we came to Wales was for Jean's mother's 80th birthday.  This year, Mag is being like the Queen, having an official birthday as well as her actual birthday.  Yesterday was her official birthday, while 4 July is the day she was born.  On her actual birthday, we'll take her to a new restaurant in Aberystwyth called the Starling Cloud, which everyone raves about.  But yesterday, we had a table for ten celebrate Mag's milestone at the Marine, a posh restaurant that overlooks Cardigan Bay.

At the Marine, there are always lashings of turkey, lamb, gammon and beef, carved enthusiastically by the chef himself who piles the slices on your plate like your grandmother used to, lest you go hungry.  It comes with generous servings of roast potatoes, peas, carrots, Yorkshire pudding, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower smothered in cheese sauce.  The meal was preceded by the tastiest cawl, the traditional Welsh soup, of which Jean's uncle, John, and I, partook.  I swallowed a half a pint of Carling black label while Jean washed down her dinner with a Bulmers cider.  And for dessert?  A generous variety was on display, and diners could keep going back for more: tiramisu, apple crumble, cheesecake, rice pudding, bread and butter pudding, profiteroles, fruit salad, trifle, and lemon meringue pie.

We had good company: Mag and Tom's neighbours Betty and Tegwyn, as well as Beryl, Jean's Uncle John, Mavis and David from Wolverhampton, and us.  Below are some photos of the occasion: