Happy birthday Gabby

As at least one of you remembers very well, Gabby celebrates her birthday today. Yesterday, we got together and, quite literally, flew the flag for Gabby's birthday.

Happy B'Day Gabby flag with the skull and cross bones

Birthday CAKE!

Ben opened his newly renovated home to his family and Gabby's friends. The BBQ was started with some help from Ben's dad and all males were quickly lost to the smoke haze around it. The girls, being the smart ones, gathered around the snacks to drink pear cider.

Opening the iPad

The day flew by with great food, laughs from the box game (Ben will need to teach this to you when he joins us), the most amazing chocolate birthday cake prepared by Ben's mother and enough alcohol to sink the whole of Ireland.

Of course the highlight for Gabby, as you probably all know from Facebook, was THE present - an ipad 3 - with contributions from many of Ben's family, Gabby's friends and some family back in Australia ;-)

Here are some pictures from the day below so you can feel like you were there without the hang over today.

The birthday girl in all her glory

London O'keefe Family Day - Sept 2012

It would appear that we all haven't used this blog in a while, so I'm going to share with you the happenings at London O'Keefe Family Day September 2012 (aka Gabby and Cat catch up and send Ben to the bar).

Cat needs fried food

It started by Cat sleeping in after dancing down Clapham High Street until 6am. Once finally returning to the land of the conscious and reading Gabby 21 text messages (it was 3 but poetic license), a plan was put in place for Cat to get to "Souf" London and Ben to select a pub with a nice garden as London was having a rare attempt at having a summer.

Ben didn't disappoint. After a quick drive through the country side we arrived at The White Bear, a gorgeous little cottage style pub surrounding by picnic tables and fields that had Gabby and I wondering what would happen if a horse came by (@Aunty Robert, a review for The Family Pub Guide International Section will be forthcoming).

The dutiful Ben

Ben, being the dutiful boyfriend, braved the bar line to place the food order and bring back a jug of Pimm's for the women folk who had set themselves up at a picnic table with prime viewing of a huski dog sitting near by.

Unfortunately, the food was slow. Gabby pretended not to sneak peak's at the present Alice had sent, Ben making plans to learn how to make Yorkshire Puddings from his Gran (@Kelly and Mart - take note!) and Cat practically eating the table as her hang over kicked in.

Gabby's got Pimm's

When the food did arrive though, it was a amazing and whole 30 minutes of silence ensued as we all gorged ourselves on far, far too much food - so much so that Gabby couldn't fit in ice-cream.

The day was rounded out with a trip back to Chez Heg-less to watch a Big Bang Theory marathon and siestas on the couch/big boy beanbag.

Wish you could have joined us - Cat, Gabby and Ben   

O'Keefe Family Day in London

Happy Easter global O'Keefes!

The London based O'Keefes (of which there are four... slowly but surely I am luring you away) joined me in Clapham Junction for an Easter celebration. For me, it was really nice - the thing I miss most in London are O'Keefe family days and family lunches so it nice to have my own.

Everyone arrived at 12 noon on the dot. A huge thank you to Ben (Gabby's other half) who drove everyone to my house despite going in the completely oposite direction to his sister's home for Easter lunch. After settling in the lounge, we had a very expected visitor, my gorgeous kitten Ariya, who proceeded to seduce everyone in the room with her range of cute poses.

Lunch was a yummy affair with roast pork, home-made gravy, roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots and braised spring greens. My fridge, that is usually empty, now has the happy post-Easter feast bulge.

After lunch, it was back to the lunch were everyone lay in various states of food coma to watch Happy Feet and Aryia made a re-appearance to see if anyone had smuggled some pork for her.

Unfortunately, since I was cooking, I don't have any photos but hopefully, one of the other paps from the day have some to share.

Cat x

Happy Easter!

Hi family

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter wherever you are!

Cat and Hugh... in London

Dot & Gabby... in Ireland
Sue and Chris... in Tullamore for the Irish folk festival
Kelly, Mart and SOK... in Perth (photos to come of Steven's first family day in a while!)

Hope the Easter bunny finds you all.

Love xx Kel

A curt reprimanded by Kell at our recent family day, for slack blogging, has stung me into this attempt to make good. You’d think that being only six, months that is, would make one exempt from such harsh criticism but alas this is a fast forward winners grinning. Cut no slack world in which it’s always too late to start.

Much of the excitement we’ve had over the last few months has centred around, well me actually. Some might expect a big head as the product of this but at my six month check up my head was completely in proportion My length was startling at 95% of range whilst my weight was only 75% prompting the nurse to encourage bulk feeding. How much mommy inquired? About a cup full three times a day. Noooo, does this so called nurse have any idea of the size of my stomach.

I’m pretty happy with the way I’ve been able to manage home life, friends and Family. I got Mummy and Poppa to re-organise the house and now have a room of my own, the best one I might add. Not the biggest no, but with the best view through the window where dappled sunlight and a lovely breeze bathe my change table. Older folk might have their desk or dining so located but I and my peers are keen to have our change tables well placed to reflect our esteem.

I've trained Pa to come and entertain me on Mondays Tuesdays and Wednesdays unless I’m otherwise disposed at Palmy or in the mountains with Mimi. Mimi usually turns up on Thursdays and may stop over till Friday when I must prepare myself to entertain mummy and Poppa for the weekend; whew. Pa Mummy and I now have a well established routine of pub dining on our days together, so much so that they, Mummy, Pa add Poppa; are fantasizing a ‘family friendly pub guide blog’ as an inheritance for me. Already I’m beginning to feel uncomfortable with the sorts of schemes adults will stake their futures on and I still have to rely on them for some time yet. Whew! I mean Ga! Or Gai!

Never mind, these are, they say, the best times in my life though I would have preferred not to know that. Some recent excitement featured a trip to IKEA, so many bright lights not to mention ideas had be jumping almost out of Bjorn which sounds as if it too could be IKEA. At Paddy’s fruit and vegetable market I was tempted away from my family to go with the paddy’s Chinese family who really wanted me so bad it was hard to deny them.

I’m so enjoying the limelight that I can’t wait to audition for ‘My Toddler Rules’ or ‘Dancing with Toddler’. We went swimming at North Sydney Pool on that crackling hot day recently. My first swim if you discount that hippy stuff on Boxing Day. I was a bit concerned at first but once I saw Mummy and Pa were going to act their age so to speak I relaxed and enjoyed. That’s one of the most difficult things for folk like me. Who can you trust? Well I at least have Pa. What a brick. He’d never put me wrong. Ga!

That sounds like just the right note to end this missive.

Love you all whoever you are.

Remy XXXXOXXXX  (hugs and tugs might break my bones but kisses never hurt me) 

 Laugh at my pants now as my time will come as surely as yours will go.

This is embarrasing

2012 family days

Sunday 5 February: Robet, Alice, Jack and Remy
Sunday 22 April: John
Sunday 17 June: Chris, Sue, Kelly and Mart
Sunday 28 October: Dot
Boxing Day: You know the drill

There will also be some kind of bash in September (dates TBC) for Hugh's 70th birthday.

Looking forward to another year of these...

European Family Day

So since Kelly's return down under, the early morning phone calls to alert the European contingent of the family have slacked off. Alas, for this family day, the European O'Keefes were together and celebrating in Paris.

My job requires me to visit our other European offices from time to time and our department's policy is all foreign meetings should take place on a Friday or Monday to allow for full exploration and understanding of our other offices culture (and usually alcoholic beverages and clubs). This time, Gabby came with me for this experience.

We started off on a very early train from London to Paris, Gabby sleeping most of the way and me devouring Eurostar croissants to stay awake. We made it to our hotel, dropped the bags, changed for comfortable shoes and headed out to explore the sites.

Stop 1 - L'arc de triumph. We followed the tourists and visited France's unknown soldier. Although we were too tired and cheap to climb the arc, Gabby took some amazing photos from the bottom. From there, we headed down the Champs Elyeeses towards the Siene, with one or two brief shopping stops along the way.

From the Siene, over to the left bank for a spot of lunch (goat's cheese salads, yum yum) and over to Notre Dame to view the flying buttresses made famous by a humpback. After taking our fill of stain glass, we joined the Batobus for a trip up and down the Siene viewing some of the most iconic Parisian sites. By this time, it had started to rain, I was grumpy and Gabby very sensibly suggested returning to the hotel for a nap.

Dinner proved to be a quiet affair - drinks with my boss and her boyfriend, dinner in Montmartre, far too many drinks and a phone call from my parents to remind us that yes, it was in fact O'Keefe family day.

Day two was intended to be for shopping but Cat, very sillily forgot, shops don't open on Sunday in Paris so instead we went to Laudree's for macaroons, a bistro for steak and San Chapelle to show Gabby my most favourite tourist attraction in Paris.

Gabby took over 150 photos so we thought that we'd share some of them with you... Happy family day! The European O'Keefes.

Love, Cat