An "unbirthday" lunch

was on the menu yesterday. 

My aunt and I have birthdays five days apart in the "holiday" part of the year. Neither of us much care for celebrations, especially of the party sort.

She phoned me earlier in the week and said, "I'm taking you out to lunch..."

We settled on Thursday and then, because of the weather, delayed it until Friday. We went to a quiet cafe with a menu which suits both of us. It isn't fancy and the service might perhaps be faster but the staff are pleasant and friendly. 

And we exchanged presents. I am now the owner of yet another knitting book, a very nice one. What is more I could honestly tell her, "No darling. It's lovely and I don't have it." 

I gave her another small shawl she can fling around her shoulders while sitting. These days her arthritis is bothering her more than it once did and she often wants something like that. I made it last year and it was one of the things I won a prize for in the state's annual show. It is covered in leaves and flowers and I suggested she might like to use it when she is sitting in her garden drinking tea. 

"No, I am going to keep it in the car. That way if I feel cool everyone can see it when I get out."

It was a typical response from her. I love her for that sort of thing as well as herself. 

It also made me think about the business of giving presents. Hers are always chosen with thought and care. If I had told her, and she would have wanted to know, I already had the book she would have returned it and found me something else. In the past I have had some other amazing books from her.  She is a very, very generous person. Middle Cat often gets gardening related things because they both have a love of gardening. Again, they are presents chosen with thought and care.

I love to give people things I know they want or, as I did yesterday, something I have made. It's important to me too. I recently sent someone I know a 90th birthday card. I made it. It has ninety quotations on it. I could just have taken any ninety from my extensive collection but I tried to choose words I thought she would enjoy reading. Her return note to me was a delight to read.

This morning I am going to send my aunt a note. I will tell her again that I like my "unbirthday" book and how much I enjoyed having lunch with her. It doesn't matter if she only lives about a kilometre from here. She will get a letter in her mail box - and I hope I can take her out for an "unbirthday" lunch again later in the year.