Every birthday is special, from the very first one, a celebration of life, of experiences, of highs and lows. Birthdays should be honored. Over the years we have enjoyed many birthdays between us, hundreds in fact, there have been parties cobbled together with shared rations, family get togethers, holidays, days out and lots more besides.

We have all organised many celebrations, for our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, and even great grandchildren, now living here at Layston Grove we have birthday celebrations organised for us.

The team here go to so much trouble for us and although we protest and claim to not want a fuss, we welcome it really.

This week we celebrated a very special birthday, a 99^th birthday. It really is incomprehensible to imagine the changes that have taken place over the last 99 years. The 1920s were a decade of great prosperity, coincidently following a global pandemic. They were known for their parties, fashions, and excessive alcohol consumption. The 20s ended with Great Depression closely followed by the second world war, rationing, the swinging 60s and everything that followed, the world has changed beyond recognition and to have lived through and experienced such change is cause for a big celebration and that is what we had.

We partied like it was 1922, there were decorations, balloons, streamers, we had party food, fruity cocktails, and cake, lots of cake. It was a fabulous day, and we all enjoyed every minute of it. At Layston Grove we celebrate every day, enjoying our time here and relishing each other’s company, but birthdays, they are special and that is how it should be.