Miss Betty turns 90.

Miss Betty ... aka mum, mother duck ... turned 90 last week. Amazing. Totally amazing. We know she's 90, but she thinks she's around 28, back on the farm, waiting for dad to come down for smoko. She's happy. We're happy. We take it as it comes. Some days she's better than others. But 90! That's quite an achievement.

She has three children, five grand-children, four and a half great-grand-children. All carrying her genes. Her life has been fruitful.

So, to commemorate this event, we held a gathering of her three children and whatever other family members could be there. A simple family get together. From outside Geelong and the west of Sydney, we gathered in Cairns to celebrate 90 years of Miss Betty.

Three of her four and a half great-grand-children did the honour of blowing out the candles.

The fourth was at work. The half doesn't join the family until early December. That will provide us with another reason to celebrate.

To fit in with today's world, the cake was gluten free and dairy free. Those of us who could smothered our piece with cream. Yum.

Even the grand-dog was celebrating.

Miss Betty was not well enough to join us, but we know she would have approved of our celebrations for her.

There she is with those hands that have sewn and crocheted and knitted and worked so hard as a farmer's wife.

Her cheeky side is still evident. She tickled my leg higher up than she should and played with my brother's knee as though he were her young boy.

She misbehaved in front of the camera.

Cuddled into the quilts my sister and I had made.

Mum has always loved fabric and her hands caressed the quilts lovingly.

This quilt was made for my brother's second daughter's 30th birthday. You'll have seen the beginnings of this quilt on my last visit to Far North Queensland, here.

Making quilts for special occasions is a tradition my sister and I love.