Yes, I remember well the cold tinned prawns on my plate with a lone crunchy potato that had been zapped in the microwave, for breakfast. Once there was even a rollmop (German description of a pickled herring fillet) on my plate and a side dish of dill cucumbers. I love German food, except for breakfast.

Years ago I loathed pancakes, as a matter of fact they would make me gag, a left over from my childhood when I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until everything was eaten, including a soup broth made with pancake pieces – ugh! The thought of it still makes me feel squeamish.

On this particular Mother’s Day my very young daughter decided to make me pancakes for breakfast. The breakfast arrived with great fanfare and I did indeed feel very special. I looked down at the plate and saw the pancake. The pancake was char grilled on one side and soft and runny on the other. It was at this where I felt like a bad mum. I knew this was put together with much love; I simply couldn’t eat it.

Several Mother’s Days later a cake was lovingly baked for me. This cake was so bad it was totally inedible and had to be smuggled into the rubbish bin because not even the dog would eat it.

Many years later and a younger brother added, I am pleased to see that nothing has changed in regards to her culinary skills, some things shall always remain constant. Fortunately these days her younger brother bakes delicious cakes.

On Mother’s Day I have a very patient family. With clenched teeth and drooped shoulders they smile at me when I say “How about we go somewhere to eat? What about driving up to the mountains?" Sometimes I swear I hear muffled words hissed like pointless, aimless, stress, and be nice to your mother!

In recent years, we’ve driven around the Gold Coast hinterland in Queensland Australia in the futile search for food on Mother’s Day. You would think we would have learned our lesson. We walk then drive around for ages to find somewhere or something to eat. Once we discovered a small restaurant hidden away (I know why) so we paid for our buffet lunch only to discover there was next to nothing left.

The following Mother’s Day we again drove to the Gold Coast without booking a table and so we found ourselves going from restaurant to restaurant in a futile search for somewhere to eat. We settled for takeaway instead.

There have also been many Mother’s Days spent with breakfasts or lunches along our coastal regions, spending time wandering through art and craft markets, shopping, the movies, or simply spending time hanging out with the family.

Sadly these days we are not often together as a family. It will still be a wonderful day spent with my husband and son however my daughter and grandson both live far away in another city in a different State. So today I find myself reflecting on Mother’s Days Past and it makes me smile. There are so many fond memories; there has been so much laughter and so much love.

Mother’s Days are special to me because of the children in my life; they are the tops, I love them and I know they love me.