September is birthday month for our family, beginning with the boys. After the excitement of the pirate summer camp, it was obvious what theme their birthday party would have, and invitations were sent out to all of Wiki and Loxon’s favourite pirate friends. Three weeks before the appointed date there was a council collection, so Mark went out to see what materials could be scavenged. He was surprised by what he found. There was a storage unit, whose ribbed canvas walls were perfect for a sail; the backing panels of an Ikea wardrobe, which flexed easily to form the hull of a ship; and even a costume hand-hook. With the aid of some sawing, a few screws and a marker pen, the ship shown at right was quickly assembled. Uncle Jürgen lent us a fantastic ship’s wheel and rope, while Aunt Sabine furnished the pirate flag. Given the zero budget, we were delighted with the result.

Thirteen dead-keen, albeit diminuitive, pirates duly appeared on the day, demanding entertainment with startling ferocity. So as soon as all the pirates had made scary drawings on their hats, we embarked on a journey across the high seas. The sails were hoisted, the anchor raised, and we set course for Thailand. Strangely enough, upon arriving there we sighted a party that looked suspiciously like parents sipping their wine. They were soon sent cowering, however, by volleys of our cannonballs.

Next came the tattoos and then the treasure hunt, which involved following shapes marked on the map (see above) to find scrolls. These were hidden all over the garden and eventually led to the sandpit. Who could possibly have guessed that the treasure chest would be buried there? And, after it was laboriously dug out, it yielded eye masks, bubble blowers, pirate badges and chocolate gold coins, all neatly divided into fifteen portions. This fortunate coincidence averted fighting over the spoils — well for the most part, anyway.

Meanwhile, back on board ship, a pair of shark piñata dangled from the rigging, waiting to be whacked. They proved stubborn, resisting several rounds of determined pirate bashings, but did eventually crack open, strewing jelly treats and still more gold coins to the eager scrounging pirates. And finally it was time to head home for cake, rounding out a hearty day of pirate adventure.