Birthdays and Goodbyes

It was my cousin George's 18th birthday last week.  He has also been accepted into the Royal Navy and starts basic training in early December. 

Because of these two facts, his mum, Maria asked Sheila and I to bake him a cake showing both these occassions in one.

We toyed around with various ideas and Sheila came up with the idea of two hats.  A birthday hat and a navy hat.  I loved the idea and we began baking...

The best moment with this cake was when Maria first saw it, she burst into tears.  Man, if only everyone reacted with such emotion when presented with the food we prepare for them!