MY BIRTHDAY WEEK

THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO MADE MY BIRTHDAY SO SPECIAL.. it was always going to be a tall order this year as I was trying very hard to ignore it but to be honest, I’m sure everyone literally dreads it’s arrival because they know that although I make a valiant attempt to try and be grown up about it all, I do still like a fuss to be made, a party (or three) to be created and drinks to be drunk. My poor children had to organise a tag team to ensure that there was someone around me all day…

So this is how it went:-

DAY 1

7AM: Tea in bed delivered by my youngest son before he went to school with a card he’d made himself, which is worth showing you:-

9AM: Breakfast made by eldest son who had rushed back from his girlfriend’s house to cook me a full english – present opening ceremony was relatively short and inventive given he doesn’t have any money, interspersed with lots of encouraging whoops “PIGS IN BLANKET CRISPS!!! LIMITED EDITION!! AMAZING!! LUCKY YOU!! WOOHOO” and so on:-

MIDDAY: Walk and lunch with a girlfriend and my son. We went to The Petersham Nurseries, one of my favourite places. Always guaranteed to make the soul soar (or is it “saw?”, or “sore?”). Just look at the flowers and the food:-

The nursery and gorgeous flowers:-

The delicious lunch with rose petal prosecco:-

The starter:-

Main course – can’t remember what it was but doesn’t it look amazing?

6PM: Brief catch up with a friend before attending the Space For Giants event that I really wanted to attend, but I shouldn’t have gone on my own as I wasn’t feeling brave enough to talk to anyone so I listened to Dr Max Graham who heads up the charity and then left. There is SO much to be done to save the elephants and SOON as you can see from the posters:-

8PM: Dinner with youngest son and his girlfriend (I appear to be green and hairy all round these days as far as my children are concerned).

9PM: Home for the secret very splendid and delicious birthday cake my son make for me:-

Reckon that’s just about perfect sponge:-

10PM: I popped across the road to my girlfriend’s house for a quick birthday glass of wine.

2PM: Staggered home singing and laughing and generally feeling happy, happy, happy again.  Don’t think she was feeling quite so happy with me – was only meant to be quick!

DAY 2

Spoilt by my girlfriends at the pub in the evening who joined me for drinkies and gave me some lovely presents. Look how pleased I am at the sight of this little old brown bag – it’s taken over from the little blue box round this ‘ere parts and I couldn’t have been happier with my evening. They bought me a very pretty pendant and lots of other bits and pieces. Flowers, champagne, makeup – lucky me! This ended up being another 2am-er.

DAY 3

My family came for a sleep-over. My mother, two brothers, one of my sister in law’s, their two children and my daughter came back from Bristol so nearly a full house.

My mother is officially tiny and my youngest son officially a giant:-

Normal family proceedings ensued and it turned into our usual messy family gathering with dancing to Pata Pata et al and cake. It was also the anniversary of my father’s death – a very difficult day for all, but especially for my mother, so it was an emotional night. But I was delighted we were all together and strangely, when we toasted him the lights flickered and glowed much more brightly briefly. He was definitely enjoying the party.

Here is my family in all it’s messy wonderfulness:-

I thought I looked quite stylish in my niece’s dressing gown, until I saw the photo:-

Pressie from my brother – definitely going to get through this:-

Pressie from my other brother – uber cool – but thinking wine would look good in it?

This game was destined to go wrong. The idea was that chairs got taken away until they were all supporting each other, which clearly resulted in a pile on the floor:-

Kitchen dancing:-

So thank you again for a truly wonderful few days.

OH and PS – the major disadvantage of being single is that you don’t have a significant other to spoil you, so I have learnt that it’s OK to spoil yourself instead – so look what I managed to acquire for myself…some beautiful aquamarine earrings from Monica Vinader – my jeweller of choice – I just love them:-

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