For me, all of my birthdays are amazing, turning every number is as important a milestone as the 30, 40, 50, 60 etc etc are to other people.
I don’t get any more or less excited about there being a zero at the end of it, I feel that excitement every single birthday I get.
At 36, I didn’t know for sure I’d get 37 onwards, but the thing is, not to be morbid, none of us know that we’re going to get the next one, whether we are healthy or not.
That’s why every single one is special. Every day is special...but even I’m not so high maintenance to expect a big fuss every day.
Do I worry about getting old? HELL NO!! I love it. I relish it and I yearn to know I will achieve it.
I don’t feel the panic or sadness some have displayed with the years ticking by. There is no midlife crisis looming here...although maybe I’m in it, I have got a white convertible sports car...oh God I’m in it aren’t I?? Oh well, at least I’m all in and loving life!
I think not being competitive, nor a high achiever helps! Really I do. As I’ve never set goals, I can’t be disappointed if I don’t hit them. ;)
I’m one of life’s plodders. I’m just being carried along delighted by how life is turning out, rather than powering on with tasks to do and targets to meet.
I feel really rather blessed on my laziness. It’s made me the content, fulfilled sloven that I am today! Hahhahaha
I loved my lockdown birthday, was it what we had planned? Nope, not even anywhere close. Can we reschedule what we did have planned? Nope again, not just because the all the hotels will be shut for a while but because on 50% salary we can’t really justify the extravagance.
So Chris made my lockdown birthday as good as he could in the circumstances.
We had a lovely night away (in the spare room! Actually, that’s not strictly true, we had to check out a night early as the pipes and floorboards creak and clang all night). :o
From our room to the guest room. The journey was easy but bloody hell, the pipes clang all night long. I apologise to anyone that’s ever stayed over.
I will be supplying ear plugs to future guests.
We had a lovely lie in. I opened my cards and presents with tea in bed.
All of my friends and family spoilt me rotten, so thank you to them. It was much appreciated. xx
Then Ben and Kaitlyn said they were dropping some bits off...which turned out to be pressies and a beautiful cake, a hamper of goodies and my favourite present to date….
My first tiara!!!…
They bought it as a joke, because I set the dress code for my birthday quiz night as headwear as I had a lovely birthday candle crown to wear (as you do), But this tiara is a beauty! It’s metal so it feels like the real thing (as if I’d know, I’ve never tried one on, but I am tempted to pop to that jewellers in Burlington Arcade to sample some now). Hahahaha
I was very spoilt. Chris bought me some earrings way back in February when he bought me my anniversary present, I’m so glad we had that day trip to London this year at least.
My bestie bought me some new summer lockdown pyjamas, she felt that my fancy Christmas ones weren’t suitable for this season. :)
Pj’s from The White Company.
Michelle I love them!! So comfy and cool. I will be spending many happy hours (days) in them.
I had planned on wearing this beautiful crown all day, but my new tiara blew this one out of the water.
It’s a weird birthday when you can only see one son (he lives 5 minutes away), at a social distance.
After distanced tea and cake in the garden with Ben and Kaitlyn, I was treated to brunch pancakes. Then later on Chris surprised me with an afternoon cream tea hamper he’d ordered online. So basically, if anyone asks what I got for my birthday this year the answer will be diabetes!! Hahahaha
T Shirt from H & M, Jeans from New Look, Sunglasses from Jimmy Choo, Shoes from LK Bennet…Tiara from Amazon, I believe.
I really think the tiara finishes off the outfit perfectly. It’s a bit lacking and not quite blingy enough without it. :)
Chris had planned a full itinerary of things to do at home.
I tweaked it a little bit, it was my birthday after all. I wanted to do things we’d not done in a while. So I added a walk and a drive out in the car into the mix.
As mundane as they may sound they are unusual…in this weird time.
Until my birthday drive out, Chris hadn’t been out in a car for 9 weeks! Yes, you’re reading that correctly.
He’s only left the property at all once before on foot and that was a 4 minute walk to the local bottle bank.
My mum messaged me to say “did you actually wear that out in public!?!”
Of course I did!! First of all, it’s my birthday, and secondly, I can see very little point in owning something as beautiful as this for it not to be seen, and thirdly and probably most important of all - the older we get the less we care about other people’s opinions! ;)
We had a lovely drive out, roof down, sun shining…and more importantly seeing something other than the confines of our property for the first time in a very long time.
As much as I enjoyed the ride out, I felt it was probably a good idea to force Chris out the door, nine weeks is a lonnnnnnng time to stay home.
The day was complete with Chris setting up a spa in the summer house in the garden, and giving me a lovely massage, even on my abdomen which a lot of masseuse’s bypass even in full body massages, which pisses me off greatly, it’s not like my bag bites!
All followed up with a really lovely home made curry and a Zoom quiz night with friends.
Zak stayed up for it and I imagine he was a great help too, seeing as Milly and Sam won the quiz, so I’m assuming that’s why. :)
My birthday was on Friday, Chris took the day off for it, which was a gift in itself as he’s been working so hard lately.
Having Friday off always makes for a lovely long weekend.
The weather has been pretty solidly good which I think has helped make lockdown slightly more bearable.
Sunday I felt we’ve worked so hard we deserved a treat (we? errrm, Chris might be curious about the ‘we’, as he’s the one that’s fitted a new shower screen and has been slowly but surely going round mending things…I’m usually the one clumsy enough to break the things to start with so in that sense it is a joint effort) hahahaha
Anyway I made Sunday’s lunch special ...who doesn’t love a picnic, apart from Kaitlyn, but she’s a funny one anyway ;)
Dress from H&M, Shoes from Tory Burch.
Meat free…
Alcohol free…
Absolutely free…grown from the seeds M&S gave away at the beginning of the year.
We had our first harvest of radish, soon the lettuce and carrots will be ready too, we’re almost self sufficient. :)
No picnic is complete without cheese and pineapple…what?…I am a child of the 70’s and proud of it! :)
I opened a bottle of Bees Knees, it’s an alcohol free sparkling “wine”. If you’re thinking of cutting back on the old drink I would recommend this one for summer afternoons in the sun.
All in all its been a pretty good weekend. I’m older and wiser (of course). Happier and full of hope and excitement as to what the next year will hold…, no, hold on a minute…it’s just more of sitting at home alone isn’t it. ;)
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I noticed some protests in London over the weekend, I feel incredibly sorry for the police, in fact I think there should have been no police presence at all. Why should they risk their health for some fools who think they as an individual are more important than us as a whole.
Jeremy Corbyn’s brother was front and centre as per. He’s a one isn’t he. I think if he was a child growing up now he would be diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
You can pretty much guarantee that if we hadn’t of locked down they would be protesting about the imperialist, capitalist government putting profit ahead of people. Oi yoi yoi.
I just have a few questions if anyone can answer them…these anti lockdown protests…what’s that all about?
People angry, really really angry that a government is prepared to go bust in an attempt to protect the weak? Interesting, interessssting….
It was choc full of conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers.
Again I’ve got more questions - why do anti vaxxers have to make a fuss about it, For example I’m pro vaccinations, love them in fact, I have a flu jab every year and anything else that takes my fancy.
But have I felt any need to find a group of like minded people and talk about having vaccines all the time? No, I have my jabs, by choice (because that’s what it is) then go off to have fun and enjoy myself.
Have them/don’t have them, up to you, it’s not a thing. It’s simply a life choice like brushing your teeth or combing your hair.
Flat earthers? Why does it matter? Why are you so bothered? Flat, round, cuboid? Does it really matter? Nothing would be different if you’re right or I’m right, because you’re still alive and your life is what it is.
If it turns out I’ve been lied to all this time, I think I’ll be ok, if I can get over the tooth fairy and the whole Santa Claus extravaganza I think I’m going to be just fine no matter what shape the earth is.
5G spreads coronavirus?? If you’d just stuck with 5G gives you cancer I could have probably been swayed to believe there was something in that. But coronavirus?? Really?? Covid19 is a coronavirus, so too is the common cold. You’re telling me you think 5G can spread colds? Maybe, I suppose but only when the cell tower gets flu and it coughs and sneezes contaminated droplets everywhere.
For the most part, most of us have gone along with the measures in place.
None of us have particularly enjoyed lockdown, that said I haven’t not enjoyed it, but I’m a weird loner like that. But we have abided by it to not just save ourselves but to save our fellow man, we are humanitarians simply by staying home and baking banana bread…
Keep well. Stay safe and Stay Alert! Hahahahaha
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Just want to draw your attention to an event on Facebook next weekend.
Follow @storiesfromtheinside on Facebook or Instagram for more details.
There will be some amazing specialist, advocates, doctors, experts and yes, even little old me will be making an appearance. :)
Sophie referred to me as an icon!! My head swelled massively on seeing that! Sophie is an absolute hero of mine…if you’re not following @sophiedietician why not?
hahahahhah
See you Sunday ya’ll…