My birthday, in case you didn't know (and in that case, better put that one in the calendar for next year!)

Twenty-Five Things

Five Birthday things :
1) Birthday surprises are good. Like, Surprise! Champagne! or Surprise! Chocolate Delivery! or Surprise! Birthday presents! Yes. Surprises are good.
2) Calories don't count on birthdays. never-ever. ever. That is why it is okay to have strawberry milkshakes at lunch and strawberry chocolates after lunch (Surprise! Chocolates!) just because they were sent to you. And champagne. Yes, it is always good to have birthday champagne (or champagne at anytime, really).
3) Bowling. Birthday bowling is fun. You get to wear bowling shoes.
4) On your birthday it is okay to be in the VIP section of a nightclub in a t-shirt and jeans. Well, I hope it is okay anyway, because I did it... (and then one should learn that one should never go 'out' to a pub and not expect the evening to turn into an expedition to a club where the ladies dress fancy and wear pretty heels and red lipstick n'stuff...)
5) It is good for birthdays to last more than one day. A weekend is nice. And if you are very clever, an entire week is even better. Celebrate your birthday, stretch it out and make it last. You deserve it - you've survived another year!

Five things I have learned in the past quarter-century:
1) Never where a white shirt when eating tomato soup. Just don't do it. Trust me on this one.
2) Red Lipstick is a beauty miracle. Ladies, find your shade and rock it. The boys won't be able to take their eyes off you. (but... be sure to check your teeth...)
3) Getting lost is the best way to find yourself and know the way thereafter. (whoa, deep. moving swiftly along now).
4) Don't go 'out' to a pub on a Friday night in a t-shirt and jeans. Chances are you'll end up in a club with ladies in fancy dresses and heels and rockin' the red lipstick. Awkward.
5) It is sometimes okay to sleep in. And to have those days in which you don't do anything but stay in your pajamas, curled up in the duvet, watching re-runs of Made in Chelsea and looking at pictures in magazines. Sometimes.

Five things I'd like to do this year:
1) Write more letters. In fact, twenty-five letters (seems appropriate). You know, snail mail. Using that thing called the Post Office.
2) Bake twenty-five new things (again, appropriate) that I have never-ever baked before. I may need to call in Nigella for this one.
3) Learn (or re-learn) something. Like guitar or knitting or Italian or French or ... something.
4) Plant something. Like a tree or a flower or... something.
5) Read the Bible. Cover to cover. The whole thing. I've never done that before.

Five things I like :
1) Red wine & Whiskey (okay, thats two)
2) Pretending to read magazines and actually just looking at the pictures.
3) Eating food with friends (and dancing with friends. Again, two - sorry!)
4) Riding my bike.
5) Laying in the grass and tumble rolling down hills.

Five things I don't like :
1) Being mistaken as a Canadian.
2) Smog. Black lungs - no good. oh, and dog poo on streets is not so nice either.
3) Jaeger bombs. In fact, anything with Jaeger. I dislike Jaeger.
4) The dark.
5) Pink (well, mostly. Sometimes pink is good. Like pink wine, or pink champagne, or pink chocolates, or pink roses or pink sprinkles....okay, maybe I actually don't dislike pink that much...)

Thank you all who celebrated with me and sent me messages and cards and gifted me with wonderful things! Twas certainly a great start to number 25 of life on Earth.

H x