Birthdays and Special Times.

Man, have I had a week of it.  I do have a talent for stretching my birthdays out over a week or more. And this year was no exception.

My birthday celebrations started a week early, at a local river cleanup where my damp, wader clad colleagues set up a surprise party for me with balloons, a cake and flowers.  And a ragged chorus of 'Happy Birthday' sung by 62 people on a muddy riverbank in the perishing cold. A lovely kick off for the main event...

The following weekend was a self indulgent one. A trip up to York for

a weekend of wandering through the old town, little boutiques, markets, junk shops, delis, National Trust properties, York Minster and the Jorvik Viking centre.  I had a lovely time just following my feet and kept myself well stoked up in the cold, with cups of tea and cakes...

This trip was followed soon after by a spa break on my actual birthday in the middle of the New Forest with a couple of me old muckers. Birthday cake, champagne, posh dinners and a full day of pampering and hydrotherapy.....Bliss! (Ahem, I might have to develop a nervous complaint to justify doing this more often...)

And finally my birthday fortnight closed with a Weekend in Whitstable with my gay fellas and their 2 adorable mini Schnauzers. Much wine was drunk.  Much sitting in the pub with papers and wonderfully well behaved dogs after chilly walks along the waterfront (yes, Spring has not touched us yet) and much excellent eating in my fave gastro pub, the Three Mariners at Oare.

I now need a week or so to detox, pay bills, do laundry and get my house in order. But it was all so so worth it.....