Monday, January 07, 2008

26

Happy birthday to me. Sort of. I'm beginning to think I might be karmically paying for having had such a great Christmas.

My birthday did not get off to a roaring start. I'm feeling utterly, utterly rubbish at the moment. This particular definiton of rubbish is the one where I had to cancel the plan for Steve and I to go and have a nice lunch at the Victoria Coffee House because it would have taken so much out of me that I wouldn't have been able to manage work afterwards. When you feel so rubbish that you have to cancel Exciting Plans at the level of sitting in a quiet cafe with your boyfriend... that's pretty rubbish.

I have no presents, and one card, which Steve went out to get while I was at work this afternoon. This hasn't been the worst birthday I've had, but it's a long way off being one of the better ones.

BUT, I do have cake. Let me tell you about my cake. It's good cake. I'd found a little sandwich-shop type place supplied by the same small business that made my mum's wedding cake a couple of years ago. I bought a couple of gift-boxed chocolate brownies. Some excerpts from the ingredients list on the box:
Dark couverture chocolate (32%) (min cocoa content 53.8%)
Sugar
Cocoa butter
Madagascan vanilla
Espresso coffee...


AND, there were lots of phone calls and texts. Apparently not all parts of my pressie (very mysterious!) from my family are with them yet, they were kind of hanging on and hoping, but as it is, mum says she's sent the bits they have got special delivery and they should be with me tomorrow. I am very curious.

One thing that made me super-happy was when my mum told me that my grandmother had asked for my phone number so that she could call and wish me a happy birthday. This is impressive because:
1) My grandmother really, really, really hates using the telephone and will go out of her way to avoid having to make or recieve calls. She can just about deal with calling her own kids and panics if she gets an answerphone.
2) My grandmother lives in Germany. Her English is about as good as my German, ie, Not Very and uses a great deal of mime.

So the fact of her being prepared to make a telephone call, risk the possibility of someone she doesn't know (Steve) answering it, and take her best jump at the language barrier is really quite something. However, we don't have a landline phone, so she was spared it and I got my birthday greeting from her via my mum later in the day.

Work was ok, I was very tired but as I've said before, my co-workers are really good about giving me any help I need, and for the most part it's a fairly simple if time-consuming job. I shared my cake but there's still quite a bit left over.

I think I'm going to have another, pretend birthday later in the year to make up for this one having fizzled a bit. It is possible that this is just any excuse for more cake.

9 comments:

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MARY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!

I'm sorry you're feeling so rotten but on the plus side you are still very youthful (and younger than me - grr feeling old)

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday!!

I'll be 21 (not for the first time *ahem*) in a few days. Trying to avoid it - at the rate my dissertation is going, I will still be working. Otherwise, my birthday celebration is going to be a hair cut. Last year though, I was dumped on my birthday - by text message.

So I am definitely in favour of rescheduling your birthday. Pick the nicest day of the spring and have an 'unbirthday' like Anne of Green Gables. January's a rubbish time to have a birthday anyway, everyone's all Christmas-and-New-Year'ed out and it's cold and grey.

Anonymous said...

Ah whoops, I forgot to write my name - the above comment is from me!

Supermouse said...

Many happy returns of the year.
I can very much understand the cancelling plans thing.

I think I should look into that cake.

Mary said...

Carie, I may be a little bit younger than you but I don't knit as fast, so I need the extra time to catch up.

Happy birthday for a few days time Jo!

And supermouse, and anyone else who is interested... Link of cakey goodness.

Mandy said...

Oooops only just seen this.

Happy Belated Birthday to You Mary, hope your feeling a little brighter today.

I dribbled when I saw the gorgeousness that is chocolate cake, it does look extremely rich, which is a very good thing on a birthday :)

BenefitScroungingScum said...

Happy Birthday!! I've only just seen this too, so sorry I'm a day late, and I hope you're feeling a lil better today. I definitely think you should reschedule another birthday for later in the year, when it's warmer and there are less lurgy's lurking! Many happy returns anyway, BG x

Pandora Caitiff said...

Happy belated birthday. The cake sounds great.

Clara Belle said...

You can have your birthday celebration whenever you want, it's your birthday don't let pope Gregory dictate when you have it :)
Happy birthday