The Big One + Birthday + Toys

It was The Big One's birthday on Sunday so we went out for fun and games...literally.

The weather was gorgeous so after a delicious breakfast we walked to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green before heading to a posh cinema then a fabulous Mexican meal...

Inside the various glass boxes in the museum were some rather familiar objects of fun!

Lots of crafty toys!

Then there was the best selling 'Dress Shirley Temple' - oh how things have changed eh?

Red and I had this dolls house growing up - felt very odd to see it as a museum exhibit!

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.”
-Deepak Chopra

My Birthday Treats!

I know it was aaages ago, (in fact it's The Big One's Birthday next week) but rather late then never when it comes to sharing new pur-chases.  

You may remember one of my (many) lovely birthday pressies from The Big One was a shopping spree in Belfast. He said it was a 'Brewster's Millions' situation and I had to spend all the dosh that day on myself. I know -  Best Boyfriend Award Nomination.

So here's what I gots!

Quite a swag eh!?

I have worn eveything at least once and I am still de-lighted with each and every item...cos they make me feel like a princess, a much treated princess.  Lets hope I can make him feel similarly spoilt next weekend!!

“Men are what their mothers made them”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It Sure Was One to Remember

So my birthday has been and gone and it was s-u-p-e-r-b!

I was so spoilt that I need a new word for spoilt!

It started with The Big One's arrival on Friday, the best present I could wish for to have him here. 

I woke up Saturday morning to cards from Patch &  Tache and My Lovely Dad. Then I had a pressie to open from The Big One - the lovely Liberty Feather print notebook I had featured on here with another pale blue Liberty notebook!

Then the card - I knew we were going for dinner and staying in a hotel but I didn't know I was going to be given a wodge of spending money for a shopping trip! 

So gasps and hugs later we had breakfast at the lovely Cafe Renoir with a friend and fellow actor, I shall blogname him...The Mac. It was lovely to see him before he heads off to Serbia and weeks of filming exciting new things plus breakfast was pretty de-lish!

Then I had a matinee show but not before a wander and a perusal in the Oxfam bookshop where I found a biography of Esther Williams. Wandering a bit more we headed into Maggie Mays for a birthday Oreo milkshake - I have never seen a bigger milkshake!

 

Matinee over I headed back with The Big One to hang out in my onesie and eat the chocolate covered pretzels he'd brought over with him.

Evening show and once it was over I met The Big One and Spaghetti Arms in the bar for a quick drink with some other actors we know and then we headed to Barking Dog for a lovely dinner with HawkandFallow! The night was long, loud and lovely and at about 2am The Big One and I fell into bed.

Sunday: Lazy morning, Sunday show then met The Big One at the theatre to head to the lovely Malmaison hotel! It was gorgeous! Bit of a nap later we headed out for yet another birthday dinner, this time at Made in Belfast.

After filling ourselves to bursting with scrumminess we headed to the cinema to watch Rise of The Planet of The Apes which was brilliant. 

So next was Monday and my birthday shopping trip....

“Last week the candle factory burned down. Everyone just stood around and sang Happy Birthday.”

- Steve Wright

A Birthday Package of JOY!

My birthday present from My Lovely Dad arrived on my birthday and it was....

MY VERY OWN ONESIE!

 With a hood, pockets and matching socks!

Sweeeeeeet!

And yes I was smug and comfy. I LURVE it, thanks My Lovely Dad!!

"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."

- Coco Chanel 

Birthday List

It's my birthday on Saturday, it's funny cos I didn't feel particularly bothered about it even a week ago but now I am officially EXCITED! I get all bubbly and full of jumping beans when I think about it. I don't think it's any coincidence that my excitement coincides with The Big One, who I haven't seen for weeks, is coming over to celebrate it with me.

He arrives on Friday, we are out for dinner with HawkandFallow and Spaghetti Arms after the show on my birthday - what a treat to have 3 of my favourite people in the world to mark this new number with me!

Then on Sunday he has booked us into a lovely hotel, we have a table booked for dinner at Made in Belfast and then on Monday, he tells me we are going on a shopping trip!

What a very lucky and very spoilt gal I am!

So now I am embracing my impending birthday my thoughts have wandered to my ultimate birthday list, thought it'd be fun to make a visual list...who knows maybe I'll strike gold!

Knitter's Necklace - All the Fun of the Fair 

Lambswool Tweed Jacket - Vivienne Westwood

Winter Tartan - Vivienne Westwood

Coloured Skinnies - Kooples

Poem cushion - mybeardedpigeon (Etsy)

Alice in Wonderland Teapot - zinniapea (Etsy)

Feather Print Notebook - Liberty, London

Sterling Silver Anchor Necklace - Love Your Silver

Detachable Peter Pan Collar - luminia (Etsy)

Podengo Pequeno...well you never know!

Lola's cupcakes 

In all honesty though I will have all I could want by being on stage in a play I love and then getting to share my birthday with some very special people.

"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more."

- Tony Robbins 

The Big Birthday

It was last Friday and it was a big success.

After tea, cards and presents The New 30 yr old and I went for brunch round the corner from his flat. Eggs Benedict with Salmon - oh yes!

Then we headed to Lisa's to help her source and prep for the big birthday dinner. She had broken her toe the previous day so much hobbling occurred. She styles it out pretty well it must be said.

Then after a lovely arvo of chatting, prepping and chilling the guests arrived. Rich had selected an intimate group and they were all so lovely! Much merriment later it was time for the birthday cake.

A 30th birthday to be proud of.

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

-Abraham Lincoln

A Haul of Presents!

I just wanted to share some of the gorgeous presents I was given for my birthday as they really are so beautiful!

A seed box filled with seeds and a 'grower' kit

A bird box!

A butter soft leather clutch w/ chain handle

Cath Kidston sewing threads

One of 2 large hurricane lamps

A stunning piece of art inspired by the poem 'Wild Geese' by Mary Oliver -  made by hawkandfallow

I was also given a lovely book (Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann), a potted lavender, homemade cupcakes, fudge, nougat, balloons Agent Provocateur socks, an 'I'm with Stupid' Mug, a bag of lollipops, a fire red houseplant, the wish lantern and an 'A' candle,

Did you ever hear of a girl so spoilt!?

My Birthday Soireeeeee!

bit dark but it brightened up...

 Yesterday I had an absolutely gorgeous little birthday barbecue/garden party.  It was a casual, relatively last minute affair but I was overwhelmed by the amount people who battled the multiple tube line closures to get to us and boy-oh-boy I was showered with beautiful cards and gifts! Each indivdual card and/or pressie was so thoughtful and perfect.

I genuinely wasn't expecting anything at all - I always think the fact people come to toast your birthday with you is a gift in itself, everyone's so busy and nobody wants to travel across London at the weekend but turn up they did and I had a ball!

We had dressed up the garden with the bunting I had made, the lanterns and fairy lights my lovely friend L had lent to us and my wishes for sun seemingly answered, we fired up the barbecue.

I served 2 types of cocktails (Jasmine Delight & Gin Fizz) out of teapots into my new little Frost French glass teacups. The cocktails and cups went down a storm, I made several teapot loads throughout the day.

The Big One did one of his infamous quizzes and despite a controversial scoring debate 'The Asian Connection Team' won.

A round of ice-cream cones, complete with strawberry sauce and hundreds and thousands later we lit all the candles outside and R&K gave me the beautiful gift of a wish lantern. I wrote my wish on it, lit it then we all watched as the lantern floated away carrying my wish high into the night sky.

There was rain, making us each grab cushions and rugs and run in (several times), but that just seemed to add to the party spirit, people set up camp in almost every room and then would mingle. I just floated from space to space chatting to everyone I could.

It was one of those perfect parties where people drop in throughout the afternoon/evening making the dynamics in the group constantly change.

I am so very lucky to have (so many) friends from all different walks of life and each of them seem to love meeting and chatting to each other whether it be for the first time or not.

I love my friends, they are my family and when I have days like yesterday they each make me feel that I am family to them as well.

Thank you to you all, you made my birthday, each and every one of you!

"Friends are relatives you make for yourself."

  ~Eustache Deschamps

Birthday Gal = Spoilt Rotten

It was my birthday on Friday and I got spoilt RoTtEn! 

The Big One made me my very favourite breakfast - kedgeree and I ate LoAds of it!

He had planned a bike ride and a delicious Carluccio's picnic but the weather was not playing ball so we went for a local wander, got some bits and bobs for my birthday BBQ/Garden party the following day...

 

Choosing ribbon for my bunting

We then came home to eat the (enormous and scrummy) picnic on a rug in the living room while watching a movie we rented. I loved loved loved it! I could barely eat for grinning ear to ear.

The film we got, "Everybody's Fine', was filed in the comedy section - MIS-file - it was a lovely film but my giddy aunt how we wept! Cleansing though...

After mopping ourselves up and as much of the scrummy picnic and wine as we fit in our tums we put our spanking new breakfast bar together and pottered about. When you work as much as I do a day to do anything you want with no obligations is heavenly.

He had also booked a table at one of our lovely local restaurants for 9pm but by 8:45 we were both still utterly stuffed so decided rather then eating for the sake of it, to instead postpone it to Wednesday evening, stretching out my birthday celebrations - result!

Here's the fantastic present he gave me - I'm going to find the perfect frame and get it up asap.

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."

~Jean Paul Richter

Cupcakes for All!

It was my Dad's 60th Birthday last week and as an additional present I decided to supply his party guests with individual iced cupcakes.

Raspberry flavoured icing

with vanilla flavoured 60's.

80 cupcakes later....

well 78....two were sacrificed for sampling.

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."  

- Jack Benny