You would be forgiven for thinking that I was referring to the Olympics but actually I am talking about a far more important celebration – my birthday that just happened to fall on the same day as the opening ceremony.  So nice of the whole country to join in my celebrations! Lol!  I haven’t seen the opening ceremony but by all accounts it did our country proud and Team GB did very well with 29 gold medals, 17 silver and 19 bronze, putting us 3rd in the medal table.  Go Team GB!  I did watch the closing ceremony which was fantastic and I especially enjoyed the Spice Girls which took me back to my early teens when I was mad on them and the girl power they stood for.  I must admit this is the first year I have taken an interest in the Olympics.  I even got my rabbit Rufus into the spirit with a Team GB football!  Tomorrow marks the start of the Paralympics.

 

The origins of the Olympics go back to ancient Greece in 8^th Century BC.  The first games held in the UK were in 1908 when such sports as Tug of War were included.  We came top of the medal table that year with 56 gold medals!

So another year passes and sadly this will be the last year of my twenties.  I don’t feel a day over 21 though!  Where have those years gone?  Guess I feel a little behind my peers at times given my lack of career path; however numerology does say that those with a birth date of 27 tend to be late bloomers, taking their time to choose a profession.  It also says we are creative so perhaps there is some hope for a writing career still.

Being that my birthday fell on a Friday this year I decided to stretch the festivities over the whole weekend.  On the day we had a family trip to West Wittering beach.  I chose here as despite being some distance away, the place holds good childhood memories.  You can park up virtually on the beach and picnic.  The sand stretches for miles whilst the tide is out and there is a lot of shallow water making it ideal for children.  The car park has been run commercially since the 1920s and in 1952 the local residents bought it to prevent a Butlin’s (or similar) holiday camp being built on it.  Check out their website for further details.

http://www.westwitteringbeach.co.uk/

We had a lovely cooked breakfast on arrival cooked on a camping gaz and a picnic lunch, followed by a mouth watering coffee and walnut birthday cake that my Mum made.  The history of the birthday cake is quite an interesting one.  Since the middle of the 19^th century it has been an important part of celebrating birthdays in the West, however there is evidence of the custom going back to Roman times.  Putting candles on the cake is believed to go back to 18^th century Germany.  Singing happy birthday became popular in the early 1900s and it was then that the words happy birthday started to appear on cakes.

We had great fun playing tennis and rounders on the sand.  When I was batting in rounders, I was so excited to have hit the ball I forgot all about running!  I had a bit of a swim and we built sandcastles with my beautiful baby niece who at 13 months is already very cultured; eating olives and feta cheese.  Not sure who enjoyed the sandcastles more – her or me and my partner, lol!  There is nothing more relaxing than the warm sun beating down on you with the soft sand beneath you, water gently lapping and a slight salty taste in your mouth.

 

I wore my denim skirt dungarees with a white t-shirt and my bikini underneath.  To finish the look off I wore my healed glitter jelly shoes.  Now these PVC plastic shoes were hugely popular in 1980s but have had a revival a number of times.  People have guessed at their origins with some suggesting that it goes back to just after WW2 when there was a leather shortage in Europe so a French shoe maker developed them.  Many people think they are a big no no or only suitable for children but how else can you wear heels to the beach?!

 

We finished the day with a fish and chip supper and a very pleasant bottle of wine and all returned home rather sunburnt with numerous mosquito bites!

Saturday morning my partner gave me his presents to open and brought me breakfast in bed.  That evening I went for a curry where I used to live with many of my friends.  I stuck with my resolve to try different dishes and had Malayan Chicken.  It was a lovely evening and time flew past meaning that we missed the last train and had to sheepishly knock at Mum and Dad’s door.  I wore a butterfly maxi dress from Jane Norman for the occasion.

Sunday was another meal out, this time with my partner’s family and I was lucky enough to be showered with more gorgeous gifts.

I want to use this platform to thank family, friends and my partner for making it another wonderful birthday and at time of posting I am still dragging out my birthday.  One of my partners presents has yet to arrive and two weeks after my birthday another one of my boyfriends arrived – a gorgeous mosaic bistro set which will set the garden off lovely when it’s all finished.

 

I also couldn’t resist these thank you cards from Zazzle, so me don’t you think?

 

The other weekend my friend and I met up in London as she was away for my birthday.  We spent a very pleasant few hours wandering round Harvey Nichols and other shops in Knightsbridge looking at all the lovely things we can’t afford.  I especially enjoyed the Louboutin boutique in Harvey Nichols where the assistant informed us that on his crystal encrusted shoes, each crystal is applied separately by hand and so they can take at least a day to make one pair – now I understand the price tag!  Being adventurous and keen to try anything a bit quirky, I couldn’t resist trying out Bubbleology – a concession that sells bubble tea within Harvey Nichols.  The stall looked more like a science lab, with the staff wearing white coats saying bubbleologist on the back.  Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the eighties.  Bubble tea is fundamentally green, black, white or red tea and it can then be infused with milk or fruit and drunk hot or cold.  Small bubbles are formed on the top in the process of making the tea as it is shock vigorously, hence the name.  In the bottom are small balls of tapioca.  I quite enjoyed it; it’s certainly worth experiencing!

 

We finished off the day in Harrods for afternoon tea in their Georgian restaurant with a glass of champagne included.  Now as much as I enjoyed catching up with my friend and sampling some delicious sandwiches and scones and a nice glass of champagne, whilst the piano played itself; Harrods itself was some what of a let down for me.  The gold leaf on the plates was faded, the silver tea pots were tarnished and the décor looked tired.  My other complaint at the risk of sounding like Samantha in Sex and the City, was the amount of children there.  Now don’t get me wrong I love children but I’m not sure they should be attending a luxury afternoon tea plus isn’t it a waste of money for their parents?

 

To end on, I must share with you one of my presents, a book that must have been written for me, lol!  Mum kindly bought me Manolo Blahnik – The Elves and the Shoe Maker.  This book combines the old fairy tale with the story of the designer and is illustrated with drawings from the designer.  The author also wrote another of my bibles ‘How to Walk in High Heels.’  This has interesting tips on such things as how to change a light bulb.

I also received from a few friends, gorgeous scarves, two with butterflies and one with dragonflies which I will be brightening up my work attire with.

 

That’s all for this time.  Do let me know any beaches you recommend or indeed what your feelings on jelly shoes are.  I’m now off to enjoy another of my presents – Champagne with black Raspberry Chambord; kindly bought by a friend to remind me of our trip to London Fashion Week.