Birthday Fun!

THE DAY CAME AND I TURNED 40.....

STILL FOUND TIME TO BE A BIT NAUGHTY....

OUT FOR A CURRY WITH LOTS OF MUMS....

I MIGHT BE OLD BUT I CAN STILL HAVE FUN!!

Hello again,

This week I am writing to you as a mature and responsible 40 year old!

I must admit as the day grew closer I started to have a few panics. The thing is I just don’t feel 40. Apart from having a bit more self confidence, and perhaps a bit more wisdom I don’t feel any different to how I felt at 21! I started to ponder what does actually change as you get older, apart from becoming a bit more haggard in your physical appearance and this is all I could come up with;
1. I now enjoy Antiques Road Show.
2. I got excited when my Mum bought me a dishwasher.
3. Sometimes when I talk about old songs or T.V shows my younger work colleagues look at me blankly and I am shocked not everyone remembers who Geoffrey, George, Zippy and Bungle are.
4. I realise that not much in life is black and white; most things are a gray area if you really think about both sides.
5. My car insurance is cheaper!

The list of things that haven’t changed is too long to list here, but includes still painting sparkles on top of my nail polish, singing badly, playing music too loudly, dancing stupidly but energetically, watching children’s T.V shows such as “The Sarah Jane Adventures”, and “M.I High” and enjoying them just as much as the children, and going out with my friends!

I gave myself a talking to and said age is just a number and reminded myself that on my mum’s 60th birthday she abseiled down the Avon Gorge in a T-shirt that said “Spider Granny”. In fact, it was the same day she met Rob for the first time, I remember pointing up to the top of a cliff and saying proudly “that’s my Mum!” She also regularly dyes her hair with purple streaks! If that’s how she turned out at 60 I really shouldn’t worry about being 40 when we share the same genes!

I had arranged for a curry night out with the other Mum’s from Sam and Luke’s school on the Wednesday before my birthday. It was really nice to see them all for longer than just the normal chat after school when we moan about our children losing their coats and lunch boxes. There were 12 of us altogether and I had some really lovely presents. Some of them had clubbed together and then gone shopping together and put a lot of thought into getting something I would really like. I had some beautiful jewellery, a candle burner, some flowers, wine and chocolates. We had much too much to eat but enjoyed every mouthful, and then went on to a pub where we had a bit of a sing along with the juke box and the landlord bought us drinks.

On the actual day I had to work, but even there they arranged a cake with candles in the lab and sent me down to get something, only for me to find everyone singing to me!




After work my friends and family came over for “Birthday tea” and my friend Helen very kindly bought me a musical birthday cake hat which I wore for the rest of the day. She also bought me one of the pretty bracelets that you add beads to and can keep forever. I really did have a lot of nice things from many people but the surprise of the day was Rob’s present. He has got me tickets to see one of my role models and heroes in life Dolly Parton! Being a non-royalist I have always said whilst I respect the Queen for the job she does I would not courtesy to her if I met her, however I would courtesy to Dolly! She is my own Queen! This is her final tour and I don’t think she comes to England very often and I certainly haven’t ever seen her so it will be a once in a lifetime treat for me. I have to wait until September but am already planning my “Dolly” outfit which must surely include a wig!

I still have one more celebration to go, this Wednesday I have another night out with my work colleagues so in effect I will have celebrated 3 birthdays. (I hope that doesn’t make me 43!) We are all going off to play in a quiz. I enjoy quizzes and although I’m not a swot I do seem to retain lots of useless trivia which comes in handy sometimes. Not everyone can remember things like the name of the street where Paddington Bear lived!

All in all I would have to say it was a good birthday and for anyone not quite there yet, not as scary as I thought. I didn’t wake on the day with an urge to go out and buy sensible shoes and am showing no signs of slowing down just yet. Let’s hope the next 40 years are just as exciting.

Thanks for reading

Ellie
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