You would have thought, having past a very significant birthday landmark, I’d just keep quiet and let the moment pass uncommented. However, I realise that I’m now at an age where I’ve seen a lot of life and there’s more to celebrate at this stage than to worry about. The last ten years have thrown quite a number of challenges, mentally and physically, therefore I am ever so grateful to have made it to this point and wanted to share some of the highlights of the last couple of weeks.
This year my celebrations wrapped around a trip to London to see Stomp (http://www.stomplondon.com/), that my husband had arranged. This was the day after my birthday but my husband and I are fairly loose with the actual date of celebrations. His birthday often hits Easter and our wedding anniversary is on Remembrance which, as we’re usually so involved with church services, means we use this as an excuse to extend the events beyond a single day. Whenever and however we celebrate, we always ensure some key elements: flowers and cake.
This theme began at work two days before my birthday on Tuesday, where my colleagues festooned my desk with balloons and age-related banners and then surprised me with a lunch booked into my calendar as a work meeting. I was then presented with a lovely bunch of flowers, which are still going, even now! I had provided the office with a cake, so that brief was fulfilled. I foolishly forgot to take a picture of my desk but here are the flowers:
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Work Flowers
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Day 12
We travelled to London the following day, staying with good friends, who allowed us to stay in their flat even though they were away. Despite a hiccup with my oyster card, we settled in and ate in the flat, including some cake, my husband had brought from home.
As the next day was my birthday, I enjoyed opening cards and gifts with breakfast. We then mooched about near Covent Garden, settling in Patisserie Valerie (http://www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/) for some ‘tea’ and cake in the morning. Â I’ll come back to lunch in a minute…. in the evening we travelled to friends in Greater London for a home-made meal of beef, potato and cabbage (my favourite) followed by a cake with candles and raspberries. Yum, yum. I was given an extreme dot-to-dot book and a colouring-in therapy book, which were fantastic. We also played a few hands of bridge, though my memory of the rules was a little rusty.
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Birthday morning cake – Double chocolate with profiterole
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Birthday evening cake
Going back to lunchtime… deciding what to do on your birthday is always difficult, especially with limited time and money. I usually like to have a time of reflection, often on my own, so it may not be a big surprise to find out I went to church. I considered visiting Westminster Abbey, though I couldn’t remember who’s memorial I wanted to see there, and we’ve been to St Pauls before, but I wasn’t sure I’d get the quiet I need amongst the tourist buzz in these places. Therefore, it was a joy to find out there was a lunch-time service in the Church of Scotland in Crown Court, near Covent Garden (http://www.crowncourtchurch.org.uk/).
When I first came to London from Scotland, in 1986, I had planned to visit there regularly from North London, where I was living. However, while I settled in, I decided to try a local Church of England service, mainly for a novelty, and ended up staying there for six months… after I was invited to join the choir! So 29 years later, I made it to Crown Court. It is a lovely building and the people very friendly. So much so, we were invited to share lunch with them and I was grateful we decided to take sandwiches that day. It was a lovely treat to chat to complete strangers, yet feel so at home among the Scottish accents. They also offered us cake and sang Happy Birthday to me.
It was very surreal to find this oasis of calm amongst a throng of tourists and theatre-goers, as it was next door to the Lyceum Theatre, showing the Lion King, and opposite Drury Lane Theatre, showing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here are pictures of the side access to the church , the inside (from a postcard) and a display of white balloons, in the form of a large cloud hung in the centre of Covent Garden, just a few streets away.
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Church external
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Side door
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Church internal
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Balloon cloud in Covent Garden
Friday was the night to see Stomp, so that left us all day to ourselves. In the morning we went to the British Library. As many will know our house resembles a library, so it seemed an obvious place to go. The new building was lacking some of the grandeur of the original library, which was part of the British Museum but very pleasant to sit and have a drink then view a statue of Newton and other outdoor art installations before wandering around their ‘treasures’ exhibition, which was fascinating and exciting. http://www.bl.uk/events/treasures-of-the-british-library.
On our approach to the new library, we saw King’s Cross Station. This was a station I knew well from the inside, from when I travelled back to Scotland regularly on breaks after my first arrival. Then it was advised not to wander outside as there were a lot of crime and other dangers. On this trip I could see what a beautiful building it is, which reminded me that sometimes, when we think we know places, or people, well, they are worth a new look at from a different perspective, as you may find something unexpectedly wonderful.
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Newton
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Newton plaque
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KingsCross
Denmark Street
We then went to meet Sarah, who I worked with in Exeter to catch up over lunch. No cake this time. Husband had a meeting at 3pm, so I wondered off to Denmark Street to have a look at the many music shops. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d2628435-Reviews-Denmark_Street-London_England.html)
From there I walked back to meet husband and we returned to the flat to eat and change before heading to the Ambassador Theatre to see Stomp.
The Ivy
We were meeting friends at the theatre and while we waited, we noticed the well-known establishment, The Ivy, was opposite the theatre. Not that this was anywhere I’d aspire to visit but interesting that the location wasn’t as high-brow as I would have expected.
I was particularly looking forward to seeing Stomp as I remember the founding members, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholason, in a group called Pookiesnackenburger in the early eighties. I saw them at Traquair Fair and the Edinburgh Fringe, when there were many fewer venues and acts on display. I was always struck by their juggling and percussion on household items routines.  I still have their album, Pookie Beach Party!
I was not disappointed by the evening. There was a great comedic thread running through, as in Pookie, combined with great rhythm, skill and dexterity. The diversity of routines using boxes of matches or shopping trolleys was fantastic. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone of all ages and there were all ages present.
Finally on Saturday, husband had arranged for a meal with a group of friends… and, of course, cake and balloons. Saturday. Beforehand we dropped by some other old-time church friends who we had reacquainted via Facebook. Then it was onto the restaurant. The cake was in the shape of a black and white cat and was fantastic, although the black icing did leave a stain on fingers and lips! It was also good to share with others that had birthdays close to mine.
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Happy to have cake
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Purrfect cake
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..and candles behind
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Friends…
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friends…
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and more friends
We stayed with long-term friends on the Saturday evening and went to their church on Sunday, where Carolyn was part of the leadership team. It was great to catch up with them and enjoy a service in a Church of England again.
It wasn’t even over when we returned home, as friends of mine from Scotland were on a trip between a cruise, Redditch and Bristol, so needed a room on the Sunday night. Again time to catch up and remember some old times.
Deflated balloons but memories still floating
I had forgotten to take photos of the balloons at the time, so here they are a week later. A little deflated but still able to convey a their greeting. In contrast, I am still elated with all the events and now ready to face whatever the next decade has to offer.
In many ways this trip was a walk down a few memory lanes and a reminder to create lots of new memories, especially by valuing friendships. It was also about embracing my past, knowing the future won’t always be how we think it will turn out, which is why I wrote an open message to family and friends to share how I managed to survive this far, on my other blog, Faith Bites.
Blessings to you all and I hope you find a way to enjoy your good memories and not dwell on the bad ones.