I spent my birthday last year with Ian in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Amsterdam.
And I spent the one before with my dear friend, (of 24 years), Liz at Oktoberfest in Stuttgart.



For my birthday this year, I’m going to Skipton hospital for a Covid-19 antibodies test. I’d be amazed if it transpires that I’ve had the virus, but because part of my work is for the NHS, it’s something that might prove useful.
For my whole adult life, my birthday has heralded the start of party season. A lot of my friends have birthdays around the same time and we always have a girls’ night in to celebrate. Christmas dinners, events and parties soon follow. Something to justify the number of sequins that hang in my closet.
I’d planned a family Greek night here tomorrow night and had invited my brother and his family and our parents. It was to celebrate my parents’ golden wedding anniversary which was last week. The rule of six means we can’t go ahead. I just hope they stay as well as they are so we can celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary in style. However, the lining, in this case, is platinum. Instead, Ian and I are going to dinner this weekend at Le Caveau, one of our all-time favourite restaurants, (including the aforementioned Michelin-starred one in Amsterdam). Tonight, it’s party food at home and I can’t wait.
Like anyone with a birthday between March and now, it’s not the same as usual. But I do feel that life lately has got back to at least some semblance of normality. Poppy is back up in Durham for her second year and Harry is back at school. He’s done his mock A-levels and is now in the process of applying for university. Like everyone in his year, he has been unable to go to any uni open days. Ian, who was working here in our home office throughout lockdown, is back at his place of work for some of the time. I still work three 11-hour days plus one in six Sundays. We’re all back in a routine at least.
I daren’t plan too much ahead, because who knows what the next 12 months will bring. But what I do know is that by my next birthday, I’ll be Ian’s wife. And I can’t wait.
Notes
Puff sleeve midi dress: Closet London, previous season, (gift)
Pink and gold leopard print trainers: Lotus Shoes, current (gift).
10 comments
Happy Birthday my beautiful friend. I do love this dress on you and the sneakers are a funky twist I’m going to copy.
Eleven hour days! Blimey mate you must be dying to get out of that ppe by the evening!
Enjoy the rest of your birthday week xxx
Thank you Michelle. Yes, the PPE is hot and the masks really cause dehydration but I’m thankful to work in a wonderful practice and to have a career I love xxx
Happy birthday and enjoy each moment. Stay well. You as always look fab.
Oh thank you so much. That’s such a lovely thing to say xxx
Hi Lizzie, lovely to catch up with your blogs, I really enjoy them and glad that even if things aren’t quite as planned you could enjoy your birthday. I usually follow you on Bloglovin and last week realised that I hadn’t seen or heard anything from you for a while and wondered if all was ok. The last blog I read on there was before you went to Crete. It was good to see that all is well and the holiday looked lovely. Have you stopped linking posts to Bloglovin? If so is there any other way I can get a notification when you do post something? Thanks, Sue
Hi Sue, Thank you so much for the lovely compliments. And thank you too for letting me know about Bloglovin. Someone else kindly did the same but I completely forgot to reconnect it. Hopefully it’ll work again now! Hope you and your family are well xxx
Hi Lizzie, I was just glad to know you were ok, and will look out for you on Bloglovin again. All well. Son back at Exeter Uni as a 3rd year. Don’t think he is particularly enjoying it with everything online and so many restrictions, but not as many as the northern unis, as you know. Feel so sorry for them all, particularly the freshers. Take care. x
Thank you Sue. It is so rubbish for the students right now. Poppy is missing the freedom to go out and the camaraderie at lectures. But much worse for freshers as you say. i hope your son is ok xxx
Hi, you are so right, absolutely rubbish for freshers. I know 2 who have had/have got the virus and several who have had to self isolate and struggled with flat mates they don’t know and of course there is no ‘contact’ proper with course mates. Matt is doing ok. Thankfully he has a lovely girlfriend and they are together. They were due to come up for the weekend but have just had to put them off as Coventry goes to High Risk on Friday….
Oh blimey. It’s so hard to plan anything isn’t it, yet we can’t be spontaneous either- it’s hard to just go for a drink or a bite to eat. I’m glad that Matt is with his girlfriend- it makes all the difference to them doesn’t it xxxx