Day seven – Flowers on the diningroom table…

… for the first time since Dave and Charlie came for dinner in May. (Dave is a very considerate guest.) Prosecco and sauvignon blanc in the wine rack. Happy birthday to me. And thank you very much, Catherine!

Along with Eggs Benny and Buck’s Fizz for birthday brunches, Rowan and I started another tradition back in 1990: the birthday girl would be blasted first thing in the morning with the Beatles Birthday song. I did that for myself this morning. No idea how long it’s been, but it’s quite a while. I’d forgotten how damn lively the song is. As soon as it began playing I started dancing all over the livingroom before I’d even had a cup coffee. Apparently there is life in the old broad yet.

Sorry it’s only Macca performing, but there was no YouTube version of the Beatles doing the song.

Another birthday treat: Shortly after midnight last night I put a big old piece of Arbutus in the wood stove and turned the air down. Can’t be waking up to a freezing house on my birthday, can I? When I got up a little while ago I checked the woodstove. No heat coming from it, but there were still some embers glowing in the ash. Put another fire on. A fire first thing in the morning, you ask? Yes. A birthday treat. This will not happen again until Christmas Day, so I’m going to enjoy it.

Speaking of Christmas: I was in a bit of a quandary about it, not sure if I could face risking the road to Port McNeil again after last year’s disaster. Then my friends on Malcolm Island announced they were moving to Trail, a town not far from the Alberta border and far too far for me to drive for Christmas – even if I’d been willing to risk the notoriously bad roads. So, home alone for Christmas for me.

Then I received a letter from Tony, a friend in London, informing me that his partner Rhidian had died. Sadly, this news came as no surprise. Rhidian had been slowly and very steadily drinking himself to death for several years. I rang Tony as soon as I read the letter. We spoke several times over the next fortnight. He asked at one point when I was planning a visit to London. Explained to him that my current state of penury made a visit impossible. Told him he’d have to come here if he wanted to see me. He said he’d like to do that, so I invited him for Christmas and he’s coming! It’s going to be so lovely and it is so lovely to have something to which I can look forward.

For today there’s Eggs Benny and (alcohol-free) Buck’s Fizz with Donna and Garry in a couple of hours. Wish I could say I was going to get shit faced in the pub tonight, but there’s a rehearsal, shit facedness will have to wait until tomorrow evening when I’m doing burger, beer, pool and darts with some mates. Perfect birthday celebration, even if it is a day late.

Oh, and speaking of Tony, today’s black and white photo was taken from his livingroom window in Stoke Newington.

How did those bikes get on the roof?