late birthday treats

Tags

Advent, birthday, celebration, friends, gifts, letters, love, post, surprises

It’s been a week since my birthday but somehow I have been surprised by treats every day since. Some letters in the post and a few stray parcels were just the beginning of my week long celebration.

Last night I spent a evening tucked away behind an inconspicuous black door in the Vintage Cocktail Club, sipping coloured drinks and eating delicious nibbles with four wonderful women I call friends. It was a chat-fllled night with lots of laughter and fun – the perfect way to end a long week.

Today a steady flow of drizzle has been dampening the mood but my neighbour and I spent the afternoon over some delicious cake and coffee, chatting and entertaining her adorable toddler. We even ended up in the park playing in the rain, laughing and enjoying a lovely November afternoon.

There has been something quite wonderful about making my special day last for a while, instead of one big party and a shower of love I’ve had a trickle of gifts and events, every day filled with moments of surprises and that warm hug of joy never quite went away.

But now it seems it’s time to put away my birthday, pack away my cards and let normality return to my every day life. Not for long though, as Sunday is the first of Advent and a month long celebration of my favourite time of year will have arrived at my doorstep.

Looking forward to decorating my tree in a few weeks – I do love all of my shoe decorations

 

 

late night cake

Tags

birthday, blueberry muffin, cake, cupcake, donut, food, late night snack, muffins, tastes

It was my birthday yesterday and somehow I managed to spend the whole day without eating any cake – no birthday cake, no celebration cupcake, no ta-da donut – nothing, Nada.

So, on my way home from my late night lecture – I try to keep my students awake and involved every Monday from 8-9.30pm – I decided it was time for a muffin, a little bit of sweet to end my birthday on.

But when I got home the phone kept ringing, the minutes flew by and my muffin sat uneaten on a plate, neglected. Then I needed to do the washing-up, pack my bag for today and make sure I had all my printouts ready to go. By the time I finally got to sit down and read the few last pages for class the clock had struck twelve and it wasn’t my birthday anymore.

The blueberry muffin still sat uneaten on the kitchen table and I had spent my entire birthday without cake. I was unhappy with this, and so was my tummy – dinner had been a long six hours ago and the noisy rumbling wouldn’t let me forget it.  So, to my tummy’s satisfaction, I decided that since I hadn’t gone to bed yet it was still my birthday and I enjoyed some late night cake as a last birthday treat.

it’s my b-day so I’ll write if I want to

Tags

birthday, MfA, photography, work, work and play, writing

At 7.30am this morning the postman was surprised at how quickly I answered the door, but then it is my birthday and I was hoping for post. And there is truly no better way to start your day than opening a few parcels and letters over breakfast.

Then my  morning was peppered with phone calls, visits, emails and texts, making me feel loved and cared for. But as the day flew by I still had a few things to do, work just doesn’t care if you would rather be spending time celebrating, so I’ve ended up sitting at my desk writing emails .

But now, as the day turns to evening I think it’s time to sit and write, after all my next MfA deadlines are on the horizon and I need to get typing. So, while work is still trying to lure me back, i have decided that it’s birthday and I’ll write if I want to – and yes I think I may even indulge in some chocolate marzipan hearts as I do so.

birthdays and other deadlines

Tags

birthday, calendar, desk, work

Today is my mums birthday and I have to admit, due to my personal desk chaos, I didn’t send her birthday card in time, now it will arrive a few days too late. But since she is only a phone-call away I do hope she can forgive me.

Sadly my mothers birthday isn’t the only ‘deadline’ that seems to have slipped in-between the years and I am now playing ‘remembering appointments’. Luckily my beautiful sister bought me  a desk-calendar which is helping me get a little bit more organised. Sadly, no matter how hard I beg and plea, the calendar is only a silent reminder and date-holder and doesn’t actually do the work, leaving me to do all the heavy lifting.

So with in mind it is time to say my good-byes for today and be a little bit industrious: make phone-calls, try to organise my day and get some of that dreaded paperwork out of the way.

my desk messiness

it’s my Birthday and I’ll blog if I want to

Tags

birthday, Dublin, photography, photos

Today is my Birthday and I am having the most wonderful day – quiet and slow just like I enjoy my time to pass.

On my way back from the airport yesterday, I stopped off at Lidl and treated myself to roses and Raffaello and before I went to bed I placed the new lace runner (I bought it in a tiny shop in Lisbon) on my table, my birthday post balancing on top it.

It was nice to come down to such a pretty sight and enjoyed lingering over breakfast, reading birthday wishes, answering the phone, feeling much loved and special.

After a quick photo shoot for a magazine I wandered around a Christmas market (a little early I know) in Clontarf Castle, returning home with a cupcake for my tea.

And now I am enjoying a peaceful afternoon, reading and relaxing – a nice change to the busy long days I had in stunning Lisbon. And later I will venture into town for cocktail hour with some friends a perfect ending to a wonderful day.