Hypatia Avenue

"Wait - that's not right. How old am I? If I've lived 23 years, then...then... is this my 24th birthday? I don't understand..."

I got confused. I am still confused. I am still 19, and I have decided that I will be for the foreseeable future as I am unlikely to figure out the conundrum above. :: sigh :: I was thinner when I was 19. I had less chins.

The great mysteries of life aside, The Birthday was great and surprisingly lengthy too. After the extended post-launch bash on Thursday, at which there was some birthday cheer when the people present could pull themselves out of their pint glasses to slur at me loudly and damply "Haaappp-yyy buurrrr-(hic) day, Hagel... Hazzle... whoever the fuck ye are....", I went to have dinner with my folks on Friday evening. It was sad not to have my LittleBigSister and the French Fiance there and things were rather subdued. The slightly subdued atmosphere could also have been a side effect of my absolutely rotten hangover and the reeeeallly unwelcome calls from Least Favourite Cousin No.1 ( on whom I will not comment on in this blog as there is no html tag for "sheer, unadulterated, blind, seething hatred.") but things went as well as they could in between the bouts of ear-splitting outraged shrieking.

Saturday was spent being delightfully selfish and insular: I did absolutely nothing except fiddle about with my computer (I'm now online at home - woo-YAY etc.) watch Blackadder IV (the whole series in one glorious, neverending loop...) and then lie in bed scribbling away idly in a series of notebooks. It's lucky I had this day to myself as Sunday proved rather busy...

So Sunday, I got out of bed and had a leisurely long breakfast of coffee, toast and pheasant eggs (!), rounded off nicely with a mint Cornetto (!!) and then dragged myself around the shops in the blazing afternoon sun, getting in the stores for the afternoon's party. And boy, it was a paaaaarty. It was good. It was very good. I feel loved and cherished and very pleased. Thanks everyone - this is one to remember.