Happy Birthday...to Me!

Yes, today is my birthday and I am 36.

For some of you this may not be a lot at all, for others it may be too old. To be honest I don’t feel any different from when I was, say, 27… aside from the weight of time passed and lessons learned, in spirit… I’m just the same - if not, feeling even lighter and youthful, and definitely more thankful for what I actually got/who I am.

 If you also have a Christmas birthday like I do you may agree, it may be one of the worst times to celebrate your birthday. Reasons include the obvious overshadowed by Jesus' own birthday and celebrations, the combined presents {I’ve also had combined parties, where the family gathers for Christmas and a birthday cake just happens to be there!} and the scarce availability from your friends to spend time with you as everyone will be travelling/visiting their families. After 36 years, I guess, I am {or should be} now quite used to all that.

my second birthday

I suppose this is the day for me to introspect on life, what brought me here and where I’m going; or maybe I should thank my mum/parents for the gift of life {which is much appreciated} or maybe even, any other insightful, deep and meaningful monologue because this is the right day for it.  Really?! Can’t it be a lighter, softer, maybe even funnier retrospective? Of course! And so I am leaving you with 36 facts you don’t know about me.

...

1.       I have a sweet tooth.

2.       I can’t go past a beautiful wallpaper without bringing a free sample home.

3.       (as in 2) Because of my wallpaper collection Pepper & Buttons was born!

4.       When I was younger I used to collect stamps.

5.       My favourite flowers are Lillies.

6.       My favourite colour is blue {didn’t you guess?}

7.       I never had a Barbie doll… ever.

8.       I have a large collection of recipe books

9.       (as in 8) I plan to cook all the recipes in them, at least once.

10.   One of the great moments of my childhood was riding my bike through fields of sunflowers.

11.   (as in 10) ‘Writing’ on the sunflowers/running my fingers through the sunflower seeds.

12.   Spending whole summer afternoons on the swing my grandfather built for me.

13.   My favourite smell: has to be Cinnamon!

14.   I have been known to bake a cake and eat it all {in one go}… so sorry!

15.   I love the feel and smell of books. I love books in their entirety!

16.   (as in 15) I have a large collection of books I’ve never read as the level of my desire for them is so much higher than the time I have to actually read them.

17.   I often have cold feet {literally}!

18.   I work best at night, when everyone else is asleep.

19.   My best tool: my scissors.

20.   When I was little I used to play sad & deep songs on my electric organ {this was the early 80s} and make my brother and myself cry… because it was just too beautiful to stop!

21.   I used to play 'cookery channel' in my garden with leaves and mud {and talk to the cameras and the tele-spectators}.

22.   I used to ride my bike and pick wild berries {and eat them}.

23.   Favourite city: currently, Lisbon.

24.   When I was younger I used to dream of visiting and living in Brazil {I wanted to be Brazilian!}

25.   I love music and to dance.

26.   I also love to sing but I sound like a chicken in distress... that doesn’t stop me.

27.   I love the summer for the sunshine, the beach and outdoor living.

28.   (as in 27) I love wearing summer clothes {colourful, light and flowy}

29.   Favourite place to spend my birthday: Parque Güel, Barcelona.

30.   As a child I loved ‘Heidi’ the cartoon, and so I also longed for running in endless green fields.

31.   (as in 30) whenever our family was travelling somewhere and we would drive by green fields I would ask my parents to leave me there and pick me up on their way back!

32.   I used to love wearing skirts so I could 'spin' them.

33.   I used to dream of rolling down hills although my mum never let me {couldn’t ruin my clothes}. I do let my children do it… and they love it too!

34.   I remember my parents listening to the announcement of Elvis’ death over the radio. That was the 16^th August 1977 and so I was 20 months old!

35.   I make lists for everything. As my memory goes back a long way I can’t actually recall what I ate yesterday!

36.   I have never been to New York City {but I soon will!}

And so today I will be spending it with my boys, and later even get down to the bit I love most... eating the cake!

PS-{Sorry I couldn't provide better photos but as my mum is the rightful owner of all the photos of my childhood and growing up years, and leaving in another country it's not easy to borrow some on a whim. And so these measly 4 are the only ones I actually have to show}.