FIFTY-ONE AND STILL NOT OUT

I turned 51 on Tuesday 8th July.On the Friday before, Hubby took me for a lovely meal at Dizzy's Diner in Beckenham and then we head into London on Saturday. I quite fancied a trip to the Natural History Museum in Kensington but it was wall-to-wall people so we left after just a couple of hours - and ended up smack in the middle of Gay Pride. The atmosphere was electric and some of the costumes were amazing. At one point we had a dozen or so theatrical surgeons bypassing us, complete in Greens and masks - as well as a number of gents in full stockings, suspenders and basques who quite outshone their similarly dressed female counterparts. It was like finding yourself in the middle of a Rocky Horror set! I looked out for Gay Colleague, who is one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest people I have ever known, but the throng was too great and I didn't see him. Last year Hubby and I got caught in it and walked into Graham Norton who was talking on his mobile phone and looked exactly like he does on TV - if not a little taller.



Tuesday itself was much quieter in comparison. In the evening, Eldest Grandson rang to wish me happy birthday and Grand-daughter called and sang it down the phone - along with a remarkable performance of Do-Re-Me from The Sound of Music - which she evidently sat through on Sunday and became obsessed with. A couple of months ago it was Mary Poppins and for weeks she walked around saying "Spit-Spot" to anyone who left a shoe out of place. I had some nice cards and lovely gifts. I have been reading Linda Lear's biography of Beatrix Potter for weeks and weeks and Hubby bought me a beautiful hard-backed Beatrix Potter journal from Past Times which contains facsimiles of many of her letters and journal entries, family photos and a re-production edition of her privately published The Tale of Peter Rabbit, all laid out like a scrap book and a perfect companion to the biography. I received a number of Smiths' vouchers, a couple of cheques and Mother gave me a gorgeous personalised pen. I also got a photo-mug featuring lots of cameo photos of Grand-daughter and Youngest Grandson, laughing and giggling. So I have, without doubt, been thoroughly spoilt again.

Of course, for every silver lining, there is a cloud and mine came yesterday when I woke up with yet another cold. And this one's a real humdinger. Even so, I managed to convince everyone, inlcuding myself, that I looked and sounded a lot worse than I actually felt, but today, I have got a searing sore throat so there's no hiding it anymore. I have just bought some tyrozets and taken two and they worked like a charm for the first five minutes, numbing the pain completely. But once the effect wore off, I was back to square one again and I can't take anymore till about 5pm this evening. So I am stuck with it. I don't know what is up with Hubby and I in 2008. He has had one cold after another yet a few years ago he was unlucky if he got one a year - and that was usually over Christmas. And it is only a matter of weeks since my horrendous bout of neuralgia. Basically we are falling apart at the seams so God alone knows what we'll be like ten or fifteen years from now, if we don't watch out.

Anway I will be back later with some news. See you then, blogspot buddies.