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An Annual Ritual, Well Observed
By the time you get to 59, birthdays are usually not quite as exciting as they were half a century earlier. That said, when I was at primary school I was always so overwrought that I never could get through a birthday without hysterical tears at some point, so I've definitely improved in that respect. On the negative side, presents tend to be a bit predictable if welcome (i.e. I've asked for them in advance or they're bottle-shaped) or miss the mark in some way. Anyway, 59 isn't a 'special' age, so one doesn't expect a fuss.
In fact, though, this year was an exceptionally good birthday. It began in Borth with my brother and his partner, and ended Bristol with my daughter, her boyfriend and Rei, where we had a Burns Night supper with Japanese whisky, followed by a splendidly over-the-top chocolate cake, courtesy of said boyfriend's culinary prowess. It wasn't conducted in the dark as you might guess from the photo below, but the moment before blowing out the candles somehow became a Renaissance painting, as a Facebook friend put it:
And then, what imaginative presents! A kettle that can maintain a given temperature (which is something I've coveted for years, given my penchant for green tea best poured at 80 degrees centigrade); a sopranissimo recorder; a set of glasses that stack in the shape of a koi carp; some interesting books; a bottle of Sauternes (which I love but never buy for myself); homemade yuzu jam from my friend Mami in Gunma, plus various other consumable and shareable goodies. A very satisfactory haul. Maybe people actually like me? (Some people, I mean. Let's not go overboard.)
Since then we've had a sashimi-and-gyoza supper with some Japanese friends, and tonight it's katsu curry, because Rei has a Zoom interview tomorrow, and eating katsu (which sounds like the word for 'to win' in Japanese) is a sure-fire way of bringing good luck.
I'm also crossing my fingers, so as to have both hemispheres covered.
In fact, though, this year was an exceptionally good birthday. It began in Borth with my brother and his partner, and ended Bristol with my daughter, her boyfriend and Rei, where we had a Burns Night supper with Japanese whisky, followed by a splendidly over-the-top chocolate cake, courtesy of said boyfriend's culinary prowess. It wasn't conducted in the dark as you might guess from the photo below, but the moment before blowing out the candles somehow became a Renaissance painting, as a Facebook friend put it:
And then, what imaginative presents! A kettle that can maintain a given temperature (which is something I've coveted for years, given my penchant for green tea best poured at 80 degrees centigrade); a sopranissimo recorder; a set of glasses that stack in the shape of a koi carp; some interesting books; a bottle of Sauternes (which I love but never buy for myself); homemade yuzu jam from my friend Mami in Gunma, plus various other consumable and shareable goodies. A very satisfactory haul. Maybe people actually like me? (Some people, I mean. Let's not go overboard.)
Since then we've had a sashimi-and-gyoza supper with some Japanese friends, and tonight it's katsu curry, because Rei has a Zoom interview tomorrow, and eating katsu (which sounds like the word for 'to win' in Japanese) is a sure-fire way of bringing good luck.
I'm also crossing my fingers, so as to have both hemispheres covered.