it's my birthday!!

and it's been . . . not too bad!
. . . working birthday . . . but not too bad!
i was on last turn at the counter - the 'graveyard shift' as they call it - and so had some time to think about birthdays i have known
and then i thought maybe this would be a good time to record all the birthdays i could remember having
so this is likely to be very very boring
it just seemed like a good place to record it so that in years to come when i really am losing my marbles, i could read this and remember
but for everyone else . . . stop reading now . . . or read it and sleep . . .

1st birthday was in austria but can't remember it
2nd birthday, 3rd birthday can't remember
4th birthday was in austria again but still can't remember
5th birthday can't remember
6th birthday the only birthday i ever had at school - we had a tradition that the child having a birthday got to wear the special sash - but it was the last day of term and the teacher was far too busy - despite my almost constant reminders and nagging - what a little pain-in-the-neck i must have been!
7th birthday in austria again and yet again i can't remember what we did that day
8th birthday my grandparents had gone on their hols so my parents took us round to their house so we could decorate their kitchen - oh joy!!!
9th birthday in austria - but this time i can remember - dad and i sittting gazing across the valley and chatting - nice!
10th birthday can't actually remember the birthday but i know we were on our hols - in the midlands!! - exciting places like mansfield, rugby and retford!! - wow!!

11th birthday on hols again - this time we went to south wales - pontypridd, usk and tintern - and we never booked anywhere - just turned up in a town and tried to find somewhere - and lord!! the peculiar, awful b and bs we did stay in!! - so although i'm not sure exactly where we were i'm sure it was somewhere truly grotty

12th birthday - back to austria again - on my birthday eric and i went swimming with some other children at a local gravel pit - i remember it being a lot of fun

13th birthday was a saturday we travelled down to bournemouth for our annual hols - bournemouth!! i ask you!!

14th birthday stayed at home reading in the garden

15th birthday clothes shopping

16th birthday shopping for last minute things for my hols in zurich - then at just before midnight setting off with o and g and eric for gatwick - this was exciting!! - my first hols travelling by myself - made even better by the fact that there was no-one to meet me and i had to find my own way to the zefferrer's apartment

17th birthday - helen's parents had taken the 3 younger sisters on holiday and had agreed that frances, leslie and i could stay in their house to keep helen company - we thought it was great to be 'independent' (lol) and on my birthday all 4 of us went to visit o and g - we had a lovely lunch and good time - and i remember leslie saying how enjoyable it was and how she wished birthdays were as much fun in her home!

18th birthday helen came to 'tea' at my house and in the evening o and g and boogs and i went to see 'the sound of music' at the carlton

19th birthday i vaguely remeber it being a sunday but all else lost in the mists of time

20th birthday the second monday in my first job - very boring - went to see 'ned kelly' in the evening with boogs

21st birthday work again - i was living in the ywca by now - dinner at mill way with o and g, eric and jane and boogs - it rained almost all day

22nd birthday eric and jane gave me a card which said 'happy birthday on the last birthday before you get married' - we married 6 weeks and 2 days later

23rd birthday hassle over getting our car fixed! - it was a honda s800 which could only be mended at a specialist garage - what a nuisance!!

24th birthday this was a nice one - o and g celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a party at their house - it was a lovely party - everyone enjoyed themselves - and they had even had little birthday cakes made specially for me and for uncle les whose 60th birthday had been the day before

25th birthday a sunday - we were just about to move to lincolnshire and o and g came for lunch - although we were rushing around getting ready for this 'special' visit, boogs managed to completely forget that it was my birthday until o and g arrived! he never forgot it again!

26th birthday one of the best! boogs took me out on his 'round' - it was a beautiful sunny day and we seemed to be laughing all day long!

27th birthday everyone seemed to give me book tokens this birthday - great!!! went into spalding and bought loads!!

28th birthday can't remember

29th birthday another good one! i was just pregnant with stella, it was late night opening at the library and whilst we were having the special birthday dinner boogs had made, frances phoned to wish me a happy birthday and also to tell me she was expecting their first baby (christopher) in november!!

30th birthday a sunday - stella was 5 months old and a delightful baby - o and g came for lunch - we were house hunting and went to look at a school house somewhere north of holbeach

31st birthday we had recently moved into rose cottage and i had even more recently sent off my specimen to confirm that i was expecting another baby - it took ages in those days - and even longer because i had to wait an extra day as everywhere was closed to celebrate the charles and diana wedding - i was exhausted and went to bed early on my birthday that year and missed the pre-nuptial fireworks

32nd birthday boogs was working in rickmansworth and i was living miles from anywhere with stella (2 and a bit) and frankie (4 months) - we were trying to sell the house so i suppose i was looking after the children and packing - can't remember the actual day

33rd birthday all four of us went for a picnic in the country - beautiful day and very enjoyable

34th birthday can't remember

35th birthday a saturday - boogs and i went to odi and brian's house for dinner - this was to celebrate odi and i having the same birthday - odi was 28 though!

36th birthday sunday - odi and brian came the night before for dinner - eric and jane were staying with us - a wonderful and hilarious night!

37th birthday monday - another one lost in the mists of time - i do know that eric jane odi and brian all came for dinner around that time to clebrate together

38th birthday no recollection at all of the actual day - but we celebrated on the saturday - a fantastic 'australian barbie' at our house - everybody came in some form of fancy dress - boogs had constructed a shelter under the apple tree and that's where we all sat during a torrential rainstorm - marvellous party!!

39th birthday no idea!!

40th birthday a friday - joanne came over with francesca (about 4 months) - had a good day - frankie having a lovely time playing with francesca - stella returned from guide camp in the late afternoon and chas and pauline came round in the evening

41st birthday a saturday - not sure about the day itself - the following day boogs and fran set off for winchelsea for their hols and on monday 29th stella and i flew out to zurich with o in order to celebrate switzerland's 700th birthday on 1 august

42nd birthday ??

43rd birthday i think we were on our hols in winchelsea

44th birthday on our hols in winchelsea - we spent my birthday at sissinghurst - lovely day!!l

45th birthday everyone was out bar me - boogs at work, frankie with a friend and stella was in basle - kathy phoned in the afternoon - to talk about staying at our house over camp i think it was!

46th birthday another one i can't remember

47th birthday we were having the kitchen alterations done so it was all fairly chaotic

48th birthday boogs had recently had an op for his throat cancer and i think he was still in hospital at this point

49th birthday took the day off work - stella and rich were home from uni, boogs just about recovered and looking for work again - fran and i went to battlers green for afternoon tea

50th birthday at work - i found the cash office all decorated with ribbons etc when i arrived and i had to wear a badge all day to let the customers know i was 50 - boogs and i had had a joint party a couple of weeks before

51st birthday had the day off work and relaxed at home - went for a drink in croxley in the evening with boogs, stella and fran

52nd birthday a saturday stella and rich came to stay - had a barbecue in the evening with celia, noel, rachael, brian and the haywards

53rd birthday sunday - boogs was in watford hospital determined to live life to the full while he could - he had organised one of the staff to go out and get me a card and then got all the ward to sign it

54th birthday fran arrived home from hols in ibiza at 6.00 a.m., trisha popped round at 6.45 a.m. and eric arrived at 7.00!! coffee in the kitchen!! work - but it could have been worse

55th birthday at work - quite a good day considering

56th birthday today!! work again! i don't know why i go to work on my birthday - i must be mad - next year will be different!!