A birthday in the sun! and a great night at Alex’s

I had been a little worried about spending my birthday away from my family and friends, especially on this special occasion of my quarter centenary celebration. But I have to say I genuinely had a great time. See, living in London, November is usually the time of frosty cold weather, and more recently, snowy. So it was nice for a change to be in an environment where I could wake up on the morning of my birthday, put on a bathing suit and go swimming in the sea, without anticipating a painful frostbite!

So this year, Carole has planned a weekend at Hamilton beach, reserving the beach huts at Samso’s (If you’re coming to SL, and would like to spend a few nights on the beach, Samso’s is well worth a try. Great location, affordable prices, good food… okay, I’m starting to sound like an infomercial!).

On Saturday afternoon, courtesy of Sam, we drove to the beach to meet with the weekending party of VSO vols and NGO friends. I had an absolutely amazing time, swimming, lying on the beach, taking pictures, helping to put together a Hobie 16 Catamaran… (don’t get too impressed; knowing squat about boats, my idea of helping was pulling ropes, unfolding the mast, slotting pins in the right place and tilting my head to one side with a wise-ish look on my face, while saying thoughtfully, ‘yes, that looks about right’. At least I now know what a shroud is!)

In the evening, we had a wonderful dinner of skewered barracuda and sweet potato chips and I received a birthday song and a pineapple cake. No, an actual pineapple with a lit candle on top and biscuit pieces crumbled over the top. As someone who is not a massive fan of actual cake, this was a prize and a half! We then ended the night by the campfire. I stayed up until the wee hours, captivated by the soothing impression of the burning flames on my senses.

I woke up on my birthday to the sound of the crashing waves (amazing!) and immediately put on my bathing suit and went for a quick morning swim, followed by breakfast. Coming home on the Sunday, even I had to admit that I had out-swum myself, spending over an hour an a half in the sea… so as soon as I got home, I fell into bed for a quick nap.

Later in the evening, we went to an absolutely amazing restaurant by the beach called Alex’s to eat with a few friends. 

So all together, it was a totally enjoyable birthday, and I really appreciate all of those who celebrated it with me. We all know how I am about birthdays, so thanks for indulging me, even suggesting more fun activities for next year’s 26 tasks. Also, thanks to you all, I have received the most thoughtful, useful and amusing birthday presents this year, one of which being my very own bistro (below) in the kitchen, where we can now add corned beef hash, spaghetti Bolognese and peanuts to the menu…

Banke xxx