Oh what a lovely day...

I had the loveliest birthday yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes. Messages came in all day via Facebook which is particularly lovely when cards don’t arrive overseas in time for the right day.

I’m always the first to wake in this house (first to bed too.) And this is the sight that greeted me at the crack of dawn when I crept out of our bedroom:

There was a pile of presents on the table that I presumed I wasn’t allowed to open… Oh the self control… eventually, when everyone was up I got to open the gifts. This was one of them:

(Is it wrong to be so excited by a label maker?)

After much research, Daughter made a wheat free chocolate cake that was delicious but was spectacular this morning after a night in the fridge. I know because I had some for breakfast.

We had dinner at Face in Sukhumvit Soi 38 (I've never been before but it's a gorgeous complex of traditional Thai houses) and then went to see Red at the cinema.

Births and shopping

I have a problem. It’s Husband’s birthday in five (shopping) days, and I haven’t bought any presents. The UDD – Red Shirts – are camped out along the main shopping route in Bangkok and yesterday, the following malls were closed: Siam Paragon, CentralWorld, Siam Center, Siam Discovery, Big C Rajadamr, Gaysorn Plaza, Amarin Center. Today, tension is mounting; there are troops collecting and the malls (at least some of them) are still closed. It reminds me of another birthday of Husbands when I was almost as badly organized …

Seventeen years ago I had to be extra ready for Husband’s birthday because I was enormously pregnant with our first child. The discrepancy between the hospital due date and my due date was four weeks (yes, impossible, but I did exactly the same thing with Daughter’s pregnancy. I think I am more like an elephant than a human when it comes to gestating babies.) So having less idea than most when our baby would come, I had tried to be prepared. I had just about finished buying his presents and they were hidden away waiting to be wrapped.

So of course on the Sunday, the day before his birthday, my waters broke. It was inevitable, wasn’t it? They kept me in hospitable waiting for me to go into labour. The day passed by; Sunday night came and then Husband was going to go home for some sleep because they kept telling me I wasn’t in labour yet: “WHY ALL THE PAIN THEN?” I told Husband that he’d have to find his own presents. I told him where they were hidden and apologized for their not being wrapped. Monday morning came and Husband reappeared in the maternity unit. I wished him a happy birthday and then the day was all about me.

Son came that night at 7.30pm. He was a furry little thing. He had hair everywhere, including his back (gone now) and dark downy patches that grew into points on his ears a la Star Trek (also gone.) He was also covered in vernix – a pale waxy substance; that and the hair would suggest my dates were right and Son was earlier than 40 weeks.

As though I hadn’t entirely stolen Husband’s thunder already, I proceeded to hemorrhage following the birth. I do feel the need, after all that drama, to make a fuss of Husband each year as well.

Of course producing a son on your husband’s birthday is the ultimate in birthday presents… but he’s shared it with his son for seventeen years so far and at the very least I’d like to have some presents for the poor man to open. (Son’s presents are all organized already because he knew what he wanted.)

Get on with it...

I think it’s time to pull myself together and return to cyber life again so I’m taking a swipe at the white noise, and getting on with stuff.

Firstly I’ve got to say thank you to everyone who texted, facebooked, emailed, telephoned or even plain wished me happy birthday in their heads. It was lovely to have so many good wishes for my birthday yesterday. I had a wicked chocolate cake; so thick was the top layer of chocolate that it refused to be cut. It just broke in big, unruly chunks of its own.

Secondly, thank you to all who left thoughtful messages on here after my last post!

Next, Liz awarded me 'The Lovely Blog' award last week, for the way I “enjoy expat life and struggle with writing.” I really appreciated it since I have struggled all over again with writing, life, you name it, I reckon I've probably struggled with it during the last week.

The rules are simple:
1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winners.

I’m going to pass it on to Crystal Jigsaw for keeping up a regular stream of quality posting – always thoughtful and often funny (see the one about the rams!)

I shared my birthday yesterday with Lane, fellow novel racer, but yesterday was a triple celebration, being with the publication day for Cally Taylor’s debut novel, Heaven Can Wait. Cally’s also a novel racer and she's going to be here at Tea Stains on Sunday as part of her blog tour so please make sure you check back to read the interview.

I will update you on my industry day too, as soon as I’ve time to write it up.

Knobs and knockers

Despite feeling rotten with a cold since Thursday night (what else could excuse my going to see Bolt at the cinema all on my own?) I’ve had a jam packed weekend.

Daughter’s birthday party was yesterday. Although Husband gave me a ‘get out clause,’ I really didn’t think I could leave him to cope with sixteen thirteen year olds. Put it another way, I’d have been bloomin’ furious to have been left to do it on my own, so I filled myself up with paracetamol and off we went.

After Sunday lunch at the pub, Daughter and I had to go shopping for a dress for the party at school on Friday, because of course, she had ‘nothing to wear.’ Before we left Centralworld (the mall) we made a loo stop.

I couldn’t contain myself… look what all the door knobs, locks, hinges and hooks said:

Getting back to normal

Look at my new, gorgeous notebook. It’s a belated birthday present from the loveliest Leigh. It scores on so many levels:

• A gift
• A parcel in the real post
• A notebook
• Illustrated with classic Penguins
• Handbag sized
• With elastic to stop the pages scuffing (this is SO important. Readers, please don’t underestimate the necessity for this simple piece of stretchy design.

I haven’t done much writing these last few days because of Husband, half term, the holiday that wasn’t, one or two personal problems. Yesterday I sat down to do some and I managed only 150 or so. I’m not sure what happens next – well I know roughly. She’s got to react, but have I walled her into a corner with no-one to react to? Should I bring on a man with a gun? Perhaps that scary lady can email me again.

So today, I was a bit nervous of starting and finding I’d got nothing to say. The 150 odd words I did yesterday brings my total up to 15,000, so first I went off to add that to my sidebar so that I could glow in the words I have achieved. Then I did the rounds of the updated blogs, and well, bloody hell, she’s gone and done it again: Calistro has some fantastic news that’s given me another kick up the backside. So I’m off now to do some writing … whether I’ve got anything to say or not.

I shall report back. Please send me frightening emails if I don't.

UPDATE: 704 words

Cake and fighting

I just wanted to come and say a very big thank you for all the birthday wishes I got from you all. I had a lovely day and it was enhanced by 21st century communications 'writing on my wall' and 'blog comments.'

This is my birthday cake as made by Daughter yesterday. We're holed up in the apartment for the start of the holiday, and with nothing to decorate the cake with, she used jam! I love it.

Fighting broke out on my birthday on the Thai/Cambodian border over a land dispute. We were going to Cambodia next week - I am beginning to wonder at our travel plans being jinxed - but we've decided not to go. We've changed our plans to stay safe. We'll go to the beach, my three can scuba dive and I can write.

My writing is going well. I sent my first 10,000 words to my mentor yesterday along with a 'sort of synopsis' which was the first time I had managed to cobble together on paper what the plan was. I am really excited about getting some feedback.

Happy Birthday to Me

So it’s happy birthday to me today. I’m sitting in our new office (Daughter’s bedroom swapped to old office last weekend), the kids have gone to school, Husband is still in bed. He said on the phone yesterday ‘I saw your blog. We don’t have to do anything; you can write if you want. I can bring you cups of tea all day.’

Gosh, it’s almost worth it.

Husband is a lovely man, but he’s really crap in the tea department. He says it’s because I’m impossible. I’m not; I’ve just got specific standards when it comes to tea. (Water must be boiling, tea must be brewed for 4-6 minutes and then not drowned with milk; simple eh? The mug’s got to be the right one, but that’s not difficult, is it? He could always refer back to my mug post if he’s confused.)

He said ‘if that’s your idea of a lovely birthday: my making you tea all day…’ But do you suppose he thinks he’ll get away without making me tea for the other 364 days?

He’s always trying to rush the tea, but if he thinks you can just brew inadequately and then add milk to make the colour right, he’s very much mistaken. I can tell the opacity of the liquid is wrong. And the taste of course, that’s not right either. Nothing makes him huff and puff more than when I tell him I’m timing the tea he’s making me. Gosh, that does make me sound a bit of a tea fascist, doesn’t it?

But the idea of having him (good naturedly – because Oh Yes, I’d hold him to making tea with a smile on his face!) making tea at my command, really does appeal.

Perhaps I could have a little bell that I ring when I fancy tea …

Brain blurt

• The UK is doing its best with the torrential rain storms to persuade me that I’m still in the tropics.
  
• Just as I said ‘I’m having some days off …’ I start writing again. Bizarre.
  
• It’s my Dad’s birthday today. He’s 79.
  
• I didn’t blog about the third funeral I saw in four days. These are villages with a funeral every now and again … apart from the last week it seems.
  
• In the post this morning I got a totally gorgeous ‘artist card’ from Rachel. I love it. I’m reciprocating when I get back to Thailand.
  
• Lovely Leigh came to lunch yesterday with her beautiful children. She read some of my words and I told her the bones of the story and I’m feeling all fired up again. (Although I have to say, I’ve been feeling mostly fired up anyway…)
  
• I opened the Sunday Times ‘Culture’ supplement this morning, and saw the mother of my MC staring back at me: Wyndham Lewis’ portrait of Edith Sitwell.

Miscellanea

Today is … Sunday.

The end of half term.

Daughter’s 12th birthday. OMG. Where did that go? Just a few minutes ago I had small children… I turned round a couple of times and they’re both nearly teenagers.

Today, at the Londoner Pub for Sunday lunch I decided that I loathed my lead character’s name: Ursula. Sorry to any Ursulas out there. I don’t actually loathe the name – I like it, that’s why I chose it, but you know what? It just isn’t her. It’s not right and so I’m thinking Julia or Emily. What do you think?

I do have a personal preference here, but would be interested in your opinions. After the hilarious kerfuffle on A.Writer’s blog a few weeks ago here and here about names, I thought I’d run them past you all. ‘Lucy’ would be a perfect name for her … but obviously I can’t do that!

Oooh, and check out this photo of Son and Daughter celebrating Daughter’s birthday with the Londoner staff.

(Sorry for the blurry faces: at Son's insistence)

21st century birthday

I am having a very twenty first century birthday in keeping with my technology addicted life.

I am posting this to tea-stains with my very exciting birthday present, my new Blackberry, courtesy of Husband after much whispering in his ear while he was asleep and sending subliminal emails, with barely seeable text saying 'buy JJ a blackberry'.

I've had lots of birthday wishes from blog friends, an email from my sister, my brother and my two sister in laws. And I've just watched my gorgeous god-daughters and their Dad, singing a beautiful rendition of happy birthday to me on a podcast on our closed blog 'The Bull's Horn.'

I've only had real cards from Bangkok people, but all those cyber wishes have made my day: thank you.

Happy birthday to blogger Lane and her daughter too!

Sent via BlackBerry® from AIS