vin_petrol | Birthday Weekend Update

Thursday 8 November was my birthday. I received lots of presents and cards, although with it being a 'numbered' birthday the cards can be a bit scary. My mantelpiece looks rather like this:

40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40

just in case I had forgotten.

evie_petrol bought me a test tube alien, which we've had fun 'growing' together. I also received various books and DVDs off people, Trash buying me the oft-pointed-out-as-being-perfect-for-Vin Commando Comics compilation.

I managed to take it vaguely easy at work on Thursday, rolling out a simple code upgrade that had been in my Things To Do list for months. Thursday evening I spent at home with Trash, and pigged out on pizza.

Friday evening was birthday drinks out in York, with lots of people coming out to quaff booze and laugh at me as I got a _little_ drunk. It was lovely to see you all! Thank you very much for coming out, and buying me cards and drinks and presents and making an old man very happy. I hope you all survived meeting my sister Vikki. Perhaps the kebab from the van on the way home was not a great idea though...?

I was rather ill on Saturday morning. Unfortunately I had to be up at a reasonable hour (09:00) to get Evie dressed and off to her ballet lesson. Trash was occupied with a toy fair. Evie was most concerned about me ("Daddy is being sick in the toilet? Is Daddy all right?"). I had to explain that Daddy had a poorly tummy... While Evie was at ballet I sat on a park bench in the little public garden we have in Bishopthorpe groaning quietly. I then took her to the toy fair (we had agreed she could have ONE toy), where she spent a while wandering around trying to decide precisely which PINK toy she wanted to buy. She settled on a strange little electronic Barbie game, a little like Simon (for those old enough to remember what I mean).

I then invoked the "too ill to do quality childcare" situation and convinced Evie that watching television was a good plan ;-) Fortunately, she went next door for about an hour to play with her friend Georgina, which enabled me to take a quick nap. I felt *much* better after that.

Which was good as I was then out on Saturday night for my birthday meal, at the Viceroy on Monkgate, with my parents, two sisters (plus their men) and Trash. We were only missing sister Kate, currently in New Zealand. I had a lovely balti, and drank lots of lemonade. I suspect I won't go near ethanol again till, er, maybe April Whitby :-)

Sunday I seemed to spend hanging out with Evie pretty much all day. Trash wanted to get on with doing housework, so Evie and I did stuff like going to the shop (her on her scooter), building a "bird's nest" out of sticks under some trees we went past on the way back, chasing each other around with aforementioned sticks and playing the most rubbish game of hide-and-seek *ever* ("Evie, you count to 10 while I hide", "one, two, TEN! Found you!", "er, OK, Evie!). Later we got Evie her new car seat - the next stage up, which just fastens across her with seat belt. She looks so grown up in it! Then Evie and I went to the Wacky Warehouse for some more rampaging (while Daddy sat and drank coffee) and then I was Official Terrible Parent and took her to M*D*n*l*s for tea. It was quiet in there, so Evie took the opportunity to see what it was like to eat at just about every table in the building. The happy meal at the moment includes a small microphone that plays a loud repeating tune your child can sing alone to. I wonder if Trash will have 'lost' it by the time I get home tonight :-) After all that, Evie went to sleep easily on Sunday night!

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From:

valkyriekaren.livejournal.com

("Evie, you count to 10 while I hide", "one, two, TEN! Found you!", "er, OK, Evie!)

Heh. Reminds me of a friend playing (phonetic) I-spy with a three-year-old:
"I spy with my little eye... something beginning with Sh"
"Bedtime!"