Sunday 3rd March

Sometimes in life everything just goes perfectly, and today was one of those days.  It had all been arranged somewhat hurriedly and I was slightly wary that things might go wrong.  It has become a sort of tradition that I celebrate my birthday with the family.  Two years ago we were in Wales, and I put them up in a hotel, then last year it was at Walton and the Marina for lunch.  But Walton is almost as out of the way as Wales, and for some a lot further than London.  I also had the added complication of my son Justin working in Hospitality and getting the time off, and sure enough my actual birthday weekend coincided with Mother’s Day so we had to bring it forward a week.  Then I had to consult the football oracle as Tottenham, my daughter’s team were bound to be playing.  And yes it was Arsenal at home on Sunday (today) so it had to be Saturday.

Almost by accident we stumbled on a really nice Thai restaurant not far from the house, and we booked it.  Then we decided to add four friends too, so sixteen adults and five children sat down for what ended up being a really excellent meal.  The grandchildren were very well-behaved and the whole day went off with no upsets or incidents at all.  In fact it just goes to show that sometimes minimal planning works better than a micro-managed affair.

Strange how I can always find plenty to say about the things that go wrong, but have less to say when it all turns out fine.  But there we are, a perfect day, and now a good memory to unwrap and enjoy every so often.