49: the perfect square

Today I am the perfect square and will be for the next 365 days. It’s my birthday and I’m 49; 1 year before I’m half a century. This is me at my 1st birthday with most of the birthday cake on my face.

Elizabeth is performing in her first musical theatre production this week: Sister Act. The show is on at the Aberdeen Arts Centre from Wednesday to Saturday night. If you’re Aberdeen you must absolutely go! You can get your tickets here: Sister Act tickets.

Her schedule this week is very demanding and I had to get her from a highland dance lesson to a Sister Act dress rehearsal as quickly as possible so for the first time in years she got a ride in Hoss the cargo bike. There is no faster way to get from one end of Union Street to the other now that the middle section is closed to cars. It was fantastic to be out on the cargo bike again and to feel like a celebrity. Everyone looks at you and smiles. Cycling home on quiet city centre streets is a dream too. On a bike you get to experience the sounds and sights in a very different way to being in a car. It’s pleasant as long as there’s no traffic which there wasn’t at 7pm.

Last night Ben took this video of Lucille our hamster running on her wheel. It was just over two weeks ago that she went in for surgery to remove a massive tumour and nearly died. She’s completely recovered as you can see. It was wonderful to wake up this morning and see this as I hardly see her now she’s healthy as she only comes out when we’re fast asleep.

Ben bought me this locket from an antique store in Ballater. He saw me admiring it months and months ago then went back secretly, bought it, and put it aside for my birthday. Isn’t that sweet?

What should I put in it? Contraband or photos of loved ones? Or maybe a cyanide pill for when I’m a spy and get captured by the enemy. He wasn’t meant to buy me anything as I’d bought myself an early birthday present in the form of a rather expensive new dress.

Ben was in Germany last week and each night he sent me a clue which revealed the hiding place of chocolate in the house. One clue was to do some “skulking in the hall.” I took a while to get this but after saying “skulking” out loud a few times I remembered we had a game called “Skull King”. Another day is was “Look where Earnest was found. (In the silver one.)”. It was in a silver handbag. Another day it was, “Go like a Melburnian: to St Kilda, perhaps, or the beach.” It was in this wooden tram with Melbourne on the front. There were several others and I found them all.

This morning I made bread and it turned out perfectly.

Things are going well: Daniel had a practice English exam today – English causes him a great deal of stress and worry – and he did really well; Elizabeth is loving her highland and musical theatre; Ben is cooking dinner and baking a cake plus he’s just overall marvellous; the hamster is alive and healthy; and our overweight cat lost 100 grams which is cause for celebration in itself. Oh and I got an Eribé jumper off Vinted for £20! All in all it has been a splendid day.