{"id":272,"date":"2021-03-28T17:05:11","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T17:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/mr-hs-birthday-weekend-2\/"},"modified":"2021-03-28T17:05:11","modified_gmt":"2021-03-28T17:05:11","slug":"mr-hs-birthday-weekend-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/mr-hs-birthday-weekend-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Mr H’s Birthday Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poor sod – Hawksey's birthday number 2 has indeed arrived again in lockdown, so I pulled out all the possible stops and we actually had a really nice birthday weekend.<\/p>\n

Started on Thurs eve (pre-birthday!) with a steak dinner care of wifey – including my first ever crack at a peppercorn sauce, which I have to say was bloody monumental. Add in some cheeky Waitrose onion rings as well as the usual jacket spud, grilled tomato & mushroom and some very garlicky spinach and job's a good 'un. We'd pretty much scoffed the lot before I remember I should take a photo, so you'll just have to imagine this one..<\/p>\n

We were meant to be seeing Zoe on his actual birthday for a bike ride, but she hadn't been very well so had headed home to Bristol for some Mum tlc. Instead, Jules & I chaperoned the birthday boy to Esher Woods (sounds a bit odd..!) and we zoomed round a 20 mile course. Oh the joy of being able to pedal past the boys on the gnarly uphill tracks, in my bike's Turbo mode. Byyyyeeeeeee! And who knew there is a Semaphore Tower in the woods – another oddity of lockdown explorations, check it out..<\/p>\n

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The first 2\/3 of the ride was actually pretty sunny, then the hail arrived – covered in mud and soaked through we decided not to eat the lunch picnic under the trees – funny how the car park had completely emptied out by this point – and headed home instead for a bit of scoff and to open up the boy's prezzie haul.<\/p>\n

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And didn't he do well?! One very chuffed husband, most of all delighted with his first birthday card from Zoe in many years. Which she had created with some childhood photos of them both, as well as some more recent ones, so he was made up. Add in a couple of well-thought through gifts from her – the bonsai trees are already up and running – and quite frankly I could have given him a pair of old socks and he would probably have still been happy…<\/p>\n

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Dinner was a large piece taken from an even larger Tommy Turbot (turbots are always called Tommy for some reason..) that H had bought from Billingsgate market. We've paid 200 euros (yes, ripped off) for one of these in France but H nailed this puppy for a mere \u00a340 and it will feed us for weeks (more's the pity, said the meat-loving wife..) Apparently there is an unusually wide range of all things fishy there at the moment, as the hard to find items like razor clams, which are usually snapped up by the restaurant trade at 4am, are obviously still being caught – but have no on-trade to go to.. So, a prawn, crab, oyster and turbot fest ensued…<\/p>\n

Followed by my very good effort at a cake – no one inch thick 'carrot biscuit' this year, this year's attempt actually rose and was a total winner. I'm not 100% convinced by his new t-shirt from Jules (apparently 'it's a biking thing'), but thank you Nigella for the walnut, ginger and carrot cake success story..<\/p>\n

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Yesterday morning we then nipped off for a walk with his godson Jasper, plus parents Nursey & Sophia, round Chiswick House. JJ is very sweet at the moment – H loves being godfather and trying to slip him not-allowed sugary bits of patisserie when Sophia's not watching..<\/p>\n

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And lastly, we had our online supper with David & Mandy last night. Possibly H's best ever chinese pork with crackling – all the fat rendered off and just a pile of porky deliciousness, topped with enough crackling for a table of 8… just a shame we were a deux! <\/p>\n

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H was sporting his new flat cap all the way from Harrogate, and was a very happy boy. Especially with his 'Be More Spaniel' t-shirt on, having a shared moment early that afternoon with David… Yes, they do look like twins…<\/p>\n

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I however, succumbed to three nights of not-used-to-this-these-days over eating and was up half the night, groaning with excess indulgence. Hey ho – a nice walk with J & the dogs around Denbies Hillside this morning just about cleared the fug.<\/p>\n

Decorations are now down and I've had some newspaper time, the birthday is done (phew!) and I am now married to a man who is nearer 60 than 50. Can this really be true??? X<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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