It all started with a plan to make this month of birthdays special. My August birthday season starts with my mum (technically July, but right at the end, so it’s included in my summer festive season :p. I had a lovely day planned out for my mum including a proper high tea somewhere nice. It was not to be however as I was struck down by the dreaded swine flu. What a nasty little flu that is. Needless to say all is well, and my boys haven’t contracted it even though they spent the week looking after me (there is nothing quite so comforting as your son making you tea while your husband scurries around in the kitchen positively bemused by all the shiny things in there…). So mum, if you are reading this – I owe you a proper English high tea.

So the next birthday to come along is Jimmy’s. Now this had to be special as he was hitting the big one-oh! 10 years our boy has been with us! I don’t feel old enough to have a 10 year old son. So what to do, what to do. After I had been deliberating for so long what to do, he finally decides that he wants to go to Chessington World of Adventures. Brilliant! We took along his best buddy and despite my screaming like a little girl on roller-coasters that clearly 10 year old boys can handle (laughing and waving their hands in the air), it was an awesome day and I would do it again for the joy it brought him. A declaration of ‘the best day in my life’ made the day perfect. 

Moving on to Patrick’s birthday a week later, there were a couple of plans in place. On the Thursday I took the boys to dinner. I had a lovely place booked in Wimbledon Village and for some reason we just couldn’t find it. Now for anyone who knows Wimbledon Village, it’s is spectacularly difficult to loose a shop or restaurant there as it really isn’t big enough. However I was convinced that this restaurant was mimicking the secret house in Harry Potter (you know, Sirius Black’s house which Harry inherits that kinda just hides between the other buildings…) and we decided to go elsewhere instead. I’m glad because we ended up a beautiful Chinese restaurant and I would so go there again.

Friday was the braai at Perception HQ for family, friends, colleagues and clients. Saturday was the August Babies party (a combined birthday party for friends who all have birthdays in August). Both evenings were awesome in different ways and by Sunday, well suffice it to say it was a lazy day.

So now we move our focus to the holiday. We leave next week to go on our first family camping trip since living in Cape Town. I for one cannot wait to get out of London for a bit. I’m simply pooped.