Birthday celebrations
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Today is also my birthday - which as all old people know is a bit of a non event. Well except for 'special' birthdays. Today mine is a semi-special birthday (75), so not a major festival - just a really, really nice meal out tonight at Mercers (and a lovely new handbag). In China 60 is special because this is when you have completed the whole zodiac cycle. And moreover birthdays are generally celebrated on the Chinese New Years Day. Well traditionally anyway - so everyone would be having a birthday at the same time which is sort of nice.
Obviously traditions around the world vary as to birthdays, but I'm betting that food is almost always involved. And the site Love to Know tells you about a few of them. The Chinese slurp long noodles - the longer the noodle they slurp in one go the more good luck. I had to laugh though at this following from the same article, which also throws into doubt the whole article I have to say - probably as well researched as my own!
"Most birthday parties in Australia are barbecues. The weather is typically warm in Australia, so it makes sense to take the festivities outdoors with plenty of room to celebrate and mingle." Love to Know
Today I believe the temperature is due to reach a heady 14 degrees and it's telling me it's only 9 at the moment. So we are not having a barbecue. Mind you people do and on Saturday we are having a big birthday gathering of the family because three of us have birthdays within ten days of each other - 20th, 25th and 30th. And because it's lunch we may well barbecue. So perhaps I shouldn't be so dismissive. It's a nice idea that the weather is 'typically warm in Australia' though. I suppose it's all relative - if you live in England 14 degrees could be seen as warm - and the sun is shining.
Eltham has a park where, at weekends, there is one of those miniature railways. It has quite a long track - the ride takes a good quarter of an hour or so, and so, at weekends there are lots of birthday parties in the park with the children periodically going off for a ride on the train and the adults barbecuing sausages and steak. We did it a few times with our small grandchildren, who except for the last one are now a bit old for this. Mostly though, children's parties include lots of forbidden food and a cake on which are candles to be blown out. 75 are rather too many candles to blow out!
So I give you Winnie the Pooh and one of his very many wonderful sayings, and a picture of perfect party - not a birthday party, but a party nonetheless. I think the Winnie-the Pooh books are quite possibly the best books ever written. When you are feeling sad read one. They are the ultimate in comfort food for the soul. The hundred acre wood is Eden, Paradise, Utopia - call it what you will - where everyone is welcome and appreciated for who and what they are - even outsiders such as Kanga and Roo and Tigger. Kindness and understanding rule. If you have a child with a birthday give them the big volume of all the books with the original pictures in colour. And read one every night. Its a gift that keeps on giving.
