65 days of birthday presents

It was 65^th birthday back at the beginning of February - it seems absolutely AGES ago now (I’m much older now)… but I commented on facebook at the time about a rather beautiful, unusual birthday present given to me by my lovely daughters, Ruth Hannah+Alice.

In fact, it wasn’t just one present – it was 65 (yes, SIXTY-FIVE) presents.
These were to be opened one day at a time and, today (on what, rather fittingly, would have been my father’s 93^rd birthday), I’ve opened the last of them.
They’ve been a source of great love, pleasure, fun and amusement.
This is the list:
1.       Bottle of Cava
2.       CD: Laura Mvula
3.       Mr Benn first class stamp
4.       Toblerone chocolate
5.       Roast chicken with saffron, hazlenuts +honey recipe
6.       Book: “Of Human Bondage” W Somerset Maugham
7.       Apple
8.       Badge(made by Iris)
9.       6B drawing pencil
10.   Fortune Cookie (“persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement”)
11.   Videos from Iris+Rosa
12.   String of Hearts
13.   February Stars+Planets: Night Sky
14.   Large Packet of Balloons
15.   Crane origami instructions/paper/YouTube video
16.   Packet of Scabious seeds
17.   A4 bound Sketchbook
18.   Letter (from Hannah)
19.   Party Poppers
20.   Bunch of Daffodils
21.   Book: “On Beauty” Zadie Smith
22.   Chewing Gum
23.   Pebble
24.   Rook (by Stu)
25.   Bunting (incorporating “65”!)
26.   Pack of Postcards
27.   A Gig Ticket
28.   Recommended Books to Borrow
29.   Large 3-D Letter “S”
30.   Video (from the Buckleys/Buckeroos)
31.   Letter (from Ruth)
32.   Lottery Ticket
33.   Four Handwritten Jokes (from Iris)
34.   “Urban Wildlife” linoprint
35.   Invitation to Home-Cooked Meal
36.   Date to go on a Family Walk
37.   Zig Drawing Pen
38.   Coffee in a Café
39.   DVD (The Darjeeling Limited)
40.   A Poem (by Tomas Transtromer)
41.   Windy Miller Camberwick Green first class stamp
42.   Chewing Gum
43.   Candle
44.   Chocolate Cupcakes
45.   Watershed Cinema Voucher
46.   Compilation CD
47.   Red Egg (Rattlesnake shaker)
48.   Charcoal Sticks
49.   Paperchase Notebook
50.   Black Sheep Ale
51.   Googly Eyes
52.   CD (Daughter)
53.   Letter (from Alice)
54.   Charity Shop £1 Challenge
55.   DVD (The Winter Guest)
56.   Packet of Love Hearts
57.   Drawing (Hannah)
58.   Great Uncle Bulgaria first class stamp
59.   Book (The Men Who Stare At Goats) plus “Heads or Tails Adventure Walk”
60.   Video from Ursa (+Hannah!)
61.   Sarah’s Artichoke Tartlets recipe
62.   Chocolate Money
63.   Mars Bar
64.   Free-writer Notebook
65.   Bottle of Red Wine

Simply lovely. I feel rather overcome by their generosity (and sense of fun), much loved and very, VERY blessed. X
Photo: these were just a few of the presents – all stored in an old family suitcase…