My One True Love's birthday

Yesterday was My One True Love's birthday. Happy birthday, My One True Love!

This is a photo of a present I made him. He's an obsessive cyclist, and this is a musette he will use to put all sorts of bits and pieces into as those skintight knicks don't have pockets (obviously).

It's made from my favourite Echino fabric in blue and green. I've hung it off Mick the Fish in our backyard. We called him Mick in honour of Mick Jagger, because of his big, pouty mouth.

It was an in-betweeny birthday (no five or zero at the end) so we didn't go overboard with celebrations. A few friends around for dinner, a bit of wine, lots of laughs.

But I *did* make him a birthday cake. And I had plenty of time to think, as I whisked and whisked the eggwhites, which took FOREVER - and I realised was the first ever birthday cake I've made for him in our nearly eight years together.

It's amazing, I know, that I could have loved this man for so long and yet never made him a birthday cake before. I actually don't know why I haven't. I suppose in past years we've gone out to dinner, or we've celebrated in other ways, or it just hadn't occurred to me to do so.

But my mother gave me Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess for Christmas, and I decided it was time. I toasted hazelnuts, I shelled them, I whisked interminably, I poured, then I melted, then I whisked and whisked and whisked again, then I baked, then I cooled, then I melted some more, then I whisked again - the ganache icing this time - then I whisked, then I whisked, then I rested my aching arm, then I whisked, then I poured, and finally I feverishly decorated, just as he came through the door.

Before long, My One True Love and I joined the Amateur Actress, her newly arrived friend LÁuteur and our mate Pommy John, for a splendid meal of pizza and wine followed by the aforementioned chocolate and hazelnut extravaganza.

The cake was a hit, if I do say so myself, and now I'm determined to do more birthday baking.

Thanks mum for the book! I think I'm going to make the gin and tonic jelly this weekend .....

15 minutes of fame

I just had a very surreal experience on the street!

To wit: I eschewed the team lunch just now and headed out to get some noodles. Because after the many trifle incidents over Christmas, a team lunch involving pizza and wine is not what I need right now. Light Japanese noodles are much more what I need right now. In a small size.

But do you think any of my favourite places were open? No they were not. I found this out after I trekked all the way across town in the 30 degree heat only to find that Yen Sushi Noodle is closed until January 12.

Okay, I thought, Ume Sushi it is. So I trekked all the back across town, only to find that Ume Sushi is closed until January 19. Insert swear words here.

Okay, I thought. I'll go the newsagent and pick up a copy of that magazine I've been meaning to get for a friend.....

So I'm walking up the road, in the heat, when I spy a woman in a cute skirt - it was the skirt that caught my attention at first, it was mid-thigh length in a tulip cut and made out of some lovely blue patterned material - and she was loaded down with bags. January sales, I expect.

But lo and behold, when I look closer I notice that slung over her right shoulder is my red Vespa tote bag!!

Of course I don't mean "my" actual tote bag - I mean one of the bags that I sell at my monthly market stall. It's made out of lovely Echino material from Japan, I'll post a photo of the bag itself in the next day or so. It gave me such a rush to see it on a real live person. And it was jam-packed with stuff too, it was really doing some work for her.

I really had to resist the urge to rush up and tap her on the shoulder and proudly proclaim its provenance (see your bag? I made your bag! It was me!). I thought that might be a bit much though, not to mention a bit full of myself - viz conflicting feelings mentioned earlier.

But we got to the traffic lights at more or less the same time and I have to say, I couldn't help beaming a big smile at her, which she was probably either confused or startled by, coming out of nowhere as it did.

It was a great feeling. So I trotted off to the newsagent to get the magazine, feeling all shiny and pleased with myself.

Inside the newsagent a woman was flicking through the particular magazine that I wanted ... it's a wedding magazine. And as I paused and tsked and waited, mentally tapping my foot, she flicked through the pages and paused at the one where My One True Love and I and our wedding is featured on a page.

I think she felt my rosy glow, because she looked over her shoulder at me (and my rather big smile) and put the magazine back on the rack- perhaps she could feel my hot breath on the back of her neck - and so I was able to snatch it up as casually as possible before stampeding over to the cash register to pay for it before someone else did.

Two moments of fame within earshot of each other - I'm all aflush with feelings of happiness. And just think, if either of my noodle bars had been open, I'd never have known. I'd have had my lunch and wandered back to work in the heat, none the wiser.

Instead, I bought two sushi rolls and ate them, virtuously.