It is official. I am now "28 years running" in Indian lingo, or 27 years old in western parlance, and am "no longer the spring chicken I once was" (according to Philip). My birthday seem to circle round at a scarily speedy rate these days, but this particular one was rather good. It felt like a world away from my previous birthday - when Phil and I were cycling around the Chilterns enjoying egg and cheese sandwiches in a country pub for lunch - but was equally if not more enjoyable.
This year, my present stash was far bigger than deserved for a lady of my age, with lots of generous gifts from friends and family. The main theme was shower gel (are people are trying to tell me something?) with an excellent selection received from my parents, Phil's parents and the Pipe family. I also received a handy new bag, various chocolates, a new bracelet, DVDs and some stinky Stilton - a rare delicacy in India.
My most humbling presents were from Sagar and Veronica, who were both extremely sweet in their gifts for me. Sagar bought me a set of Indian ankle bracelets (despite Phil saying that he shouldn't spend anything on my birthday) which he'd picked with his mum. He'd wrapped them up in a little box and hidden the gift under a newspaper on the table as I think he was shy about giving them to me directly. I put them on (this was the day before my birthday) and wore them with pride for the rest of the day.
Veronica's gift was equally thoughtful, though a bit more complex. She wanted to get an Indian Punjabi suit made for me (kurta top, trousers and a matching scarf) and this required all my measurements. Again, we asked her not to spend anything but she was insistent. I took these and gave them to Veronica but it seems that Indian interpretations of body size is different from mine, and a suit arrived into which I could barely get my arm, never mind my body following 10 months of Indian food and no walking to work! I hope she isn't dis-heartened, as I was extremely touched by the gift, but it's been taken away to be adjusted. I'll look forward to wearing it soon.
Presents aside, the best part of the day was the arrival of our visitors. David, Cecilia, Henry and Alfie landed in Mumbai airport at 230am on Sunday 6 April (my birthday) so the day started early.
We were home and in bed again by 4am, following a slice of cake, although my tiredness of later in the day was eased by a birthday massage present from Phil at the Taj Hotel in Bandra. Cecilia and I both had a fab morning at the spa and were feeling refreshed and ready for lunch with the boys at ELCO for some authentic Mumbai snacks. We spent the afternoon at the races, where the Pipe family tactic of picking the outsider with a good name sadly didn't pay off this time, before the hot weather got the better of us and we headed home for more cake and a good rest before dinner. Once stuffed full of rich Muslim food from Lucky, we were all ready for bed after a busy (and, for some, jetlagged) day.
This year, my present stash was far bigger than deserved for a lady of my age, with lots of generous gifts from friends and family. The main theme was shower gel (are people are trying to tell me something?) with an excellent selection received from my parents, Phil's parents and the Pipe family. I also received a handy new bag, various chocolates, a new bracelet, DVDs and some stinky Stilton - a rare delicacy in India.
Cath Kidston bag
Lovely bracelet from Phil
My most humbling presents were from Sagar and Veronica, who were both extremely sweet in their gifts for me. Sagar bought me a set of Indian ankle bracelets (despite Phil saying that he shouldn't spend anything on my birthday) which he'd picked with his mum. He'd wrapped them up in a little box and hidden the gift under a newspaper on the table as I think he was shy about giving them to me directly. I put them on (this was the day before my birthday) and wore them with pride for the rest of the day.
Whilst taking this photograph, I discovered that taking presentable images of my feet is surprisingly difficult...
Veronica's gift was equally thoughtful, though a bit more complex. She wanted to get an Indian Punjabi suit made for me (kurta top, trousers and a matching scarf) and this required all my measurements. Again, we asked her not to spend anything but she was insistent. I took these and gave them to Veronica but it seems that Indian interpretations of body size is different from mine, and a suit arrived into which I could barely get my arm, never mind my body following 10 months of Indian food and no walking to work! I hope she isn't dis-heartened, as I was extremely touched by the gift, but it's been taken away to be adjusted. I'll look forward to wearing it soon.
Presents aside, the best part of the day was the arrival of our visitors. David, Cecilia, Henry and Alfie landed in Mumbai airport at 230am on Sunday 6 April (my birthday) so the day started early.
Alfie, David, Henry and Cecilia arrive in Mumbai. Sagar managed to source extra fancy flower garlands as arrival gifts...
We were home and in bed again by 4am, following a slice of cake, although my tiredness of later in the day was eased by a birthday massage present from Phil at the Taj Hotel in Bandra. Cecilia and I both had a fab morning at the spa and were feeling refreshed and ready for lunch with the boys at ELCO for some authentic Mumbai snacks. We spent the afternoon at the races, where the Pipe family tactic of picking the outsider with a good name sadly didn't pay off this time, before the hot weather got the better of us and we headed home for more cake and a good rest before dinner. Once stuffed full of rich Muslim food from Lucky, we were all ready for bed after a busy (and, for some, jetlagged) day.
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