It's my birthday

I've never been alone for my birthday before. There have either been parents, boyfriends, friends, colleagues or Mr FF to spend the time with and give a vague feeling (well, not so vague on lots of occasions - I've always celebrated with gusto - don't you just love that word?) that a special day was being recognised.

I'm meeting my m-i-l for coffee this morning, but that is the extent of anything I will be doing. She invited me round for a meal but, to be honest, now I am going to Wednesday Weight Watchers I don't like to eat too much the night before.

This introspective birthday state of mind makes me think of a job I once had (in the sales office of a wine company in Camden) when nobody was free in the evening to come to the pub with me to have a birthday drink. I went home and felt very sorry for myself. I was about 22, outgoing and okay to look at (photo* below of how I looked around this time); in fact my desk faced a street along which quite a few people passed, most of them men because we were next door to a garage that repaired luxury cars. It got to be quite entertaining peeking out at people and on a few occasions some of the owners of these cars came into reception and asked to have a few words with the curly headed girl they could see as they went by? I only actually went out with one of these chancers though - I called him Conrad the Cadillac (as that was his name and his car) and it was a short-lived thing. the moral of this tale being - never go out with someone who has admired you through a window**.



*curious to see a few other photos? - look here, but you might have seen them before

**unless it is a window in a certain area of Amsterdam and they are your key to a new life

Edited to add the plant that just got delivered, sent by a certain someone

Out of blogging ideas

I just can't think of anything to write about. I blame my Creative Writing course - all my ideas are going into the book that I am planning. Did I say book? Well, yes; the other night I awoke with a great character in mind and then spent the rest of the night dreaming up exploits for her. Like all middle of the night ideas it did seem very splendid at 3am and then a bit ott by breakfast time. Yet there is a germ of an idea sprouting and I do find myself sitting gazing at nothing thinking up narrative tricks involving my erstwhile heroine.

Other things that have been occupying me at the moment are:

• a economy drive - yes, I have stopped buying boots and things that are not essential. In fact the Lakeland order that is currently on its way came to under £40 and if that is not stringent measures then I don't know what is!

• How to avoid flat hair - due to all the rain and the daily dog walks my hair has been buried under a black trilby. Very chic when it is on, disgusting when it is suddenly pulled off.

• Musing on the fact that I only got 71% for my first marked assignment. This was a short biographical piece about my father and his scene in Carry on up the Khyber. I know one should never assume but I was rather hoping for a higher mark.

• Whether or not Mr FF will have to relocate to the UK for a short while to work on a contract there. We have seldom been apart in the twelve years that we have been together. Things are a bit unsettled at the moment.

• What on earth t0 fill my blog with.

Oh and the photo at the top is the last photo I have of me with my parents. It is at someone else's house - my mother would never have allowed such dire paintings on the wall.

Award Time

THE BIRTHDAY FANCIES

Tomorrow (Monday March 2) will be the first birthday since I began my blog that I have really come to care about some of my fellow bloggers. If they don't post for a little while I wonder if things are okay; if they go away on holiday I think about whether or not they are having a good time; when they have problems I worry about them - in short there are many bloggers out there who really have entered the French Fancy consciousness (hark at her going all third person).

Now I know there have been a lot of awards floating around blogland lately and I'd like to add another one - The Birthday Fancies. Those that receive it do not have to blog about it if they don't want to; they don't have to tag anyone and get them to do certain things; you can put it in your sidebar - or not if you think you have enough clutter already.This is it on the top left; it comes from me to you and it means that your blog means something to me. There are lots of blogs out there that actually mean a lot but, just as in real life, the chemistry is better with some than with others.

They are randomly listed and where it is a joint award I have done it alphabetically. Some of you might wonder why you are inserted in one category and not another. It was quite hard to make sure that all my favourite blogs were included and that is why some of the categories might seem rather absurd. Please don't pass it on - it is just from me to you.


Best dog with a blog Henry

Best expat in the USA Mama

Best expat in Sweden Ladyfi

Best blogger in South America Cynthia

Best father of a son Steve and The Dotterel

Best father of a daughter Brother Tobias

Best mother of a son Hadriana's Treasures

Best mother of a daughter Lane

Best pharmacist* blogger cheshire wife

Best blogger who blogged straight after surgery A Woman Of No Importance

Best nature photo blogger Blu

Best blogger with insects in her fridge Lulu Labonne

Best black belt blogger justme

Best blogger with a cigarette Jenny Smith

Best GBF blog A Super Dilettante

Best blogger who I know won't put this on his sidebar Dumdad and The Accidental Fan

Best ex-expat blogger Carol

Bloggers who get so many comments how can they even read them nikki crumpet and willow


During my celebratory lunch today whilst at our favourite restaurant I will raise a glass to you all. Unfortunately it doesn't open on Mondays so I will have to go elsewhere for my actual birthday lunch. Two meals out at two beautiful restaurants two days running - we could never have done this in the UK, not without a second mortgage.

Below is a picture of when I was about half the age I have reached today. It was easier to keep it in the frame than take it out and scan it. Can you see the stain down my dress? Immediately prior to the photo being taken I had somehow managed to upturn a glass of cider down myself. Nothing changes - almost twice as old and still just as messy.


*the word 'pharmacist' is one of those words guaranteed to make us both go into hysterical laughter - well me anyway. It dates back to an incident when we had come to France on a house-buying reccy. I had been chatted up by a pharmacist in Normandy and then, three hours later when we arrived in Brittany and I saw a man smiling at me (who to my mind did look more or less like the Norman pharmacist), I said are you the pharmacist?. It might not sound like much of a funny story but the way Mr FF tells it, with interjections from me, make it the funniest story in the world. Yeh, like a man is going to follow me in a car from department to department. Well, he might have.

My parents' engagement photo

My glamorous parents in their heyday

Younger

this is me about 12 years ago with my first ever bichon - sadly now buried under the apple tree outside our old UK house.