Sunday 9 August 2009

That Morgan Woman Outed Me

Yes, it's my 47th birthday today and Nicola Morgan has been and gone and told everyone (I knew I shouldn't have twittered about it).

I spent the morning sitting in the sun, writing in peace as my lovely husband took the boys off to a three hour archery lesson. I was very productive, and now feel smug.

I've been given an embroidered dark blue silk jacket, which I bought for myself from eBay but which Big Dave intercepted when the postman delivered it; and I've been promised an orchard with apples, pears, walnuts and mulberries (all to be planted in the autumn which is, apparently, the best time of year to plant them), a petrol strimmer (Big Dave's died a few weeks ago and apparently I need one of my own now, to compensate), and an electric screwdriver (ditto). A Chinese meal is apparently going to be cooked for me soon. Meanwhile I shall read: my joy knows no bounds. A perfect birthday, and it's not over yet.

30 comments:

Mary Hoffman said...

Happy birthday, Jane! Sounds like a good one already.

HelenMWalters said...

You are having a wonderful day. The orchard sounds lovely. Something to look forward to.

Quillers said...

Happy birthday! Every woman needs a petrol strimmer...

If it makes you feel any better, I turn 46 Tuesday. It seems to be a week for Peak District birthdays. Leatherdykeuk is celebrating hers on Tuesday too.

Barb said...

Happy birthday! How on earth do you decide what you are going to strim first?

Is strim even a word?

Jean said...

Wishing you the best of birthdays, Jane! (Appears to be off to a glorious start.)

...and now I will google 'petrol strimmer' because I am American and have no clue ;-)

writtenwyrdd said...

Happy Birthday! I hope it's a good one!

Teresa Ashby said...

Happy Birthday, Jane!
What a lovely day with loads still to come! An orchard! Wonderful!
Happy Day!

Vanessa Gebbie said...

What a lovely lovely birthday. I want a Norchard too.

Hippo Birdie to Jane, and many of them.

Tangledally said...

Happy birthday Jane!

Sounds like a lovely day so far, I hope the evenings festivities are just as fun!

Anonymous said...

Jane, darling, you're getting an electric screwdriver for your birthday? I simply don't know what to make of this terrifying news.

I have a mind to fly across the pond, grab those silly comrades in arm, Morgan and Zigmond, and kidnap you for a full day of pampering, margaritas, and shoe-buying spree.

Hope your day was wonderful!

Charlie Rice said...

Happy Happy Birthday!

Trust me, you're very glad I didn't sing for ya!

Nicola Morgan said...

Oh tee hee, I do love to be the stirrer of good news! But Lynn's right, Jane - to be excited about an electric strimmer or screwdriver is very unappealing and worrying. We will teach you how to have a good time. Tell Big Dave to get his finger out and get that campervan organised pronto, or else to send you up here on British Airways / the east Coast line, and Lynn and Sally will come too and we'll all be very very silly in Harvey Nicks. Nx

Jane Smith said...

Trust me, girls, compared to some of the things he could have bought me the promise of a strimmer and a screwdriver is great.

Thanks for all the good wishes: you're all very nice to me and I don't deserve it.

Anonymous said...

Have a wonderful birthday, Jane.

Quillers said...

It reminds me of when Homer Simpson bought Marge a bowling ball for her birthday. I wonder if there are any sexy French strimmer coaches out there ;-)

Paul Lamb said...

Warm regards, you youngster!

Sally Zigmond said...

Guess who forgot? Sorry. But I did have an excuse. My bay boy (26 but still my baby) got himself married on Saturday and I am still recovering.

I owe you another riotous day in Sheffield. Let's see if we can stop the traffic--again.

Jan Jones said...

Happy Birthday, Jane!

tell you what - when your strimmer and screwdriver both arrive, I think you should sit right there with your book and just ask for lots of demonstrations.

Tania Hershman said...

happy birthday! I just mentioned your fab strimmer to my bloke, and now he's got all excited about my birthday present next year, so thanks for that :) I wish you a year of much happy strimming (is that a verb?) and a lovely rest of your birthday.

emmadarwin said...

Happy Birthday, a bit late! May your shadow never grow less (at least not in the blogging sense)

Hope it was a good one.

catdownunder said...

From the ancient cat - "Hippo-birdie-to-ewe!"

Not to worry Jane my father is giving a young about-to-be-married couple an electric drill as a wedding present - so boy can make girl the kitchen cupboards! Now there has to be a good story in this...

Francesca said...

Happy Birthday! Sounds like a wonderful day -- and there is something about the words -- embroidery and silk -- together that conjure up images of medieval princesses. Who were far more likely to be in wool homespun, alas.

And I would love to get an electric screwdriver for my birthday. Wrapped in an embroidered blue silk jacket for preference.

Anonymous said...

Belated birthday wishes from a Liverpool expat whose father sported the White Rose and made him eat Black Pudding. If you ever cross the Great Wall and visit She Who Has Outed You and are offered the Scottish equivalent, Haggis, ask for a left-handed one. They say that running endlessly widdershins round a hill nurtures right brain development, which produces an altogether more succulent and tender beast. They are rare, so she will have to rush round The Toon specially, teetering on her sexy shoes, to find one. This may give you a certain satisfaction. If she then spitefully makes you eat it, I can only suggest copious seasoning with whisky.

Nik Perring said...

Happy birthday - sorry I'm a bit late to the party.

Nik X

none said...

Happy Birthday! We were born in the same month, how about that? :D

Linda Strachan said...

Happy (belated) birthday, sounds like a lovely jacket!

Hope you had a great day.

Remember that the lovely orchard will bring lots of fruit and take it from one who knows... be ready for lots of jam making bottling and then you had better be good at running.....

for when it all gets too much and you leave bags of fruit at a friend or neighbour's door, ring the bell - and run away!

Nicola Morgan said...

SleepyJohn - you are right about widdershins-running haggi and you are certainly right about putting whisky on them. Kills all the bugs stone dead.

Dan Holloway said...

A belated happy birthday! I think I caught you in time on twitter, though :-)

Greg said...

Happy (slightly belated) birthday, Jane!

Imogen said...

Many belated happy returns of the day...
The planting issue is quite correct - autumn is much the best time for transplanting large, woody plants such as shrubs and young trees, especially deciduous ones. The growing season has finished but they are not yet fully dormant, and the soil should be more moist than in summer but not yet chilled. You learn a lot of plant-related things working in the Information Office of a botanical garden!
Bear in mind that eventually a walnut tree will get big (I mean BIG - forty foot plus), unless you buy a dwarf cultivar or one grown on a dwarfing rootstock (this can be done with most fruit trees so I assume it is also possible with nut trees but possibly they are not grafted at all, in which case no dwarfing rootstock option). Luckily most trees are fairly slow-growing - but possibly a problem for the next generation to own the land...
I am quietly envious of your having enough land to grow an orchard, future big trees or no; how wonderful.
Hope you had a really good day.
Imogen