Birthday!

October 2024: A year older, and not really any wiser

Parenting, Politics and Life /

This month’s update is a little bit later than usual, because I’ve been busy! But busy doing what, you ask? As well as exciting things like working for a living, this week I have mainly been being ill, which happily coincided with half term and a trip down to see my family too. Atchoo.

The other three weeks of the month were slightly less rubbish; here’s what I spent them doing:

(You can read January’s here, February’s here, March’s here, April’s here, May’s here, June’s here, July’s here, August’s here and September’s here)

I turned 41

It wasn’t the first thing that happened in October, but it was the most significant; it was my birthday.

No, we are not getting another dog

As you can imagine, I spent the whole week absolutely milking it. I went out for a few nice meals, a bit of wine, and I even went clubbing which is something a 41 year old probably shouldn’t do as I’m still recovering two weeks later.

I didn’t have a cake on my actual birthday (which is as far as I can work out, the one downside of being single on your birthday), but I got not one but TWO fake Colin the Caterpillar cakes sometime afterwards.

The first, named ‘Party Time Charlie’ (which I could have sworn was something entirely different), I bought myself as it was marked down to just ONE POUND AND TWENTY TWO ENGLISH PENCE in Co-Op, as it was going off. Apparently you can just buy them. It doesn’t even have to be your birthday or anything.

Pro tip: Microwave a slice of Colin, Connie, Charlie or whoever for 15 seconds and thank me later.

I went to a wine tasting on an electric barge

Les Vignerons de Tutiac is a co-operative of wine producers from Bordeaux and their wine is available in most UK supermarkets. They invited me along to an event on the Thames where I had the opportunity to try the delicious Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot (and a really cracking buffet too, with lots of cheese) while learning about the company and how they go the extra mile to make their wine as eco-friendly as possible.

For instance, Tutiac use recycled ocean-bound plastic to make their corks, their bottles have a capsule made from sugarcane waste, and a recycled label printed with water-based inks. With an “easy-open” tab which stays attached to the bottle to prevent littering, and a lightweight bottle, they really are passionate about putting sustainability first. You can visit https://www.help-protect-the-ocean.com/ for more information.

I celebrated the Season of Sparkling with Silverhand Estate

Last week, it was National Champagne Day (don’t worry, if you missed it you can always catch up this weekend…) but why have champagne when you can support local?

Life goals right here and I didn’t even smash anything

English sparkling wine is one of my favourites, certainly over prosecco or champagne, and Silverhand Estate’s sparkling wine, Silver Reign, is delicious. Crafted using the charmat method with a blend of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay Grapes it is every bit as special as its French cousin, and more sustainable as rather than being shipped from abroad it is made in Gravesend, Kent.

The Silver Reign Rose made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes is something extra special.

If you’re local to Kent, do take a look at their website for vineyard and winery tours and wine tastings. And if you see a bottle, pick it up – it retails for less than £20 a bottle and is perfect for a celebration.

My house went on the market

It’s such an ARSE. My kids give literally no shits about keeping things tidy, and the dog has started shedding twenty times as much just to spite me. Have to be honest, I’m not even that bothered if it sells given I never wanted to move in the first place and it feels like a lot of effort. If you happen to have a lot of money spare and want to put me out of my misery, get in touch.

I got a lovely new dressing gown

I love my IDENTITY LINGERIE PJs, so this year when they emailed I asked for a matching green dressing gown and I bloody love it, so here I am modelling it for your enjoyment:

I love my IDENTITY LINGERIE PJs, so this year when they emailed I asked for a matching green dressing gown and I bloody love it, so here I am modelling it for your enjoyment:

They even do matching pjs for couples if you’re into that sort of thing. (It will not surprise you to hear that I am not. I might consider matching with my dog if such an opportunity were to exist).

We applied for secondary school for my oldest

*Dies of old*.

I even wrote something

I wrote a WHOLE BLOG POST about adulting shit that I struggle with. You can read it here.

My tweets of the month

See what I’m up to and who I’m upsetting over in the The Bad Place.

When I remember, I add my most liked tweets to my highlights tab.

Until next time!

If you enjoyed this and you’re feeling generous, you can buy me a cup of tea or a glass of wine here.

You can also see my Amazon wish list here.

You may also like:

How not to do the festive season: Christmas disasters
DITL: First morning of the summer holidays
10 rules for selling mirrors on the internet (and people that broke them)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top