4 Aug 2011

Hestia and Sonshine's birthday

Yes, a Transformer has walked all over it and has a handful
of icing - we love Bumblebee in this house!
Wow - a whole year has passed since the debacle of the break-in at the swimming pool and poor Sonshine not being able to have his 10th birthday party there!

Yesterday he became 11 and he decided that he only wanted a Nintendo 3DS for his pressie.  A cool £200!! I told him that he could ask people to consider giving him money that he could put towards his new toy and that depending on how much he managed to collect, I'd pay the balance.

What luck!  What with his doting granny and uncle he raised over the required amount.  And so, dear reader, I found myself on the 10.15 am ferry yesterday morning with an overly excited child and a mother who can barely walk the length of herself without having to have a sit down.


And no car.

I opted for the environmentally friendly option of ferry and TRAIN to Glasgow.  *polishes halo*

The down side of this is that Juno has to walk. Something like the queen, my mother usually is ferried around the place by car.  I wasn't anticipating a great day out to be honest.

First of all we had to go to Game on Sauchiehall Street - where my son spent his entire birthday money on a bit of black plastic that will make his eyes water.  Sure made my eyes water handing over the cash.  It wasn't just Juno who had to have a wee seat outside in the dappled shade before heading off to the cinema.  I've not spent that much on a present in my LIFE!

Then down to the cinema to see the film - Arriety - A Studio Ghilbli film based on The Borrowers.  A bit girlie to be honest, and the reason why he opted to go see it without his friends, I suspect.  But he adores his anime cartoons.  Mercifully this one was light on strange, hideous characters and heavy on beautifully painted backdrops.  The story was sweet and seemed to go down well with Sonshine and Juno alike.

Then home on the train and ferry.  Back by 6pm.

A long, long day....

And then cake cutting and eating!

The cake was my first attempt at a victoria sponge in my super delux mixer.  I made one and thought that I might half it and use as sandwich.  But my cake tin was a bit bigger than the recommended size, so I ended up making two sponges and then gluing them together with my home-made redcurrant jam *can barely look at halo, it's so bright*  On the downside - I had to run out to the co-op at 6pm at night to make the second cake.  I iz not Nigella Lawson.

Then iced it with ready roll fondant stuff.  And yes, this is where it all went a bit Heath Robinson.  The icing  was only really to cover the single cake, now I needed it to cover something a bit taller....and had to roll it to the thickness of a gnats wing to apply to cake.  Oh yes, we had marzipan too. Well, why not have everything when you're 11?!  And the Dr Oetker icing for doing his name? Please don't use it - I could barely flex my fingers by the time I'd written his name and two ones for his birthday.  Nightmare stuff to use - doesn't stick to the damned fondant icing (also Dr Oetker!)

The cake tasted very nice indeed *halo gleams so bright everyone puts on sunglasses and warned not to look at it directly*

As I took him up to bed at half nine last night, he hugged us both and thanked us for a lovely day.  As I sprayed his poor sunburned back with lavender and camomile, he buried his head into my shoulder and said 'It's quite scary growing up, isn't it?'  What do you say?  Yes - there is economic meltdown on the horizon, your friends start to get seriously ill with things other than spots or a broken heart and you can see your life spiralling down a plug-hole at a great rate of knots.....but instead you tell him that it's all brilliant.  That he's got so much wonderful stuff ahead of him.  And he has.  I hope.

He still likes to hold my hand in the street and I wonder how long that will last.  When will I become an out of touch relic - more of a hindrance than a help?


14 comments:

  1. Ali -

    What a marvelous day for the three of you! Memory maker, for sure! And your young man got the present of his choice, w/o breaking your bank!

    Now go have another piece of cake and some tea or coffee! :)

    Blessings,
    Bonnie

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  2. You should indeed be basking in the light of your halo. A splendid day, a fabulous cake and Sonshine got the prezzie he really wanted.

    My little ray of sunshine will be 28 this year and sometimes I do feel an out of touch relic but he still gives me a hug and never forgets to send flowers on my birthday. I think all those cakes I made him, just may have paid off. Lesley x

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  3. How wonderful - he's a lovely boy and not a bit spoiled - a real treasure. Love 'can barely walk the lenghth of herself' - my mum's a bit like that too. Happy days! xxx

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  4. How lovely .. happy memories Ali xx

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  5. I'm crying a bit now....what a magical day...ADHD junior was 7 before we had a day-without-a-meltdown and I'm not sure he ever let me hold his hand volunterily....never let it go!!!
    PS...the sunglasses were on the kitchen table...so much anxiety, so little time loving the menopause...xx

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  6. Such a lovely post Ali, and I really understand how you feel about life going so quickly and will they still want to hold our hands..Mr Blighty does not get it when I exclaim how quickly they are growing up, he says, but you want them to grow up, it would be weird if they stayed the same, men are so literal!! Happy birthday to you and Sonshine By the way....I am already seen as totally uncool and out of touch, despite (or because?) of my pathetic attempts to rap like Tiny Tempah and shout YO! a lot...xxxx

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  7. Oh, nice post.)) Love your blog!!!.))))))

    I need your help ... Soon I am flying to Greece and I will have a two-day shopping in Athens .. You were there ever? If yes, what places you advise?

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  8. Oh bless him. He might well shun the hand-holding for a few years but I'm sure he'll come around. My big bro still holds hands with my mum every now and then and he's nearly 31.

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  9. Alex - that gives me hope that he'll maybe want to hold my hand. Sometimes ;-D

    Mary Mur - well, thanks for the nice comments. Not sure what to advise about Greece. Have been hideously lost in Athens but couldn't advise on any kind of shopping experience ;-)

    Blighty - Sonshine is amazed that I can sing along with almost all the music on the radio. So far he has not twigged that it's Radio 2. Was I the only person in the country shouting :"oh my GOD!!! DAVID ESSEX IS ON EASTENDERS????' I remember the tousled hair, the cheekily knotted neckerchief......*sigh*

    YaH - It's tricky enough when they're NOT ADHD. (((hug))) I'm screwing him up in some form or another. As parents, it's what we're ALL destined to do, isn't it?

    Wildernesschic - your boys look lovely. And you ARE skinny.

    Mrs E - it's quite frustrating because I think she's simply unfit - so unused to having to walk. Of course, she's in her 70s now - a fact that she reminds me of EVERY BLOODY DAY. But still, she should could easily go for a little walk every day to get back up to speed.

    Mrs M&TT - The cake was very tasty. It was a recipe that I got from The Food Channel - Paul Hollingwood I think is the chef. Easy peasy and tasted lovely! My halo has slipped a fair bit since his birthday, let me tell you!

    Bonnie - cake is now gone! Froze a bit for Tartarus when he comes back in a few weeks. But the ravening hordes of friends have inhaled it all bar the crumbs!

    Viv - ta :-D Where's your 90 day plan, btw?

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  10. Make the most of the hand holding it wont last much longer:(
    The cake looks LOVELYX

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  11. Argh, the light, it dazzles me!!
    Well done you on a memorable 11th birthday. I too remember the after school dash to the corner shop for last minute essential ingredients.
    My baby would be 21 now and I wonder if he would have had a games console too - they never grow up!

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  12. NS - DON'T!!! You'll make me come over all weepy!

    MLB - I'm sure he would have had games consoles (((hug)))

    Ali x

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  13. Aww Ali lovely post - it did feel like a drag sometimes all that birthday prep but when I look back I wish I could do it again with more patience. My boy got engaged this weekend, it was a surprise (although he and his lady have been together since university)and I have to say I felt a bit churned up, which is weird because when he went away to uni, and moved out of home I was ok. Enjoy the moments x

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