Archives for October 2006

So now I’m 40. It all happened so quickly in the end. Saturday was a hive of activity around here. I’d had the decorating party around here on the hot windy Thursday and things were starting to take shape.

I’d made the party a cocktail one, the type where people bring booze to contribute. The two cocktails de jour were Cosmopolitans and Martinis. With all my planning I’d neglected to organise bartenders. It can get very messy otherwise. More on that in a bit.

Other than that it was full steam ahead on Saturday. I only sat down to have lunch and to sit out the front when I knew a friend was coming around to pick JJ up for a birthday party that afternoon. It was very good timing as it enabled me to go out by myself to pick up my birthday cake and buy ice. Also while he was gone I laid on my bed to rest my weary legs but I didn’t stay there for long as there was still stuff to do.

A friend came around at 5.30 to help with last minute stuff and JJ came back at that time too. He was like a hurricane until people started arriving about 7pm. He was really excited to have gone to a good friend’s birthday party and then come back to mine. He was also really excited to be going to friend’s places to have a sleepover. There was absolutely no way I could calm him down. But as the backyard started filling up he calmed down, probably because he was dwarfed by everyone. He was excellent.

By about 9pm he was ready to leave (go to sleep) so I got the cake out, found someone to organise it and went outside pretending I knew nothing about it until it came out with candles burning. Happy birthday was sung and JJ and I were going to blow out the candles together but he got in first. I made a really short thankyou speech and shortly after waved goodbye to JJ.

Once the guests arrived I didn’t have to do anything except greet people, open the fabulous presents they brought me. I was extremely lucky that people not only contributed towards the bar for the evening, but got me presents as well. Not everyone did, but I did better than I thought that’s for sure.

The bar bit worked out. A few friends stepped in and organised drinks. My sister and another friend heated up food in the oven and passed it around. Mind you when I used the oven last night there was still a couple of trays of forgotten food in there. I’d been thinking it was great that everything got eaten. Monty has a very full tummy, gradually feasting on the leftovers. Speaking of leftovers, I’ll be able to host another party with all the alcohol I’ve got left. I did up a little party bag with some bits and pieces for my babysitters who brought JJ back at 5pm yesterday.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. I had a great night. I managed to talk to some people beyond the happy birthday greeting. I also managed to dance a few times. The music myself and a friend organised went down a treat. I can do a pretty damn good mixed CD from the feedback I got on Saturday night and feedback from friend’s I’ve done CDs for. My friend has the technology to burn vinyl to cd so I gave her a bunch of my disco albums and a list of the songs I wanted from them and she made a CD. I also did a couple of other compilations. The music was gradually turned up throughout the evening and thinking of my neighbours I turned it down a notch at about 1-2am. Luckily nobody made a noise complaint so I wasn’t visited by the police.

The wind had dropped to be still for the evening but was still a bit chilly so I’d organised an old metal washing machine tub with firewood and it was a very popular spot to be when not dancing inside or at the bar drinking.

As the party was at my house I thought I’d do an outfit change. I started off in a gorgeous long pink woollen dress and changed into black pants and a groovy top that I bought a few months ago I haven’t yet had a chance to wear. Everyone kept asking if I was going to keep on changing and I hadn’t planned to but one of my presents was a t-shirt with ‘No dick’s as hard as my life’ printed on it from an act by Tina-C at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. I can’t believe I wore just a t-shirt to protect me from the chilly 12C evening but because I was moving around so much I didn’t really have a chance to feel the cold.

I was up until dawn. I was sitting next to the fire with the last few party revellers and I noticed the sky behind me starting to lighten. It’s been a very long time since I’ve stayed up all night partying. I put out the it’s time you left vibes and everyone did leave shortly after except for one girl who just wanted to sit out in the backyard for a bit. I left her to it and went to bed for a few hours sleep.

It’s back to the world of reality now. JJ started back at school on Monday which was the last day of my holidays. I have really enjoyed the last two weeks off preparing for my party and catching up with friends and spending time with JJ. I’m really not looking forward to getting back into the routine of day-to-day life.

It’s mango season here now. I absolutely love eating a mango and so does JJ. I cut into my first one the other day and as it’s been almost a year but I did it the wrong way. We still managed to eat all the flesh. Mmmm, love the smell, love the taste.

There is a How to eat mangos website that has all sorts of information about what they are, how to eat them and what to make that includes them.

This time (3.15pm) 40 years ago after a long, two day labour, I was born. I was a bouncy 9lb 3oz baby, hence the long delivery time. I was mum and dad’s firstborn of three girls in all. Dad was more than probably longing for a son to carry the family name and more importantly take over the farm. This never happened as he was destined to have girls.

Being born in 1966 makes me a Firehorse in the Chinese sign. Apparently this makes me highly strung, powerful, inconsistent, alluring and motivated by strength of will. I guess I am some or all of these things at different times. Sometimes I’m not sure about the alluring bit.

I am also a Libran with all the indeciveness that entails, and all the good things of course, eg ‘Here, in the realm of interpersonal relationships, you are a champion. You know how to be the charming host or hostess. You can sense what others want before they ask for it. And you can make the needs of others a higher priority than your own. In fact, you Librans are the shuttle diplomats of the zodiac, going back and forth between the extremes until a solution is negotiated.’

I’m not too worried about being 40. I was told recently that life begins at 40 and I certainly feel like I haven’t achieved everything in my life that I could so the possibilities from here on in are limitless. I’m not working towards a specific goal but mostly plodding along taking each day as it comes. Life certainly has become busier and busier with each passing year. I work four days a week and I don’t know how I could cope with my non-work life if I only had two days a week to do everything that needs to be done around the house, with friends and family and of course with my son.

I certainly never expected to be a mum at 40 or at any time so that is a blessing. He will be helping to celebrate with me and I’ve organised a birthday cake especially so he can feel like it’s a celebration that includes him. I probably wouldn’t have bothered otherwise. It’s also a testament to the wonderful friends I’ve got because two of them are coming along for a little while to my party with their young son and then taking JJ home with them, after the cake of course. I also had an offer from another friend to babysit which would have meant he couldn’t come to the party, or couldn’t come for long.

Speaking of wonderful friends I wouldn’t be throwing the party that I will be if it wasn’t for them. I had people drop round yesterday with decorations and help to put them up, trestle table and some other necessary party goods and other friends are helping out with music and food.

At 40 I’m still single and while I miss some obvious benefits of having a partner around I’m not too worried and desperate to find someone. I haven’t been dealt a very good hand with men in the past and I am not very good at spotting the good ones as I’ve nearly always gravitated towards the unobtainable bad boys. I was told recently by a psychic that I would meet someone who was the yin to my yang. It worries me that I’ll let him pass by but hopefully he won’t let me pass by – that has never happened to me before and I think it’s about time.

So, here’s to my 40th birthday. I might still be up at dawn partying.