Two Little Ducks - 22!

I realise that this post is rather late as my birthday was last Tuesday. However I have been celebrating my birthday in all sorts of ways over the last week and I thought I would sum it up in this blog post.

On Tuesday I awoke to a cup of coffee and a pink bag of presents from my lovely boyfriend. One of these gifts may seem quite random, lets see if you can guess which one; a Cath Kidston clip-on Blackberry case, ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest’ by Stieg Larsson and the box set of Meerkat Manor Series 1.

I love Cath Kidston. Literally, anything they make I will buy. They could sell Cath Kidston Bin Liners and I would buy them.

I have got the first 2 books in this series (which my boyfriend also bought me) although I have only read the first one. BUT I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to everyone.

I know this may seem like a very strange thing to buy someone, unless they were a wildlife fanatic which I am not. However, I absolutely love this show. I cannot get enough of it. It’s like a soap opera but set in Meerkat world. If you haven’t seen it yet then seriously you need to check it out. Another marketing point - its narrated by Bill Nighy (who I also love).

So after all that excitement, we drove up to Ashbourne (a little town outside derby) with the sole intention of browsing the charity shops. This may seem mad but we had been told that this particular town had very good charity shops and anyone who knows me, knows that I simply cannot get enough of them. So it seemed like the perfect trip to take on my birthday.

While we were there we had some lunch in a café/antiques shop. It was a very sweet little place with antiques scattered around the eating area. You could actually buy some of the tables and chairs that people were eating their lunch on.

I saw some lovely things in a few of the charity shops but didn’t buy anything from them. To be perfectly honest (I know this may sound like I am a complete nutter) the trip revolved around one purchase. A beautiful, Cath Kidston walking umbrella (I told you I’m obsessed)

I’ve wanted one for quite a while but could never justify spending so much money on an umbrella that I would probably only use a few times each year. Also it’s so large that you can’t just pop it in your bag, so it currently lives on the parcel shelf in my car (they match). It was a treat to myself on my birthday.

That evening we went to the cinema to watch Arthur. I absolutely loved it and laughed so loud for most of the film (embarrassing Matthew horribly). I am such a fan of Russell Brand.

The day after my birthday I headed out to town with my sister who treated me to a lovely lunch. We had a browse round the shops, though we were both so full from all the food that we moved at a rather glacial pace. She got me some lovely little gifts including a gift voucher for my favourite haberdashery!

Later in the week, the boyfriend and I went out for a drink and a meal with some friends. It was really fun and I got some lovely gifts from them including chocolates, some bath/shower goodies, Starbucks Coffee and a wine stopper in the shape of a monster - something that I have wanted for a while (a wine stopper in general, not necessarily in the shape of a monster) .

Then on Friday we headed back home to see my parents and little sister, a picnic with friends and a drink at the pub. More gifts included make-up, money, a ‘Me to You’ bear, a tea set, a purse, a home-made tea cosy and a Cath Kidston top. It was a lovely day and we were very lucky that the rain decided to hold off for most of the afternoon.

So much thought and love was put into each gift given to me and I am so grateful to everyone for my birthday gifts and birthday wishes. I am a very lucky girl.

Bring on my next birthday!