Though our bodies may not be as young as they used to be, there are some things that are far more important than gray hair or a flat stomach. Things seen, lessons learned, wisdom gained, friendships made or lost, the love of a growing family tree, evolving perspectives, these are but a few blessings of being alive.
As many of you know I turned 40 last month. In all honesty I was dreading it. With rubbish health, most days feeling way above my years, those two numbers got to me more than I care to admit. 😩
But with a huge but, my 40th was most likely the best birthday to date. I was extremely spoilt.

My gorgeous sisters went well and beyond excellence with their thoughtfulness of their wonderful birthday gift. I am truly honoured to have the best sisters in the world, truly they are one of a kind. I will share more about their wonderful gifts in their very own special blog. By the time you finish reading it you’ll be wishing they were your sister. Sorry but they are all mine, you can’t have them. 😂

So I awake on my birthday, I get to have a few coffees in peace and quiet, reflecting on life to date, wishing my dad was here and dreading the day ahead.
When Mark surfaced I opened family presents which I had been given throughout the week, which in true honesty I thought was a tad strange, wasn’t I going to see anyone on my birthday? 🤔
I received lots of very scrummy pressies, my favourite yarn and candles from my amazing mum. I have an obsession with candles and even more so yarn, her gift was perfect. I knew instantly what I was going to make with it, finally a blanket of myself.
My wonderful auntie Jan brought me a lantern and Yankee candle, she knows me well. Good job auntie Jan, good job. 😘
Mark gave me a pile of pressies 🎁, my favourite perfume, a huge Yankee candle, an electric blanket and a new iPad, the iPad iPad, yes Apple have really called it that 🤣. I was blown away and very grateful for his wonderful gifts.
He goes on to tells me that he has booked a night away in my favourite place in the world, Brighton.
We would be staying at, The Grand Hotel and having a meal at a Thai restaurant in the lanes.

My two wonderful boys Con and Cal gave me their presents which they had hand-picked with a great deal of thought.
Con brought me a beautiful healing-crystal necklace. Our Cal gave me a crystal bracelet and two crystal stones all holding healing properties.
Just knowing that my two boys put so much thought into their presents, that they do their up most to help me feel well, is humbling and brings a tear to my eyes. I am extremely lucky to have such kind, loving, sensitive, caring young men as my children. They truly are my world.

Bags packed and ready to enjoy our night away, we make a few pit stops along the way, first to see my mother and father in-law, they spoilt me rotten with their perfect gift a certificate album, sleeves and acid free paper. My lovely sister in-law Sarah popped in and gave me a gorgeous album to show off those important documents, photos etc from my family research.
We had one more stop before we hit the road, this time though I would be giving the gift.
I finally got to give my auntie Jan her Christmas present which I hadn’t managed to get finished in time.
The four months it took me to make was so very worth it, her reaction was an absolute delight. I know she will forever cherish and treasure it.
There truly is no other feeling in the world that matches the feeling you get when someone loves a homemade gift. 💝

So we finally get on the road, Brighton is waiting patiently for us, the sky’s are blue, the sun is shining and we have freedom at our feet.
We drink coffee on the beach front, watch the world go by, we talked, I mean truly talked, something that doesn’t happen as much as it should in the rat race we call life.
Stress, exhaustion, health etc, etc seem to get us all stuck in a rut. We are all too good at putting the tv on and sinking into the sofa taking a little time to unwind from the battles of the day or just staring at social media, to numb our minds or in my case falling asleep because my eyes literally won’t stay open any longer, so to sit and have a one to one conversation with out life getting in the way, was total bliss.
It felt truly wonderful to breath in the sea air, hear the waves rolling in to shore, as we took a very slow walk back along the sea front as the sun began to set.

We ate Thai food, while deep in conversation. We walked the lanes, well Mark walked as he pushed me, his poor legs must have been killing him, Brighton isn’t the flattest of places.
The lanes by day are pretty incredible, there is no other place like them, but by night they become even more special. It’s like stepping back in time to lamp lit alleys, you almost feel like you have been pulled into the land of Harry Potter or Bed-knobs and broomsticks. It’s magical, truly magical.

The evening chill creeps into our bones as we sit and listen to the waves hitting the shore, smoking our last cigarette and we know it’s time to retreat to the warmth of our beautiful hotel.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What more can I say about Brighton, it calms my soul, lightens my views and somehow gives me peace. I have no idea what it is about the place, all I know is, it somehow feels like I’ve come home.

I really can’t thank Mark enough for making my birthday so special. It wasn’t just the case of him taking me to my favourite place in the world, he gave me that feeling I’ve desperately missed but more importantly after all those years of being together, he’s carried on loving me throughout all the stresses, health issues and damn right bad luck that seems to follow us everywhere.

If this is what 40 is going to be like bring it on.

🦋🦋🦋