Extended Birthday Extravaganza

I had a wonderful birthday this year! Starting on Sunday with a lovely (really) intense Katabox class at the gym and then was surprised with gifts and a chocolate-chip pancake breakfast from A and the boys.

After that I had to quickly get ready for a Lion's Head Hike and Picnic with friends which I had planned as my birthday celebration. A had given me a fantastic backpack as a birthday gift and so I got to use that to carry the piles of stuff I had to take for the picnic. It was good practise for our Mt Kinabalu hike in 3-weeks time!

A and I are off on a work conference in Singapore in a few weeks and then are going to Borneo to climb Mt Kinabalu. On trying out my very neglected and unused (for about 10 years) hiking boots the previous week I found them rather worse for wear with the soles literally falling off. I managed to score a great deal when I went looking for a replacement pair of boots at Canal Walk. I got a lovely new pair of Hi-Tech harmony boots which were meant to be R1100 marked down to R499! And I had a R500 Canal walk voucher from my father. So another great birthday gift!

So armed with new boots and gorgeous red backpack and 20 or so motley friends and colleagues old and new we set off on our Lion's Head hike. The weather was sadly not as perfect as the week before and was overcast and a little cool, but there was no wind so it was still lovely and despite having almost no view while we were up there I had a lovely time! It was a great way to celebrate a birthday!

On Tues which was my actual birthday, I took the day off for some pampering; a divine massage, pedicure and hair appointment. My hair looked lovely afterwards (but didn't last long - thanks to my active life-style). After that I collected my India trip photobook and a canvas print I had done (birthday gift to myself). Then I had a quick Kauai lunch with A.

I also got so many lovely emails, sms's, facebook messages and calls throughout the day. I must say I felt very special and lovely. It was wonderful!

Then it was time to collect the boys from school,pack up and head off to Wellington with the boys to spend the night before running the Safari Half Marathon. Which has now become a birthday tradition for me. It is held on 1 May each year, so the day after my birthday. I first ran it the day after I turned 35 - as my first ever half marathon - and have run it every years since. This was my 5th time running it, and also it was the last half marathon I ran a full year ago!

I left my entry very late this year so when I looked for accommodation all my usual options were gone and I could find nothing for under R1500. Finally the usual lady we stay with gave me the name of a freind of here who said we could use her private granny flat which she uses for her own freinds and family and doesn't actually hire out... for R500. I grabbed it!

It was a lovely little place about 1 km from the Boland Stadium where the race is held. A flatless with double bed, mattress, en suite bathroom and kitchenette with a fridge, microwave etc. with bedding and towels and tea, coffee and rusks. So everything we needed! And I'd mentioned it was my birthday somewhere in our dealings  so she also gave me a gift bag with a chocolate and flowers! How sweet and thoughtful was that!?

We got some food and treats (and beer) at the local shops and settled into our flat after checking the quickest and easiest way to get to the stadium in the morning and prepping my race stuff.

Then we snuggled on the bed, watching TV, fooling around and relaxing before hitting the sack reasonably early before our early wake up call... (I've posted about the Safari Race in a separate post.)

After getting back from the race we ended up going to the Point gym to meet A and for me to have a much needed stretch. The timing was bad though (or good as it turned out..?) as there was a HUUUGE soccer game on at the CPT Stadium and we could not leave the area at all. So ended up walking into Seapoint for Dim Sum and Sushi, and then had to stay the night with A. So it was an extended and very enjoyable birthday and I feel very special and loved and grateful.

So far being 39 kinda rocks!