It's today!!

Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday dear me,
Happy birthday to me!

I was born 40 years ago today, which makes me 40 years old today!

(I love birthdays, can you tell?)

I got the falconry and weekend away, as you already know. David also had our wedding video transferred to DVD, which made me shed a tear, and I got a new digital SLR camera, with memory card and a proper camera bag!

He'd already made a note of the OU photography course for me too, for which I can get a grant towards, yey!

You should see the Sacher Torte he's made me, and you will, if I work out how to use the camera anytime soon.

My inlaws managed to restrain themselves from jewellery and have given me (when my cards arrive) a gift voucher from Graham Tiso, an outdoors store, so I can get myself a fab pair of leather walking boots, something I've wanted for a long time. Excellent!

Oh yes, 40 is good.

Early days

My Big Birthday started early!

It all came about because of Tesco. (Why is everything in my life Tesco?!)

We usually use our Clubcard vouchers for a really good deal in the summer to hire cars for our camping trip, but I read between some lines in the Deal brochure and concluded this deal would no longer be available come July, so decided to use some up for a week in mid May, just because the children had a couple inset days, so we did!

This gave David the opportunity to book my birthday treat, a days Falconry course, then two nights DBB at our favourite hotel at Nethy Bridge (with children), a walk up what was my first corbertt about five years ago, now the children's first corbertt too, visit Loch Garten to see the osprey and then forest theme park, Landmark, (to make up to the children for making them climb a big hill!).

Yup, it was a busy few days and I only remembered to take photographs when someone offered to at the falconry centre! I was too busy sulking at the top of Meall a Bhuachaille, my red juice drink had leaked all over my cream, fleece inside David's badly packed rucsack, (and he's the more experienced one, you'd think he'd know how to pack a rucsack!), but we had a fabulous time and noone got sunburnt or heat exhaustion, yey for us!

So, now for the science bit, trying to download the photographs!...

...and yes, I thought I looked rather like my mother with a few birds of prey posing on my arm! Scarey.

I did the Introduction to Falconry in the morning with a family of three, then I was the only one to go for a Walk with the Hawks in the afternoon. I went on a hunt with Dave the Falconer, I looked after Alice the Harris Hawk, while Dave was in charge of Edna the ferret! (Aren't the names fab?!) What an extraordinary experience, strolling carefully across a rough field, in the middle of nowhere, cars driving by as I have Alice the Harris Hawk perched on my arm. Amazing! Yes, we caught a couple of bunnies, but they will not have been wasted. They'll have made a tasty snack for some of the hawks later.

Roll on Monday!