Happy Birthday

Today is my husband's birthday. This is the 20th time we have shared his birthday and marks the beginning of the year in which we can say about everything that it's the 20th time we've done it together. On 19th January 1990, we went to see an 11pm showing of Pet Sematary and I sang Happy Birthday, very quietly, at midnight, heralding the first moments of his 19th birthday. The film was dreadful and we still laugh about it now. I don't think I've been to see a horror film since and nowadays I am wary of even a 15 certificate. Atlhough strictly speaking it wasn't a date as I already had a boyfriend. He was dispatched with soon after and we usually mark our anniversary in about a week. I bought him a card with a cuddly teddy bear on it, because it reminded me of him. He still looks quite a bit like a teddy bear.

The following year we caught the coach to London, drank cheap fizz in St James's Park and listened to Grieg's Piano concerto at the Barbican. On his 21st birthday, I cooked him a steak which he ate in my college house basement kitchen and he proposed!

We don't celebrate his birthday much and he was genuinely excited by my gift of socks. The children had each drawn him a card, my daughter made two which compensated for the fact that I forgot to write one. I did make a batch of cookies which he took to school to share with his friends. He will be tutoring tonight and we were supposed to be going out for a curry tomorrow night (a church social) but we can't get a baby sitter. So it looks like our celebration will be a nice home cooked meal on Saturday. But I'm out of inspiration for a choice of meal. I'm a veggie and he is usually happy to eat meat-free with me - any ideas anyone? (And if you're reading this darling, feel free to put in a request, and Happy Birthday!)