Its my birthday today. June 16th. Same as last year. Thanks for the (fucking) card!! And its the day after our wedding anniversary (so I’d ‘never forget’ even though I did and only bought the card half way through yesterday) and its also father’s day. Which personally, you can keep. If you need Hallmark to tell you to love your dad then either he or you is doing something seriously wrong. So we have lots to celebrate.

Which started today with the card ceremony (all 3) which took hours of waste paper production. And then moved to the tennis court. Where it only rained three significant times during the hour. Drizzled lots more. But real men, even at sixty-fucking-three (!!! How did that happen???), play tennis because they’re manly. And stupid. And know no better.

Last night we celebrated our anniversary. In style. Well, in our style. Which basically means that whatever we do we need to be on the couch in dressing gowns by 10 at the latest, possibly stretching to 10.30 if absolutely essential. Even though there’s no Match of the Day. It’s just how we like to end Saturdays.

So we booked dinner. And we thought: Zuma? (About 400 quid plus Ubers), or Roka (300 quid plus Ubers), it had to be ‘Asian’ but I’m not sure why, possibly the Japan hangover. I voted for fish’n’chips (change out of 20 quid but apparently ‘lacks romance’; phah!) So then I considered Gokyuzu, our new, mega-Turkish. And because its our anniversary we’d get a ‘meat platter for 4’ just for the 2 of us. Now THAT would be a celebration. Not necessarily of a wedding anniversary but certainly a celebration of gluttony, piggishness and greed beyond any sensibility.

But we ended up at Oka. Mel’s absolute favourite little ‘Asian’ in Primrose Hill. And its very ‘little’ and even though it was booked ages ago they’d managed to lose the booking, but with just about 7 tables we dined, we didn’t wait, we celebrated. And although its a glorified cafe, the food is wonderful, the sushi quite outstanding, yes, I know I swore ‘never again’ but I lied. And its cheap as chips. Ok, not as chips, which I wouldn’t have minded, but great value for really great food. And drink.

Home at 10, celebratory whisky and episode 3 of Killing Eve (series 2), on the couch. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Happy Birthday

A xxxx