Happy Birthday to FJ, Happy Birthday to Mish…

I had a really good evening yesterday.

Now occaisionally, just occaisionally I turn around, look at FJ and am impressed. It has to be said that last night, I was very impressed. I mean really, could you get any longer? That’s almost four months he’s managed to string his birthday out for. Then I looked in the mirror and was more impressed (talk about narcissism) yes, yes you could get longer. That’s almost eight months I’ve managed to string my birthday out for.

I should perhaps explain, though it might be funnier not to.

The story starts about two years ago, when FJ was living in the icy north and I was down here in Castle Lune. We were having an MSN conversation and then Wrong Mike rang me and I went down the pub for some time without telling FJ… in suitably apologetic style I then started to make FJ a book, the first one of which got nicked when I was mugged in Liverpool whilst working in Runcorn. (Can you tell this might end up a saga?)
Anyway, it was based off of Winnie-the-Pooh and really, yesterday evening started off in the 100 Acre Woods. I eventually finished the book (sort of) with a bit of help from FJ’s Mum scanning in pics of FJ when he was little (check out his facebook account they’re all up there) – this did lead to one old lady on a train assuming he was my son and giving me parenting tips…BBM’s theory on my maternal instincts echoes in my brain at this point!

So, I came up with a plan for giving FJ his book, at around the same time I had my birthday this year. Dad gave me some money to take the Jellicle out for a meal. I decided that it’d be quite nice to take both the Jellicle and FJ out for a meal, unfortunately FJ and I never quite got the timing right on that one and so I bought him some cigars whilst we were up in Edinburgh instead. (Me and the Jellicle went to Crows.) I figured we’d find the time for a meal out together at Miyabi’s at some point…Then I came up with FJ’s birthday plan, a treasure hunt of sorts involving heffalump traps, dragons (ok not so much A.A.Milne’s 100 Acre Woods, more my own) and a lack of woozles to end up at Miyabi’s for a meal of some sort – so I broached it to him. Well, ok, what I actually said was ‘Your birthday present will take 2/3 hours and I need 2 days warning. You tell me when you want it.’
That way I could juggle whether he got a meal, a bento or what.

Then we come to this week. FJ on holiday and the UA game getting moved due to some confusion and a certain amount of miscommunication. The Treasure Hunt is go! Of course it being this week the weather wasn’t exactly conducive to poor old FJ tramping around through the Hundred Acre Woods (told you we started our evening there). Luckily Erfalaswen owns a flying machine and so came to pick us up after it turned out that FJ isn’t the sort of knight to spot the right sort of dragon (a hedge) though he’ll happily spot the wrong sort of dragon (a motorbike) at a hundred paces. [Note to self: FJ is a boy.] Of course FJ hadn’t worked out our exact heading yet…but eventually told our pilot where we needed to land. I just wish I’d seen his face as well as heard his voice when he suddenly said ‘Oh those picnics.’

So we sat down and I introduced him (finally) to the wonders of Japanese cuisine other than sushi. Well, ok, we missed out sashimi and a couple of things that Miyabi’s doesn’t actually sell, but we managed quite well. I got more than a little tipsy (really, really need to drink slower) and he remained sober throughout my outpourings of Japanese anecdotes and fantasy Japanese trip. I didn’t start talking in Japanese and nor did I start crying which are two firsts for me in Miyabi’s since I got back. Of course no one in the restaurant was Japanese which possibly helped although the fact that I have now been in Lancaster longer than I was in Showa also probably helps. I still miss it though.

I do like food and I do enjoy eating it with someone else who enjoys food. I mean I love cooking for someone who likes it as well but I like to share food as well. Going out for a proper good meal is something that I really love doing, actually FJ and I haven’t been doing too badly for that lately, in the last couple of months we’ve managed two meals out together. It’s a physical pleasure thing probably. I like my physicality and the sensations associated with it, and it’s nice to share, especially with someone who was quite so into the Japanese style of serving food.

After Green Tea icecream and Dorayaki (according to The Jellicle Cat this means that FJ is in charge of killing kittens… apparently Doraemon, whose favourite food is Dorayaki, was last seen by the Jellicle in *that* poster) we headed up to M-i-L’s place for some thankfully sobering tea and discussion of the AvP drinking game. There may have been other conversation but my Riesling haze may have missed it. Eventually of course we tramped home to a very knackered looking Jellicle Cat and then at some point it became midnight, I’m not honestly sure how it happened though I suspect that half a cigar may have had something to do with it, but I did be sure and walk FJ home. Much nicer weather than when we’d started.

I had such a good night last night.

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to Jonno and Mish,
Happy Birthday to we.