ONCE UPON A DREAM; Bumper Birthday

It has been a bumper birthday week for me this year - flowers, cards, chocolates!  I have been lucky enough to receive some very beautiful gifts from my loved ones, including lots of things from Ted Baker, so I've been quite spoilt.  All my gifts are either pink or wintry, so they have clearly been chosen with care, to suit my personality. Among my birthday gifts was this stunning wristlet clutch bag in the new Christmas 2018 design Mistletoe Kiss.  

A couple of years ago I treated myself to some of Ted's Sparkling Swan design items and I thought I would never like another seasonal design as much as that one, but then they brought out Mistletoe Kiss. I adore this festive print. It makes me feel chilly just looking at it!  It is so cold and wintry - it is like Narnia in a bag.  Can you just imagine the conversation those pretty birds are having, nestled into the snowy trees and mistletoe boughs of the White Witch's winter spell?   I plan to use this bag all year round, as I do with my Sparkling Swan, to give me a taste of winter at midsummer, because winter is my favourite season.  

I also got their Angel Falls bag and matching makeup bag, which is a beautiful, soft pink feathers design and very pretty.  So I will have lots of stunning Ted Baker designs to choose from when I get ready each morning!  Other beautiful treats I got were a set of rose gold, pink-bristled mermaid-tail makeup brushes and the Heart of Winter necklace from Pandora which I have been coveting for over a year. It is a heart shaped pendent with a sparkling snowflake in the middle.  I Tweeted pics of my birthday gifts last week, so head over there if you want to see them. I've been very spoilt, but it was my birthday so it's allowed!

I had a lovely birthday. I went to see the new Fantastic Beasts film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, which was very enjoyable and we had Butter Beer from the local Harry Potter shop; The Shop Under The Stairs.  I love browsing in there - it's so magical and just like stepping into the Hogwarts world.  I really want a Niffler but I'd like a white albino one, with a pink nose.  Then we went out for dinner to round off the day, so it was a lot of fun.

Of course, I can't have a birthday without making plans for the next year of my life.  I like to make a start on my new-year goals list around this time.  I had some birthday money to spend, so I have got a head start on one 2019 goal already, because I used the money to pay for a course of piano lessons!

I've wanted to take piano tuition for such a long time and I decided that I really couldn't put my birthday money to better use, so I have enrolled and I start in January 2019! I'm so excited about this. I have been trying to teach myself to play piano on and off for a few years.  I've taught myself lots of things in the past; how to type, how to juggle, how to crochet etc;  but piano is so hard to learn without a tutor to show you the way.  I need someone to demonstrate how its done so I've bitten the bullet and signed up for a course which teaches both musical theory and practical piano lessons.  I am looking forward to getting started.

I do think that learning something new is one of the best ways to spend birthday or Christmas money that you might be given. Several years ago I spent the Christmas money my brother gave to me on a taster course of ice-skating lessons.  This was one of the best things I've ever learnt and ten years on I'm still skating.  So if you have people who give money gifts to you at Christmas time, think about using it to try something you've always wanted to do, because if not now, then when? The right time is a myth - now is all that matters. 

So I am busy making plans for my next solar year - piano lessons are just the start and there are so many things I want to do and achieve over the course of the next year!  In the meantime I'm going to enjoy a DVD marathon with another of my birthday presents - series 3 of Outlander!  So I will be spending the afternoon with a box of birthday chocolates, in the company of the gorgeous Jamie Fraser...time well spent!

XXX