A very lucky girl!

Wednesday was my birthday! The big 29, heralding the last year of my twenties! It has been the most lovely week. I had the day off work on Wednesday and my sister took me to a spa where we had lunch and facials and I fell asleep on a lounger next to the pool (old age - see - afternoon naps already!!). The spa is right on the waterfront in Cardiff so we finished off our day of indulgence with a bag of hot salty, vinegary chips overlooking the bay - delish and then headed to the theatre.

On Friday I took a train to the big smoke and N and I spent the evening eating dinner on our laps whilst watching a French film called Paris which I adored. I can definitely recommend it. Directed by Cedric Klapisch, it tells the stories of a series of individuals- an aging university professor, street market vendors, a bourgeois boulangerie proprietor, a fashionista, social workers and poor immigrants whose lives all weave together in Paris. The lynch pin which connects these disparate individuals together is Pierre, a moulin rouge dancer with a life threatening heart condition who is waiting in his fifth floor apartment for a heart transplant. Unable to venture forth from the building and beset by melancholy he entertains himself by observing the lives of the individuals below him from his balcony. It really is a thought provoking, excellent film with a fantastic cast.

On Saturday N had planned a day of treats and which began with a bus to Notting Hill and a stroll through the streets to Westbourne Park. Along the way we marveled at the beautiful building which houses Beach Blanket Babylon and its fab decor and we popped into Melt to feast our eyes and our noses with the scrumptious sights and smells of their beautiful chocolate. Yumm. Passing along and nosying into a few galleries we came to our destination: The Ledbury, where N had booked us in for lunch. We had a vegetarian tasting menu which was absolutely delish - we were there for 3.5 hours just eating tasty morsels of deliciousness. It was heaven not a mushroom risotto dish in sight! My favourite was the miso glazed aubergine - I could have ordered a whole plateful. Each course was served with a different wine, oh the loveliness of it! Only just able to walk we stumbled out of the restaurant and took a postprandial walk along Portabello Road back to Notting Hill where we jumped on a tube and headed for Embankment and Festival Hall. N had booked us to see Kodo - a group of Japanese Taiko drummers. They were phenomenal: such strength and the music had such power it was absolutely awe inspiring with 14 drummers on the stage at one time. We rounded the evening off with a sneaky drink at the Buddha Bar and then we were ready to head home and sleep off the day's excess!

So this is it. The last year of my twenties! I'm on a mission to make it a particularly good year!