Norwood Edge

A Birthday Treat in Large!

I was debating whether to let on here that it's my birthday today, but as a few folk here know already then that would have appeared a little strange. I've never really been big on birthdays, dating right back to when I was a little kid. I was never keen on the whole party thing. I suspect that I had observed how the birthday boy or girl inevitably ended up in tears or got thoroughly stressed by the event, and consequently seemed to have far less fun than everyone else!

I think my best was my 40th when my ex rented a cottage in the Lake District for the weekend and secretly invited a whole load of friends and running/cycling mates over. That was quite a surprise. She pulled it off wonderfully well. Since we separated I have had a couple of truly awful birthdays and there was one occasion, when the boys weren't with me, that it didn't actually register with me that it was my birthday until well into the afternoon. That wasn't necessarily a bad birthday, simply a non-event!

But this year I'm feeling rather good on my special day. I have had lovely greetings from both new friends and old. The boys are taking care of dinner and they are insisting that I relax tonight. We have a movie date. And I get to choose the movie!

As a birthday present to myself I set the alarm for a little later than usual, at 8am, with the idea of going for a bike ride before heading into the office. That was scuppered slightly when I was woken up at a little after 7am with my music system deciding to play a CD all if its own accord. Very loudly! I still haven't worked out how that happened but waking up so abruptly to Dark Night of the Soul was a rather disorientating but not altogether unpleasant experience. This was my personal album of the year for 2010. It's a collective work of genius.

I was blessed with a calm and relatively mild morning for a cycle. I rode via Askwith and Farnley, over the top of Norwood Edge (featured here), down to the reservoirs and back via Timble, from where this shot was taken. It felt good to be treating myself. I need to do this more often.

Rushing for the train now. Have a lovely evening everyone.