Happy Birthday!

Lovely day off with A today for her 29th birthday. Went over to her place to collect her, where she'd had breakfast in bed and some lovely presents already. We set off to drive to London as she'd won a wedding dress in a Pronovia offer for NHS staff and we had to go to their Mayfair store to collect it - very exciting (despite the continuing uncertainty/likelihood of cancellation of her planned wedding date in September). We decided driving there and back would be better than public transport and it was - super easy with little traffic and fewer people on Oxford St/Regent St/New Bond St than a usual weekend on Princes St at home. Appropriately masked we headed for lunch off Carnaby St in a nice outdoor space with great middle Eastern food....she loved the shakshuka.
A little browse in Uniqlo and Monkl afterwards and she got some clothes in their sales, then to the wedding showroom. Walked past all the super sparkly dresses she'd hoped to get and we were shown a much more limited range to choose from. She decided to try on very different things than those she'd already looked at, and was quite tempted by one with loads of ruffles but in the end went for a lace one with a detachable skirt which was very pretty lace (extra - with and without skirt). Couldn't quite believe we just left with the dress....so different to the usual experience!
Home, with her excitedly explaining how she feels her career's all coming together with her new role enabling her to take on policy, research and practice around the use of various drugs in psychiatric practice and talking about psychedelic drug use and science and the law more generally. Love hearing her enthuse.
We knew AR was working on a birthday cake for her but we didn't expect too much so were bowled over by the toadstool she made (with help from Mum and Dad!!)...A loves toadstools and mushrooms so she was just delighted and AR was beside herself with the excitement of having done it as a secret surprise for A.
Popped round to see K and O for them to say Happy Birthday too then A and N went home and we settled down for a bit more nonsense TV and an early night