Ta Dah!

Eh Voilà ! His Lordship's birthday cake, a welcome success.

As my faithful subscribers know, it is not a 'given' that cakes baked by me necessarily turn out as planned. Many have found their middles hollowed and encompassing fruit to disguise their soggy bottoms and middles. Oh yes, I can do both.
I have had some spectacular failures in my time, but Mary Berry, bless her, has turned Victoria cake making into a doddle.

The five candles, gold for the golden years, hold no numerical significance other than they fit into the points of the icing sugar star.

His lordship wishes to thank those Blippers ( you know who you are) who have sent their kind regards and wants you to know he's holding things together for the meantime, bearing in mind his seniority.

He has no challenges in mind for his birthday this year, but might consider eating his age in chocolates, rather than cycling the equivalent mileage.