Today I'm 30. Tony and Charles are both ill with stinky colds. I've been too busy with house and work and baby to organise anything particularly special, and the weather looks like calling off my plans for a picnic.

But on the good side: I'm 30 and my life is good and full of love and fulfillment. In the post today: nice cards from aunts and dad, and a pretty new sling I bought for myself. An SMS from louise_e_finch to make me smile and work gave me a lovely box of chocs, there's a mini beer festival at the Carlton. I have the day off tomorrow so can sleep off any hangover.

On Wednesday it was my birthday and I had planned a picnic with selected people on Jesus Green (wet weather plan: my house instead). So in the morning I loaded the bike trailer with fizz and non-alcoholic fizz and plastic cups and blankets, and cycled into town to M&S to get cakes for work and the picnic, and cycled from there to work with added cake, and discovered that one of the lemonade bottles had leaked all over the bottom of the trailer and I was late to a meeting.

My colleague Anne cleaned up everything for me while I dashed to my meeting.

At lunchtime there was a Liaison Barbecue between MISD (where I work) and the CS (where Tony works), and so I got to have a free lunch with my husband. As most of my colleagues and most of his were at the barbecue, I deliberately wore my new tshirt from Dad, as a not-very-subtle way of spreading the baby news where gossip had not already travelled. Tony actually used the barbecue to liaise with people: I was quite impressed.

I left work about 5:30 with a (clean) laden trailer and headed for Jesus Green, where I found a shady spot, and answered phone calls from people saying "where are you". James brought useful things that I had forgotten and Tony fetched pizza for the starving masses and generally a lovely time was had (at least by me). When it started getting nippy, we loaded all the rubbish into the trailer and made our way to Nursery Walk by bike and car and on foot. I had intended to throw people out around 10pm, but forgot about this until 10:30pm, which meant by the time I was really tired and needed to sleep, everyone had gone.

It was a good day, and completely unlike last year's birthday, which was part of the aim.

I have some photos of the picnic here. james_r had some but his photo site appears to be down at the moment.

On Thursday evening there was a surprise birthday party for indigopeony, and Tony and I dropped into the later part of it. It involved sushi and lots of helium balloons and champagne and was much fun.

Today is my birthday and I am celebrating.

Things I have but didn't this time last year:
* a husband
* a baby
* my health

Things I had last year and am glad to have retained:
* lots of lovely friends
* a good and satisfying job with pleasant colleagues
* a wonderful family

Lots of things are going to change over the next few months: my housemates, my body, my lifestyle. Nothing is quite settled or certain, but it doesn't need to be, we can work it out as we go along.