Bingo, and its all the threes...

Yes on Monday I celebrated my 33rd birthday, the birthday that I had mislead myself to believe I was having last year (yes I do have trouble with counting and numbers, its why I am an accountant - god bless spreadsheets). It finally came around.

Sunday I was lucky enough to have friends who don't mind crossing London in monsoonal tourential downpours wearing wellington boots - yes they did wear them - to enjoy a cosy pint and sunday roast. Bless them all it was a lovely cosy afternoon.

Me at my birthday lunch at our local - the Dartmouth Arms

On Monday Mark and I went ice skating at the Natural History Museum, as its my favourite rink of all the ones in London. Luckily for us a Monday night is relatively quiet, though you always get the odd crazy skater, ie the person who cannot skate and attempts to throw themselves from end to end and usually in front of anybody who might fall. I got a bit of backwards skating in, so I have remembered my lessons and they were not wasted at all.

Me skating around the Natural History Museum

After that we went for a wander in the ice cold conditions to the Winterwonderland. On passing a chatty Christmas moose, we admired gorgeous mini wooden chalet houses in the German markets, watched crazy people on the rides braving the cold, Mark devoured a German sausage and me a roast pork roll. We could not finish without a warming drink, so on failing to find the Winter Pimms stand hot chocolate with Baileys was in order. We had pannekoeken for dessert to finish of the evening - yum yum!

Winterwonder and the talking Moose....of course!

Winterwonderland, my attempt at another award winning photo; what do you think?

Us at Winterwonderland

That Arsenal Game...and the one Mark was at

Mark loves Arsenal, more than me? Well probably not, but it's something of little boy excitement that I see from him when Arsenal play. Arsenal for those in Australia and not in the know (or in the care for that matter), is THE team, yes THE ONLY football (soccer) team in the world that count.

Mark had it paused on screen, how to save, simple I took a photo of the telly! Am a Genius!

As an Everton supporter (go Tim Cahill) I don't see it that way. However, its the best London team, and on the weekend it was THE game. I kept saying your going to the pub to watch Arsenal play and Mark was like "I have to its THE game", and I was like, "ah ok its another...yet another Arsenal game" and he was like "no no really its THE game", so I was "ok well why is it THE GAME". This went on for a bit till I realised it was the London derby, the main game of the season between Tottenham and Arsenal, the main two London teams. Sigh. So well he watched the game. What woman can get between a man and his sport, I tell you...not many.

Zooming in .... Mark to section centre with red top white down the side...

Anyway, my point here is, his excitement was furthered by the fact that on Wednesday night he and his mate Michael had tickets to actually go see, in person, real life here people, Arsenal play at Emirates Stadium. Oh the joy. They both came back giggling like 8 year old boys and showing off their goodies purchased in the Arsenal shop...hummm.

Then it was the excitement that they sat right behind the goals and might be on television. Ok. So I watch the highlights with them hoping to see, alas nothing. Then Mark points out that his brother Scott was instructed that the game must be taped, kept in bubble wrap till the end of time, just in case a dot of him could be seen.

Close up, but a bit hazy...

Anyway, so end of story bed time. Nope... Next night walk in the door from work barely breathing in the warm musky air of our flat before Mark is running up to me..." come see, come see". Me, expecting him to point out the fireworks (it Guy Fawkes here) outside that we can view from our windows, was confronted with a paused television screen and a very excited Mark pointing out him and Michael sitting at the football game, whilst one of the players was taking a penalty shot. Ah bless... see photos attached for posterity.