Phew

For the first time in several weeks, I can relax...a little.

My husband's the most spoilt man in the world. As well as dinner at a top London restaurant - Galvin at Window on the World (on the top floor of the London Hilton Park Lane) AND a night at the Hempel Hotel (v glam, trendy hotel in Baywsater) he also was a guest at his v own surprise party last night.

The secrecy has been killing me. He's so "busy" (that's nosey for those that don't know) that it's really hard to keep a secret. I'm pretty rubbish at secrets at the best of times. I've been so busy cooking, shopping, inviting and generally running around and have had to pretend to Mr G that i've just been lazing about! He thought I was being super idle - which i'm not generally so he did suspect something was up. I had to get him out of our flat for most of Saturday, so he knew i'd invited someone round. I'd told him i was doing a small dinner for him and a few friends.

Unbeknown to Mr G, I'd actually invited 30 or so of his closest friends round for drinks and eats. He's said in the past that it would be funny to have a room full of people all wearing those Groucho Marx comedy specs - with nose, big moustache and eyebrows. So, I'd bought 35 pairs and, last night at 8pm, he and his best friend (who i'd asked to babysit my boy for the day) came home find his favourite people in those comedy specs. It was joyful. He laughed so hard. It was so great to make him so happy on the birthday he really didn't want to celebrate. It was really hard work, but I got so much out of making him happy.

I cooked heaps of food - three sorts of canapes (mini thai fish cakes, pizza palmiers and tiny cheese and herb filo triangles) and a buffet of lemon chicken salad, caramelised onion and thyme tarts, persian herbed couscous, roasted tomato salad, leaf salad with mint, feta, asparagus and broad beans and home made mint and thyme soda bread rolls. We then ate homemade chocolate chip cheesecake as well as birthday cake and mixed berries. I really enjoyed focussing on something other than my empty uterus!

This week has been a festival of birthday celebrations. My stepdad was 65 this week too, and we went to The Waterside Inn in Bray (Michelin 3 star grub) to celebrate. It's a very formal (but friendly) French restaurant owned by Michel Roux. I won't bore you with the meal - which was absolutely gorgeous - and far more elegant than my efforts the previous night. The dining room is right next to the river and has beautiful views. We had our coffee outside on their deck overlooking the ducks, rowers and other river traffic. It was fantastic, but, if i'm honest, too expensive. I really don't think it's right to charge such HUGE prices for food. I know there's a lot of skill involved in producing it, but when you think of the mark-up....it's almost criminal.

Bray is a tiny village in Berkshire which has two top class restaurants - the one we ate at and Heston Blumental's restaurant called The Fat Duck. He's the chef who makes stuff like egg and bacon ice cream and snail porridge. I've not been there, but it's meant to the the top restaurant in the UK.

Enough foodie ramblings. The best thing about this week has been time off from infertility. I still clock every pregnant woman and tiny baby and have a fleeting moment of sadness, but at least it hasn't consumed me. Lesson learnt is to keep busy. WIll be very busy this week too with work missed last week whilst planning the party.

xx

ps: the rabbi's been back on the phone. Apparently I must ask for a blessing this time next week as it's a lucky date...