Birthday Girl

I usually plan a bit of a shindig for my birthday.

I get all excited and wound up about it, countdown the days, have cocktails with lots of friends, go out dancing and head home in the early hours, and nurse one helluva hangover the next day!

This year I kept things much more mellow.

I woke up in the morning to the best gift anyone could ask for;

My chap and my best friend standing in my bedroom doorway singing “Happy Birthday!” as Custard howled along and ran in circles.

They all climbed into bed with me, and we had poached eggs on avo-toast while I opened my pressies and cards.

We took Custard for a long walk around Hyde park before trotting off to the final day of London Fashion Week.

Cream coat // Skinny jeans // Denim shirt

Handbag // Boots

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^use the arrows!

We ducked into Tom’s for much needed caffeine, before the first show.

We took our seats in the courtyard, ready to watch Christopher Raeburn’s show.

The lights dimmed, leaving the tent in an eerie glow, lit by the glow of furious social networking!

Thank goodness, it seems it’s finally acceptable to leave the house in your blankie! ^

I will race you to be among the first to adopt this trend.

Later we got together with some of the other girlies, for a little birthday tipple!

(And a few rounds of truffle chips.)

Ducked into a couple more shows, and spent most of the morning chatting incessantly to each other!

Keen to make up for missed time, spent in separate countries.

We went for a cracking lunch at Smack Deli!

And spent the afternoon getting thoroughly lost in Selfridges.

Where I may or may not have bought myself a serious birthday treat…

I’ll show you a peek next week!

Now as I said, I usually host a bit of a party on my birthday. But this year I handed over the reigns and let my chap do the honours! He pulled through and organised a seriously decadent feast, at Ramusake.

Just him, me, Valentina and my little brother.

My closest musketeers!

If you haven’t been to Ramusake, you are seriously missing a trick.

It’s nestled beneath South Kensington. You know, where Brompton Club used to be (before that club promoter ran it into the ground!)

It is an exceptional cocktail joint, and they serve up sushi that rivals Nobu’s finest.

Best of all, they have PJ’s photos all over the walls!

Even the contact sheets are included, with a magnifying glass hanging along side for those who want a closer look.

As usual, we vastly over ordered! And plumped for almost everything on the menu.

Salmon sashimi kimchee salad with avocado and ikura.

Served with edible flowers.

Beef fillet tataki with onion ponzu and garlic crisps – unbelievably moreish!

Yellow tail sashimi with kizami wasabi and yuzu-soy.

The sweet potato & soba-ko fries are quite simply addictive. Don’t start on these, you wont be able to stop!

Snapped along side foie gras and nashi “martini” with plum wine jelly and crunchy rice, and lobster & chips with yuzu-truffle sauce.

Which was easily my favourite dish of the night.

Although the Chilean seabass was pretty exceptional too.

The sushi was sublime.

Salmon with bernaise salsa, and king crab battleships with yuzu kosho and masago.

(We might have reordered these… more than once.)

Oh Valentina, you mean soy much to me.

My snaps of the jumbo shrimp really doesn’t do them justice.

These babies are the size of your fist!

Go on, make a fist.

Look at it.

That is the size of the prawn you get to eat! (Don’t bite your fist, it wont taste as good.)

Anyway, you’ll want to maki room for more sushi.

And just moo-ve on over if you don’t think you can manage any Wagyu beef…

Having eaten ourselves silly, I was quite ready to retire my chopsticks for the evening and lie down in a darkened room to recover.

Oddly enough, the lights did go out.

Just as I was settling back into the sofa, singing waiters emerged. There were sparkles, there was smoke, there were tables of singing guests!

There was blushing…

…and a lot of grinning.

I attempted to blow out the candle.

And nearly lost my eyebrows in the process!

Do not blow on sparklers. They don’t like it.

Thankfully there was cake around to make up for it!

The evening ended, as most of mine and Val’s nights out end, with dancing!

Well, bouncing on sofas, twirling, shaking, singing along and general tomfoolery. Lots more cocktails and two girls falling into bed with stomaches that ached from laughing and cheeks that hurt from smiling.

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Without getting too soppy, I just want to say a little thank you to my friends, my family and to you for all your support throughout this year.

I can’t wait to share more adventures with you, meet more of you, and continue our pen-pal friendship! I think I have some pretty good surprises for you this year…