[Rosemary]

I love birthdays! I had a lovely party for my 50th and hope to have another for my 60th (still some way off). Great opportunity to meet up with friends and relations. I'm always grateful that people think enough of me to want to share and give a gift - same as I'd want to do for people that I value.

[SallyintNorth]

Happy birthday KC 

Did you remember to say, "White rabbits!" this month?   


A view from the other side here - I am rendered a gibbering wreck by needing to send cards and buy presents for people.  I am hopeless at it and unless I find something that I know they will love I get frustrated, angry, despondent by having to look.  (Friends who I know will appreciate something handmade are less stressful .)

Thankfully I have a few friends who accept me for what I am and know that, card, present or not, they have my love, not just on their birthday but every day and whenever they need me.

[devonlady]

We always give each other home made cards and a second hand book. My elder daughter makes me Easter biscuits, my elder son buys me a packet of seeds. The younger two usually forget which doesn't matter a bit.
The books, unless "keepers" go to the Co-op charity book stall.

[benandjerry]

Happy Birthday KC, your fruit cage looks great 

[john and helen]

whoops..missed this . many happy returns,

got to say, we don't do cards or pressies, we just buy what we need, helen needed a goat and i needed a digger..sorted 

to me a gift needs to be special, not just something bought with ease, we have two special friends who sadly lost their son in Afghanistan, they love to come down to the farm for the day, but need to get back to do the candles on his grave, so helen and myself suggested , why don't they plant a animal friendly tree, use a few of the many rocks , and plant a few bedding plants, just a nice little area that will make no difference to us, yet means they can light a candle in a special area, for them, when they come down…. they actually cried when we told them, and loved the idea…

[doganjo]

Don't knock it!  Your friends and relatives love you and want to show that - the only way THEY know is by buying you things!  IF you don't want the chocolates and other stuff give it to others who will appreciate it!

And for goodness sake show them you love them by being more tolerant!

Life is far too short to be grumpy - just think of those 16 kids that will never be your age - and feel guilty!

[doganjo]

Watch you don't fall off that high horse 

[Fleecewife]

  <<<My friends love me and were mostly too frightened to do other than what I wanted>>>

Those two statements are surely mutually exclusive.

Maybe one day you'll understand what we're saying  - I hope so.

[Kitchen Cottage]

fleecewife, it was a joke! My friends aren't frightened of me, they do think i am a little eccentric.....

i know what you are saying, i just think you are wrong.

i had ten people for dinner saturday who are good friends and  have others this weekend.

we had a riotous hoot and it was fab.  That memory is lovely!

i love celebrating, i just don't need to over conxume to do so.

in fact,  it seems rather silly

[devonlady]

But did you have to attack Annie so harshly? She was upset over that awful loss of young lives

[plumseverywhere]

I have to agree, I think the comments that were deliberately 'deleted' but left on show in the edited post are quite harsh. 
Everyone is entitled to an opinion but to over ride others with insensitivity and insulting language is unkind and not necessary (in my humble opinion) 

[in the hills]

My neighbour recently celebrated her 50th. She had a party at home and invited her family and friends but also all her neighbours from our tiny scattered community. She is from London and an artist and it made for a wonderful 'colourful' mix of characters!  Just imagine. 

She is not materialistic and her invites said that clearly in a really amusing way that made us all giggle. She asked not for expensive gifts but for things that people may consider as 'rubbish' ..... she said that she would get much pleasure turning them into things that were 'beautiful' to her. She gave ideas eg. things that she could weave with, things that she could use as planters for her new greenhouse (made from upcycled upvc windows), cuttings for her grass/ planted roof

I took baler twine, feed bags cut into strips and so on. Other neighbours gave old farming bits and bobs, pots, etc.

All were accepted with a smile and it was a really good night. A few did turn up with the more usual gifts and these also were accepted gratefully ..... I know that my neighbour would find good homes for anything she didn't want or need and nothing would be wasted.


Glad that you enjoyed your celebratory meal, KC.

[Kitchen Cottage]

As it offended I've removed the post.  Dog is quite vocal in her opinion and as her post was a internet anger icon telling me I should be ashamed, it's likely to get a response like that.

Life is however too short for minor disagreements and I use this board as a resource quite a lot I don't want bad feeling

[doganjo]

For clarity, my name is not Dog.   I am Annie to my friends.  Doganjo is part of my email address and my user name on this and other forums.

It would appear that 150 people died because one man was unable to continue with his own life.  I find that very sad.  May we all remember that and have compassion.

As others have said, life is too short for scraps such as this one - PAX, KC?

[Kitchen Cottage]

The dog wasnt meant as a insult. It's because i can never  remember how to spell your avatar.

life is too short for silly squabbles and i am being silly on this one