Birthday weekend

Last weekend I celebrated my fortieth birthday. The weekend started with a Yedid Nefesh Friday night egalitarian service and meal. This was the first time I had been able to take aviva_m to Yedid Nefesh (which started last year), and I was really pleased with how it turned out. There were only about twenty people present, but we created the most beautiful and melodious (and indeed harmonious) Kabbalas Shabbos service between us; and there was plenty of interesting conversation and yummy food at the meal.

On Shabbos lunch I had intended to host a meal, but bluepork stepped in and offered to host it for me, which was very gracious of him and Mrs Pork. Then on motzei Shabbos aviva_m and I went ceilidhing, which was loads of fun, if rather exhausting.

Sunday was my party, at Moishe House to whom I owe a big thank you for letting me take over their downstairs. The last time I tried hosting a birthday celebration larger than a Shabbos lunch was about fifteen years ago, and only half a dozen people turned up, so I got discouraged and gave up. Now I see the solution is to invite ninety people on Facebook and, having had forty-one people confirm, expect thirty-four to actually turn up, amongst whom were relatives who had rearranged their journey from Paris to Leeds to fit my party in on the way, and liv who had come all the way from Stoke-on-Trent. I'd made a plea for people to come promptly because aviva_m had to leave a couple of hours in, and to my delight people actually did so, so that within quarter of an hour there was a decent party atmosphere.

Lots of people gave me presents, leaving me feeling honoured and humbled, and they must all now invite me back to their birthday dos so I can reciprocate! I put the presents in the bin to take home. But stop, I hear you cry: a bin, surely, is for rubbish! Not this time: the bin itself was a present. Judith WinoLJoDW has an amazing waste paper basket which she got in East Jerusalem. When I first saw it and expressed my admiration, she offered to get me one when she was next there. Or maybe I asked; I don't remember. At any rate, after she had made several more trips to Israel and then split up with her Israeli boyfriend, I gave up on this; and so it was a delightful surprise to be finally given this on Sunday:

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Also a delightful surprise was the prezzie from curious_reader. Some of you may recall my posting recently about the mailshot I got from the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative:

"Mammoth sale continues!" I want to buy a mammoth! Particularly if it's at a sale price. Do you think it can ride a bicycle?

So I was much amused when curious_reader made me this glove puppet:

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[ETA:] (As to whether it can ride a bicycle, see here to find out.)

I was also amused to get a card saying "Mazel tov on reaching the age of Kabbalah" and a pack of kabbalistic cards from yobadazizi: Traditionally, one is not allowed to study Kabbalah (or advanced Kabbalah at least) until one is forty—"and married," yobadazizi pointed out. Fortunately, she didn't confiscate them again on account of my marital status.

That I'm not listing my other presents does not mean I am not grateful for them, merely that I am running out of lunchbreak and this post is long enough as it is. In short, I had an amazing time at my party, and can't wait to do it all again in twenty years. Actually, that's a lie—I'm in no hurry to be sixty!—but maybe I don't need to wait so long before throwing a big party again.