I want to start of by thanking you all for the birthday wishes, what was a panic state turned out to be quite nice. So I am not at the top of the mountain yet. At least I am blessed to have great friends, both physical and virtual. I have a great family also, yes she is a smother, but she’s my smother and got to love her for that.

Yesterday actually turned out to be a fantastic day. I woke up to a beautiful message from my friend E and a flood of facebook messages, I got a phone call from P, she brought a tear to my eye. Not by anything she said, but was just thinking about how far we’ve both come, as much as I would have loved to have been in her kitchen rustling up a jollof rice while she did the curried oxtail and salad and chatting over a glass of read, at least she has given me that memory of both our birthdays past. Spoke to my sisters and my dad, who had, had a fun trip to Costcos and were now tucking into lunch. My auntie from Holland called, a number of text messages. I didn’t realise, or had forgotten the mass of friends I had, and had made over the years. Chatted to my cousin on facebook. She said for my birthday she was going to send me something 6 inches and heavy. I said I hope it would be in black. I know what your thinking, but we were talking about shoes…lol

It was a bit touch and go in the morning. I went to the market, bought all the groceries, got home, mum opens the door and then closes it again, then while I struggled to open the main gate and get all the stuff in she was on at me to shut the gate, have I phoned this person and that one. I’m like madam please, give me a chance to catch a breath. It went on and on until my uncle arrived at 3. I took the opportunity to go get the beers in. I don’t know where my mind was when I was reversing though, luckily I didn’t go round fast but I heard a small “boom”, I had bumped into hi bumper. Luckily he didn’t hear, and it was a rather large pick up so got away with a minor scratch. I quickly went to my spot and got the beers. 6 guinness and 6 star beers for a total of 27ghs, that would be 2 cocktails at Rhapsody or 2 shots of brandy and a coke at Excel, there is a big advantage of buying from the local spots, although I have stopped drinking beer, at least my guests were satisfied at a minimal expense to my pocket.

So at about 3.30 we sat down to eat, I was expecting my cousins but had a feeling they were watching the football and my stomach wasn’t prepared to wait. I also know my uncle, he’s a house hermit and sure he wouldn’t stay out too late so that’s what we did. Smother dished out uncle’s food and then went to sit down. I then served her. Charming, the birthday girl playing waitress. I was annoyed but not surprised, this is nothing new and am surprised she even served uncle. No sooner had we finished eating then my cousin arrived with his wife and children, and my younger cousin. There my little nephew entertained us by running around the house, rolling up the rug and drinking juice with one hand. Children are very interesting, not a care in the world, they just do what makes them happy, I love it.

Then he did a reconstruction of the andrex puppy advert. My mum has a till and till rolls which she is trying to flog (anyone interested call me), he took one of the rolls and unravelled it then proceeded to run around the room with it. You couldn’t get mad as he was having so much fun. At 5 uncle said he had been here for a few hours now, basically he had done daddy duty and now it was time to leave. An hour later the lights went off for about 15 minutes, came back on and then there was a torrential downpour, but it didn’t stop my aunties and my two cousins coming over. Now that’s family love. I know my auntie, normally such a rainstorm would make her head to the comfort of her own home, but for my day she came over. It was a bit musical chairs, too many bums for my furniture but all the same, we ate, poked fun over the over acting in the Nigerian movies and just enjoyed each others company. I may complain about a lot of things, but at that moment it just felt perfect.

At 8.30 the house was quiet. I had promised to see a colleague from the Senegalese office who is Nigerian (true talk), he called to ask where I was, he didn’t actually know it was my birthday but when I narrated the day he said I should come round. I got there, the people at the front desk must have thought I was a rental for the night but this is Ghana and they would think that so I just ignored the sideway look as I ascended up the stairs. I have a lot of time for this colleague, there is nothing in our friendship but just a mutual respect and we bring out the craziness in each other. He popped open a bottle of Champagne and watched waiting to exhale and dissected the movie while getting rather tipsy. At about half past midnight after gisting for hours I had to go home or else sleep. It was a nice drive home, 15 minutes and no cars on the road. If every day would be so breezy. So that was my birthday, I miss my girls but I have good new ones which leads me to what broke me into complete tears yesterday.

I got an email from my old friend Ric. I have known him since secondary school and he has been there for me even when I haven’t. He sent me a message to wish me a happy birthday and to thank me for making him the man he is today and not the rude boy he used to be. At school he was a bit of a bad boy, I never saw him ever get in a fight but he instigated a few. I always kept away from him until one day,he made a pattie in cookery class and he let me try a bit, I don’t know I just saw the nice guy in him (yeah you can always get me with food). We kept in touch throughout college, he even got me my first part time job selling mobile phones at the Link store where he was by then assistant manager. We lost touch after the ex-factor but through the beauty of facebook we kept in touch. For him to say that to me, well it meant a lot. It was the best present I could get.

I have been thinking a lot about my mortality and if I was to die tomorrow, what will I have left behind. I have been equating that to children and a husband but really, to know that I have influenced someone even the tiniest way, and I would be thought of so highly, well I know that I am blessed. I am not Halle Berry stunning but I would say about 3 quarters of it, don’t look bad for my age and she didn’t have a child until 40. Hope not to wait that long but it will happen. In the meantime I know that I am held in high regard, even though I don’t see my people often, they know they can count on me and in return they are available for me to count on. What more can a girl ask for at this moment in time.

I can be a complete bitch, but I’m also a giver. I give sometimes what is not even mine. I remember at school volunteering my mum to teach us how to cook Ghanaian foods when we were having one of those cultural appreciation days. She was annoyed at first but she loves telling people what to do so she actually enjoyed it.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, its not always a good thing and I would be crap at poker as you could tell what I was thinking. But I’m transparent. Those that take the time to get to know me, even if they have only known me for a short while just do. My friend E did me a number of CD’s recently. One of them is a CD full of Bob Marley tunes. Not roots, not dancehall, just pure Marley, I was listening to it on the way home thinking she knows me so well. That’s me, but at the same time I am lucky to be surrounded by good friends who take me as I am and appreciate what I do and go the extra mile for me also.

My father always told me, maybe he was never meant to be rich, but one thing he has control of and it can never be taken away is a good name. When I am turning into the bride of Frankenstein I try to remember that. So in response to Richard who responded to my previous blog and said to be the best friend, sister or whatever. That’s a given.

Well anyway, got to stop all this mushy stuff and go as there is a big pot of jellof rice waiting for me and I think I am sitting in the middle of a mosquito conference. If they are going to bite me, they should do it quietly but the constant buzzing in my ear is a drag.

Before I go, if anyone was wondering what to get me for my birthday. I’m a UK size 6. There are also a pair of Christian Dior sunglasses screaming for me to buy them. Now I am not one for designers but my eyes are very sensitive and they make my face look cute.