it’s still 3 weeks away, but today i received 2 birthday presents & there’s another one tomorrow, so i’m declaring my birthday season officially begun!

one birthday present that arrived today is my fahrerschein buch und prüfungsbögen; i’m applying for a german drivers’ licence, which involves sitting a theory test (but happily i can do this in english, & even more happily i don’t have to sit the practical test because of my decades of impeccable driving) so the book & sample tests are a birthday present from andy. however i’m having trouble reading the book with a straight face – the translation is pretty hilarious; i think i will offer Lehrboegen.de my professional pedantic proof-reading services.

a more personal present also arrived today, all the way from new zealand. i let it be known a few weeks ago that i had a hankering for handkerchiefs, & meliors rose to the challenge & hunted out a most excellent specimen (pictured). in fact it’s almost too good to blow one’s nose into – it’s a picasso! but it’s a peace dove so i will be waving it around at every opportunity.

meliors has certainly set the standards high in the hanky stakes. i wonder what other treasures might appear …