Best. Birthday. EVAH!!

So the downside was turning 30.
BUT
the upsides were a-plenty.
The highlights were (in no particular order...)
1. Hamburg! Knust club with Lluther and Moth Complex supporting. I've never played before on my birthday and it was GREAT fun!! Marcel from Die Krupps was in fantastic form and rocked it as he does best. The gig was filmed for TV and the footage looks, and sounds great. All in all a fantastic gig. It's such a treat when everything works well, it must've been my birthday blessing... (Berlin was a completely different box of frogs but that story is for another day...)









2. New amp and Birthday Dress!! Both rocked in completely different ways.



3. (the actual numero-uno-best-birthday-surprise EVER!)
Anyone who has had the misfortune to hear me shite on about my ideal scenario knows full well that all I've ever really wanted in life is to be up to my neck in a bathtub full of porridge. I love porridge and the thought of being surrounded by it, enveloped in it's oatly goodness, well I just can't think of ANYTHING more wonderful! I've been talking about it, literally, for years AND my gorgeous Paddy made it happen!!
It was better than I could've even imagined, He had candles, and blueberries sprinkled on top. It was warm and gooey and when submerged, it was hard to tell where our bodies ended and the porridge began. It was surreal and sublime and was over far too soon.





Before you try this at home there are a few things you should know....
1. It takes 30 kilos of porridge to fill a bathtub.
2. The hot water tap (if BURNING hot like our shower is) is sufficient to cook a bathtub full of porridge.
3. The top layer of oats are deceptively inviting. Underneath lies a magma-style heat of proportions unimaginable. When you put your poor tootsies in this, the porridge sticks and cooks said feet. Serious mixing is needed.
4. After your wonderful porridge bath (which by-the-way is excellent for your skin, hair and general wellbeing) you are left with a bathtub FULL OF PORRIDGE.
now what??
This is where it got messy and almost terrifying. The porridge gets into everything. Everywhere. Thank goodness for our "InSinkErator". After several trips with binbags, pots, shopping bags and anything else capable of transporting porridge we were clean(ish) and ready for...

5. We Are Scientists. Fun gig, Not as great as I expected but good all the same. Honorable mentions go to the opening track (Phil Collins - against all odds) and the closing track - an acapella version of Boyz II Men End of the Road. Good stuff. There were a few moments of "oh this is my favorite song" "oh no THIS is my favorite song" "oh no actually THIS one really is truly my favorite favorite song" "oh hang on..."




Also thanks to Una for (onceagain) making the evening decidedly more fun and all at the same time more dangerous. I heart Una.
And Fin for guestlisty goodness.
And Paddy for donuty greasefest. yum.





6. My kick ass new bike!! (AKA Get-off-the-road-she's-got-wheels) Paddy AGAIN came through with an amazing surprise. There's a basket, a bell and a cool bookrack. She's shiny and silver and I've named her the The Silver Invader, or Porridge for short.











7. The Hotel Village, somethingorotherStrasse - Hamburg.
mirrors on the ceiling and cheap champagne on ice. nuff said.