My 50th Birthday

This is a piccy of me born exactly 50 years ago.

The day I was born 50 years ago

Three things I'm noticing about the photo (yes, I'm making loads of lists now I'm old.) Firstly: my parents, Madeleine, 23 and Arthur, 25 look so young! Secondly, my mother gave this picture to my elder brother two years ago saying it was him (clearly there was an abundance of sprogs in their lives.) Thirdly, as a bubby, I was so wrinkled with scrunched-up eyes. Things have come a little bit too full circle. On the eyes front.

Course the best thing over the weekend was my mother arrived from New Zealand and calm descended immediately.

50 years later, me and Mum at my birthday bash. Theme: 1962

My birthday bash on Saturday was themed 1962 and I had bought a vintage frock from local store Bella Vita.  As we'd already done a Mad Men party two years ago, we opted not to go with the iceberg wedge with goop dressing and onion dip this time. And, as there was 100 people coming we decided to hire caterers.

We've never had a big catered affair or a wedding so this was my first experience of that big-bunfight-meltdown-madness. The tablecloths for the bar arrived and they were grey, not white.

"Don't let one grey tablecloth ruin your party" said my mother sagely.

Another first: Mum and I got our make-up done professionally. I was hoping against hope to be transformed into the soft kittenish Betty Draper. I got the authentic matt red lips, chalky matt foundation, huge lashes and big black brows.

Before: me being made-up by lovely Rachel at MAC

All okay in the light of day, but as soon as night fell, every wrinkle on my face showed. I became that episode of Seinfeld where his date looks weirdly scary and ugly in a certain light. Friends, Betty Draper became Bette Davis from Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (don't enlarge this photo below)

Baby Jane: no lollipops for you Blanche, you didn't eat your din-dins

My scary Baby Jane black brows aside, we all had a good chortle...

Curtis and Sandy

Men in hats

Me and my bookclub

Hits of the night:
* Lychee cocktails and "The Joannie" (vodka, Poma liquer, lime and cranberry juice). Noodles in mini Chinese take-out cartons eaten with chopsticks. And freshly BBQ-ed chicken skewers - perfect if you have 100 guests.

Wendy and Fredi tasting the Joannie

Caterers cooking the chicken skewers fresh in the backyard

Laura and Vicki: cocktails and chopsticks chic

*We hired a vintage photobooth - everyone looks fabulous in photobooth photos. Two copies came out and guests pasted the second copy into a scrapbook for me.

All the characters from the night including Sgt Pepper

*Kevin and my friend Lesley made a slideshow of my life. Even if you feel rubbish about your life, it turns out you have done stuff after all.

Me and Lesley jumping (just because we still can)

* All the guests had to answer a two page quiz about me, most of which I didn't know most of the answers to. My bookclub won -  to hisses of cheating (they talked to my mother and Google apparently.)

Sixties kissy cool...

* The Conga line (very early Sixties) that gets everyone into the dance room...

Conga line into the dance room!

* The "50 sucks" lollipop sculpture made by my friend Lisa

Made by Lisa

And did Don Draper appear as expected? Well I went down to the garage looking for him or rather the life-size cardboard cut-out of him. He was last seen with Joan at our Mad Men party two years ago.  Spoiler alert! I can only assume he ran off with Joan. Or the Christmas lights in the next box.

And finally...

I did not blow my arse on the night. Or get mulleted or dusted. I only had two drinks. I busted my moves on the dance floor until 2am. I did not embarrass myself or others by falling over or cause others to fall over or show my underpinnings. Too much.

Peter, me and husband Kevin busting our best moves

And I did not feel at all fragile (hungover) the next day.

Have I finally grown-up? Gosh it only took 50 years.