Well what a difference a year makes.
This time last year Gordon and I spent his birthday in London with our masks firmly in place walking around the empty streets.
It’s hard to remember exactly what we were and weren’t allowed to do but I think we had just come out of the second lockdown and were very tentatively stepping out.
It ended up being a very romantic date really, as we walked around a misty, empty London and walked the whole way to Chinatown for lunch. We then walked back to St Pancras Station to travel home on our virtually empty train, as we didn’t want to go anywhere near the Tube.
This year we actually had a party because it was Gordon’s 60th. It was, however, a party with strict rules as although we can never be sure, I wanted to do my best to make everyone as safe as possible.
I made sure everyone had done a Covid test on the day before coming and we opened as many windows as possible to have fresh air flowing through the house, as the adverts tell us to do. Even so though, it felt so different and somehow emotional to have a house full of people.
Gordon went up to Liverpool and he and Emily went to watch his beloved Arsenal the night before, and they also had a birthday breakfast, so Ollie and I could prepare all the food and get the party ready.
I’ve catered for big parties over the years but somehow having two years of lockdown and going through lots of challenges and worries has meant I’ve lost my confidence a bit.
Can any of you relate to this?
I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by things I used to take in my stride. For example the whole of December has seemed like a big series of hurdles.
Normally I would love the excitement of it all but this year it seems quite challenging.
Gordon loved his party and that made me really happy, but I realised that I ate nothing all evening and the best bit was putting my feet up when we closed the door on the last guest.
I’m not really recognising this new me so I’d be very grateful to hear from any of you who may be feeling the same.
Is it wrong for me to prefer the quieter life that last year brought? I feel a bit guilty because we are meant to be so happy to be allowed to party again, but maybe the past few years have changed many of us.
A much calmer but fun get-together was when Carol Vorderman came to stay with us this week.
We had a little pre-birthday celebration for Gordon and got him a cake and ate steaks and Carol’s favourite food, Brussels sprouts.
Carol put pictures of herself up on social media the next morning wearing a lovely red jumpsuit, and of course within a couple of hours these pictures were featured in many national newspapers.
Carol’s famous curves in a new outfit are often newsworthy.
What people wouldn’t have spotted was that our new cat Webster was in the photos too.
We have had so many problems with him since as his new-found fame has gone to his head!
For the next few weeks I’m on a show on Channel 5 about the greatest hits of the ’70s. We have been filming the programmes at home, as since Covid, the production teams for shows like this have been doing everything virtually.
I’ve had more comments about my cocktail cabinet than about what I’ve been saying.
For those who have been asking, it’s from a wonderful shop called Neptune, where I could happily furnish my whole house.
It’s funny how we all like to talk about what people have behind them on-screen, now that we get to see inside people’s houses.
So if you want to see my cocktail cabinet, tune into channel 5 at 9pm on Friday nights.
Funnily enough we sat and watched it with Carol last week and the irony of that wasn’t lost on me.
Carol who has appeared on hundreds of TV shows sitting on my sofa watching me was a bit funny.
This weekend Gordon is in New York, so it’s me and the cats at home writing Christmas cards and watching TV, and I have no plans. It sounds perfect.
Have a good week,
Yvie x
