The Wheel turns and I am another year older.

As a small child, one of the reasons why I wasn't so fond of Anzac Day is that my birthday, following immediately after, sometimes felt a bit like an afterthought.  As both my parents played in Highland Pipe Bands (it's how they met, but that's a story for another day), both children of war veterens, and my dad a member of the Army reserve and Army Band, Anzac Day was usually busy, with marches and parades and playing at various venues, and I always felt that my birthday got overshadowed.  But the upside is that, whenever Anzac Day falls on a Sunday, I get a public holiday on Monday all to myself!

So I took my family off to the local park for an afternoon tea party picnic, including a camp stove, kettle and the best china, iced cup cakes and jam tarts, and of course, all dressed up.  It was about time I found another occasion to wear the top hat.  Unfortunately the one thing we forgot to check was whether the camera was charged, so only got one photo!  Ah well, it's not about taking pretty pictures, it's about enjoying the moment, which we did.

Mum and dad dressing up for the occasion too.  I think we should do this more often, sometimes we Aussies are just too casual!

I wonder what this year will bring?  I think middle-age is an attitude, and as such I've just decided not to have that kind of attitude.  Mostly I still feel somewhere between 17 and 21.  I had my "Lucy Jordan" moment a few years ago.  Woke up in the middle of the night (well, about 2:15am I think) with the sudden, profound realisation that I was 37.  This seemed so terribly important that I actually woke Beloved up and said "Do you realise I'm the same age as Lucy Jordan?!"  There was a sort of 'hurrumph', a pause, and then somewhere from beneath the quilt came the muffled reply.  "So you'll never drive through Paris with the warm wind in your hair.  Could be worse!"  And I guess he's right.  I'll probably be waking him up in 20 years time to ask him "will you still need me..?!"