Boxing Day/James' Birthday

James was a bit sickies last night; the food didn't settle well with all the wine he drank. His stomach was bothering him so I left him alone, didn't cuddle with him, and I fell asleep before midnight--before I could wish him a happy birthday. So, when I heard him get up at 2am to go to the bathroom, I asked him when he got back if he was alright(he felt fine after that), and I got to wish him a happy birthday at 2am. Fair enough.



James had to get up at 8am to go do the pipe cleaning in the hotel basement, which he was semi-fine with. It's a job needing to be done and since he stayed over at the hotel, it was still his birthday, but at least it was convient. So while he did that I took and shower and got ready.



Then we went down to the Hotel restaraunt and had breakfast.



james got a call from his mum, asking if he'd bring back some breakfast stuff(sausages, bacon), milk, and a toothbrush for his brother John who was staying over for a day or two more. Apparently Harry(the only other one who drives) couldn't go out and get groceries because he's feeling ill. I told James to not worry about it, I would take care of it since it's his birthday. I got the shopping, we packed up the car and headed back home.



On our way home there are 3 nasty switchback curves on hillside and it's difficult going up or down these because of the ice and snow. It's so narrow on these roads that if you basically meet another car going up it, you're screwed because you have to hug the side of the road to let each other pass...and if you stop going up the hill, it's nearly impossible to do 'hillstarts' on ice/snow since there's no grip--you have no momentum to get UP the hill to begin with, let alone no traction with ice and snow on the ground.



HERE begins the story of James starting to not have a good birthday:

Going up and around one of the curves on the switchbacks, James sees another car coming down the hill, then stopping in the middle of the road. James pulls to the side of the road, wedge into snow and the other car. The other car, which turns out to be Harry, with John in the car, doesn't move past us, but just stays there like a bumbling idiot for a few seconds until james angryly gestures for him to continue on down the hill. At this point, we've rounded the corner, and stuck ourself in snow, on the side of the road, going UP a hill. Harry easly just coasts down the hill since gravity is doing all the work for him, but James has to figure out how NOT to skid on the snow, while giving us enough power to get out of the snow and started up the hill again. James was furious.



On top of that we wondered where harry and John were going because harry had been apparently 'too ill' to go out a pick up the shopping for his mum. When we got home Alice told us that harry was taking John into town--he was going to the pub for a bit, then catching a train home. All of which Alice paid for(which pisses James and I off, because John is a grown man, on his own, and yet he still asks his mum for money when he spends LOADS on himself buying the latest technology, going out drinking, and gambling. He wastes his money on fun, then asks his mum for money, wastes that on fun, and still complains about how hard it is to pay rent. He needs to save his money. urg.). ANYWAYS! So yeah, Alice gave John her credit card to get money out of the ATM to get alcohol and pay for his train ticket home because he just got bored of the family and wanted to leave.



We argued with Alice for a good while, before I dragged James upstairs to relax. Once I got him nice and calmed down, I asked him what he wanted to do today. We decided to chill out and then I would take him out to dinner tonight.



Once that was decided, I went downstairs and started baking his special birthday cake. :) Cake, with a football pitch on top. After it was done, I had his family sing Happy Birthday to him, he blew out the candle, and Tony, Alice, James and I had a little taste (only a bit seeing as how it's before dinner). Tony liked the cake, minus the coconut, so I took it off for him. And Alice and James really liked it. :)






Not very many places are open on boxing day, and those that are are usually open only part of the day so finding a place to take James out to dinner was hard. Eventaully we landed on The Kings Head. It was a nice meal, and James saw his 3 favorite people at the hotel working...and his least favorite. The girls were funny though, joking around to him telling him what the house specials are in a fancy 'taking the piss' sort of way because they know he knows the specials but they do it anyway. It was funny.

After that we had to go to the ATM, then we picked up some booze at a little market(like a 7-11, but not open all day every day), then went home.

We're now sat up at home with some drinks, some sweets(the ones I baked), cuddled in bed, and watching 500 Days of Summer...and who knows what next we'll watch. Overall though, I think James had a lovely birthday thanks to me. and I did try really hard to make it special for him--he deserves it.