April Baby!!!

April, its the best month imo. For me it signifys the proper start of spring, and spring is the best! The days are longer and lighter, the sun starts to warm the skin without feeling hot, the flowers start to bloom and it also happens to be my birthday month!

April makes me feel like I can finally come out of hibernation, I want to get outside and start to be more active and I want to start projects. Even Florence the notoriously lazy cat starts to get off her bum and enjoy the fresh air!

Florence in the sunshine spot

We also start walking a bit more again, which gets the blood pumping again and stops me from just huddling down on the sofa.

It seems even more pertinent this year because it feels like we’re slowly emerging from the awful quagmire of Covid. In the UK our vaccination program is going well and shops are open again for business and pubs and restaurants also starting to open (though with restrictions still) . Even my gym will be open next month! I received my 2nd AstraZeneca vaccination a couple days ago too!

I got a sticker this time!

So brass tacks! Birthday! It’s definitely better than last year! I received a parcel from Michele a couple weeks ago and cards started to appear in the post. On my birthday I went to work because it was a Tuesday during a pandemic and I figured not much point staying at home. Work was great though and I received a box of choccies from both practices I work at, and my one lovely nurses Hannah gifted me a sweet mini glass bee.

When I arrived home after work, my lovely chap greeted me with a cake that he’d written my name on in icing and a firecracker on top. He even sang Happy Birthday on request! And also a bunch of gorgeous flowers sent by my fab family

He gifted me a couple of lovely books, a bottle of cherry brandy.

Beatles and Moomins

Then yesterday i received my final pressie from him (from last year) a wonderful handmade steampunk hat! This was made by my super talented friend Beryl of Thimblebee Millinery. We nipped over to her house, had a lovely catch up, cup of Earl Grey tea and hat fitting!

my gorgeous hat!

Michele set me a task with clues on my presents, and they included a rather wonderful bag with teapots from The Met , 2 gorgeous Nordic pendants, a Totoro hand warmer and a personalized nesting box

and an item i have coveted since the maker showcased it on twitter a few months a go: A beautiful white felted boar made by Aninomori! Thank you Michele!

aided and abetted by John Thornton

The story , if you’re not a Richard Armitage fan, is that he finally set up his production company this year-White Boar Films -the name is based on the white boar that is part of the heraldic badge of King Richard III of England . Armitage has a slight obsession with RIII-he was born on the same day that RIII died (thus why his parents named him Richard), was born not far from Bosworth Field and also does bears a similar facial structure.

so April so far is proving much more pleasant that the start of this wretched year!

Do you have a favourite month? Does it coincide with your birthday like me?