You know who your friends are…

Corny a line as it seems, I think there are definitely times when it is really obvious who your real friends are; and how well – if possibly too well – they know you. I was reminded of this in a very in-your-face way on Friday evening. Once again, my birthday this year falls in the Easter Holidays and so I’m having a ‘Birthday Season’. Basically this is an excuse for me to have multiple celebrations with various groups of people.

The first of these events (and arguably the main one) was my ‘birthday party’ in St A, on Friday night. We started of at my house playing drinking games, and generally having my favourite people mess around for a bit. It was an odd mix of people, yet somehow perfectly normal in my head. Standard bubble party really. Then we went out, met more people – bringing the odd combos of people from everything I do at Uni. And so the night progressed.

However, I think the most interesting part was at the house.

As always the Ring of Fire/Kings Jug and cards were made use of. Very much standard. We also had some pretty amazing cups – apparently in stock for some up-coming royal wedding? But good fun for us – although I’m sad to say they didn’t seem so good at being watertight. Bit of an issue. Judge how awesome they were for yourself…

Now would seem like a good time to get to the point. And it is thus: sometimes I am surprised how well my friends know me. This should not really be that surprising, but the thought and effort of what people brought (entirely unexpectedly) left me very close to speechless. Not a particularly easy thing to do, some might say. I had made some tray-bake for people to munch on, as I was suspicious of how good my flatmate’s cake would be (very well, as it happened). What I was not expecting was for other friends to turn up bringing trays of cake. And such amazing cake at that! The result of which is that now, after giving lots to people and feeding it to everyone who comes near my house, the kitchen is still full of cake. But as cake is always good, this is not a problem. Here’s the kitchen table the next morning:

Special mention, however, has to go to Mel (http://sharkyovengloves.wordpress.com/), my flatmate and another friend (who shall both remain anonymous for now as I forgot to ask if I could name them). Between then they created and sculpted one of the most amazing birthday cakes I’ve ever had. Fact. These wonderful people – in total secret – got together to make me a meerkat cake! I am slightly obsessed by these little desert dwelling critters and I think they are amazing. The cake was absolutely incredible (not to mention the Kirsch cream that accompanied it), it tasted wonderful – there was even golden glitter to resemble the Kalahari and homemade, meerkat cookies on the top. I was utterly blown away by their thought, dedication and effort. And I still am.