Celebrating a Memorable 58th Birthday

It was my 58th birthday yesterday, which feels like a very normal age to land on a Tuesday – the most random of days. It doesn’t shout “celebration!” but I wasn’t about to let a weekday get in the way of enjoying myself.

Last week I met a friend for a cuppa, and she surprised me with a cupcake, candle and all. A tiny pre‑birthday moment, and she took a photo that I love, I look properly delighted, which isn’t always guaranteed, and my chins don’t appear to have joined me that day. Phew!

On Sunday, Lucy and Laurence came over, armed with lovely presents, and we had a little buffet. I love a buffet, and having a birthday in the middle of winter put me off going out.

For the big day itself, I booked the day off work (a tradition I fully recommend) and headed to Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway in Leitrim. This is such a treasure of a place, forest bathing at its finest. You are actually outdoors, surrounded by trees and nature. With the temperature at minus 2 I was contemplating my life choices as I dashed from the changing room to my seaweed bath, but it was wonderful when I sank down into the warm water. It was slippery, and cosy, and I was somewhere between “relaxed mermaid” and “slowly simmering vegetable.”

After the bath, I dashed back to get dry – I had no flip flops, or slippers, hence the dashing. If you are going to Drumhierny bring some with you. I was thrilled to meet Tiddles the cat, who had also decided that a spa day was a good idea, this was a lovely unexpected encounter, and then came the massage. I had booked myself in for a massage because my shoulders have been feeling very tight and knotted.

I was very apprehensive. Past massages have included one particularly traumatic “Final Destination” moment where I genuinely feared the therapist might accidentally strangle me. So poor Stevie, the masseuse, had his work cut out when the first thing I blurted out was: “I don’t like massages.”

He couldn’t have been kinder. He checked in constantly, made sure I wasn’t panicking, and somehow worked his magic without leaving me traumatised. I walked out feeling completely relaxed, and the most unknotted I’ve been in years. He has a studio in Boyle, and I’d absolutely recommend him.

My birthday happened to coincide with Shrove Tuesday. I love pancakes, so it was double the celebration! So, I stopped at The Millstone Café in Sligo Folk Park. I’d seen a post that they put up about the different pancakes they had on and although I was torn between Kinder Bueno and Dubai flavours, the Kinder Bueno won.

They were incredible, and I definitely consumed enough sugar to power a small village. When I went to pay, the staff told me they were a birthday gift. I was honestly gobsmacked. What a lovely, unexpected gesture.

When I finally arrived home, Andy greeted me at the door with: “You’re home too early!” which is not usually the welcome you want… until you realise why. Bless him – he was in the middle of making me a birthday cake.

He couldn’t find the bottom of the loose‑bottom baking tin (fitting, really – very on brand for me), so he improvised and baked the whole thing in a saucepan. And it was the sweetest thing – he rarely spends time in the kitchen, so the fact he made the effort made it all the more special.

All in all, not a bad Tuesday birthday at all: cupcakes, buffets, mermaid baths, massages that didn’t kill me, free pancakes, and a saucepan cake waiting at home. I highly recommend it!