Birthday on the beach

For the last nineteen years I have spent the majority of my Birthdays in cold, wet and sometimes icy conditions. Birthday celebrations were subject to change depending on the clemency of the weather. Sleepovers were cancelled at the very last minute due to ice on the roads. Cinema trips were postponed because of the sharp chill in the air.

However this year was not the same as the rest. I spent my twentieth Birthday in the dazzling sunshine. And I didn't have to wear a coat and thick boots. I wore a light cardigan and jeans with a rip in the knee.

I walked on the beach and went hunting for pretty seashells. And it was warm enough to eat a salad for dinner. I found a sand dollar on my Birthday.

And I wore my sunglasses.

I didn't walk around with dumb toes either.

Or a scarf and gloves.

I rode in a car with the windows down.

Birthdays in California are the very best.