Every year on my birthday, I try to go and see a ballet. It's the perfect thing to do on a cold January day, bringing a little sparkle and brightness to even the darkest winter evening. This year's birthday celebration (I've just turned a hale and hearty 28, in case you're wondering...) was Matthew Bourne's Cinderella at Sadler's Wells.

Bourne has become synonymous with doing things differently, and his much hyped take on Cinderella is no exception. Here, he takes the lead from Prokofiev's romantic, yet darkly sombre score, composed in the 1940s, and transports the action to London in the Blitz. There's a kind of desperate glitter and giddy gaiety to this fairytale set against a shadowy, desolate landscape of shattered buildings and bomb blasts. Cinderella is a mousy young girl, bullied by her stepbrothers and sisters, but especially by her stepmother: a Cruella-style vamp who struts the stage in a fur coat, downing gins. Her fairy-godmother (or indeed godfather in this case) is a glittering, silver-suited, platinum haired angel who arrives on a white motorbike, and orchestrates a romantic meeting with a wounded airman. But the lovers are separated in London's dark streets, and struggle to find each other as they dance through a dark underworld of violence and wailing air raid sirens, in which time turns upside down and the lines between reality and hallucination become blurred.

Paying homage to everything from the tragic romance of Brief Encounter to the surrealism of the Powell and Pressburger classics of the 1940s (perhaps especially An Affair to Remember); Busby Berkley musicals to Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, this is a delightfully clever, as well as hugely enjoyable, production. I was inspired by the beautiful production design, especially the 1940s costumes. And in spite of the dark and disturbing threads woven through Bourne's world of dancing air-raid wardens and raiding sirens, I loved the final happy ending: a tender, touching, jitterbug-joyous finale to the perfect birthday ballet.

Following my fairly unsuccessful list of 26 things to do before I turn 27, I thought it would be only right and proper to make a new list of things to do in my 27th year. However, having learned my lessons from last year, I craftily decided to be slightly less ambitious with my plans this time. Who knows, I might even manage to actually achieve a few more of the following, rather more achievable goals for 2010...

Here are some of the things I'd like to do this year:

1. Knit a jumper
2. Keep a list of all the new books I read
3. Plant red geraniums in a window box
4. Go to the ballet
5. Swim at a London lido
6. Have an elegant afternoon tea
7. Start writing a new novel
8. See some live comedy
9. Go to London Zoo
10. Take a dance class
11. Learn to crotchet
12. Collaborate
13. Get a bicycle
14. Eat a lobster
15. Go to Rye in East Sussex
16. Make handmade Christmas presents
18. Read more non-fiction
19. Buy some art
20. Read the only book I still haven't read from the Lone Pine series by Malcolm Saville (Strangers at Witchend)
21. Go on holiday
22. Bake a pie
23. Get published in print
24. Eat sushi
25. Swim in the sea
26. Create a handmade book
27. Go on the Eurostar

[Image via Tumblr here]

About this time last year, I wrote a list of 26 things I wanted to do before I turned 27. You can read the full list (which included everything from knitting a jumper to going to New York) here.

Unfortunately item #19 on my list (write a dissertation) proved to take up rather more of my time that I had naively anticipated, and so in the end, I never quite got round to doing many of the more ambitious things on my list. However, I did manage to tick off a grand total of 7 (!) things from my list, as follows...

#3 Sit around a midsummer bonfire

#25 Drink champagne
I’ll admit it’s largely been sparkling wine rather than actual champagne this year. But surely it’s the principle that's important.

#26 Take a break
OK, it wasn’t quite as restful as I envisaged, what with a dissertation to write and job applications and interviews to deal with, but my two months by the sea in Dunbar did give me chance for many lie-ins and aimless meanderings through woods and along beaches.

#10 Go wild swimming
I was determined to swim in the sea at least once in Scotland this summer. I've never swum in the North Sea before, and can honestly say that it was possibly my coldest and most painful (yet strangely exhilirating) swimming experience ever.

#7 Practice the piano

#17 Find a lovely place to live
I always wanted to live in a flat in an old Georgian house on a quiet, leafy London street... and now I actually do! OK, so I didn't imagine it would have a mildewed bathroom ceiling but you can't have everything. This spring I'm planning to buy red geraniums for a window box - the perfect finishing touch to an unexpectedly lovely place to live.

… and finally…

#19 Write a dissertation
At last it’s finished. That’s all I’m saying on the subject

[Image by kristina♥kiessig via tumblr]

I woke up yesterday, on the morning of my 27th birthday, feeling a little flat. Here I was, with a normal day at work ahead of me, all alone with no one to watch me open my cards, or make me a special birthday breakfast, or give me an exciting birthday present. Not very celebratory.

Then I switched on the radio, and the first thing I heard was Matthew Price’s harrowing report from a temporary hospital in Haiti on the Today programme. A young American doctor was fighting back the tears as she told of a mother who had already lost three children in the earthquake, and would lose her fourth and last child that day if vital medical supplies didn’t arrive.

As I sat listening, it seemed unbelievable that here I was, drinking my tea and opening my birthday cards, thinking about things like what I was going to wear and where my friends and I would go for drinks that night, when somewhere at that very moment, thousands of people were suffering and dying. All at once, even thinking about something as trivial as birthday presents seemed like the most decadent thing in the world.

And so: I had a lovely birthday. I had a good day at work, a great evening out with my friends, lots of cards and messages and indeed some beautiful birthday presents, but I’m not going to say anything about that right now.

Instead what I’m going to say is simply that this year, the birthday present that really mattered wasn’t one that I received but one that I gave, by visiting the Bloggers for Haiti page and donating online.

I’m not quite sure I can put this quite eloquently as my blogging colleagues at My Shitty 20s and Travels With My Baby, but if we all give even a little, we can make a difference. If you would like to make a donation, go here and follow the easy instructions. It might just be the most important present you give anyone this year.

[Photograph via We Heart It]

On Sunday, Follow the Yellow Brick Road celebrated its first birthday! It all started way back here, but since then, I've had a great year of blog adventures.

I've looked at a lot of art; acquired my very own ruby slippers; written stuff here and here and here; taken some extremely artless photographs; won an award; explored london; experimented with handmade publications; pondered the meaning of blogging; survived a winter of illness and leaking ceilings thanks to favourite things, inspirations, fluffy bunnies and loveliness; investigated tumblr and twitter; written this; celebrated my 26th birthday with friends and glittery cakes; meandered along scottish beaches and through damp french fields; started a writing group; read a lot of books (especially children’s books); and even made a list of fun things to do next. Who knows what adventures the next year will bring?

(Image via here)

I am ill again. I think I have the flu, or something flu-ish anyway. I can't believe I am ill, yet again. Once again I'm missing all kinds of things I wanted to do, like going to this, or the opening of this new exhibition, not to mention lots of important university and work related stuff. Instead I am lying low with a gallon of lemsip, more tissues than you could possibly imagine and all my blankets. To cheer myself up I have been experimenting with tumblr (most addictive - check me out here) writing postcards to friends, and knitting. I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping the evil disease won't hang around for too much longer.

Anyway, to get onto more positive things... one of my favourite bloggers, andrea of hulaseventy has a little tradition of writing a list of exciting things she hopes to do in the coming year each birthday. You can see her list of the 38 things she plans to do before she turns 39 here.

I really like the idea of a list like this. It's not about sensible, worthy things you feel you 'ought' to do, or even a traditional 'to do' list as such, but a list of things you genuinely want to do - the places you want to go, the projects you want to start, the adventures you want to have.

I was inspired to make my own list of the things I'd like to do this year, which I thought I would share here. Some of the things on this list are totally new, but others are things I have done before but would like to do again, or things I do already but would like to do more of. It was surprising how quick it was to write - I had a lot of ideas, but thought maybe I'd better save at least some of them for next year!

1. knit a jumper
2. go on an adventure by train
3. sit around a midsummer bonfire
4. go to a really good sushi restaurant
5. find the perfect vintage dress
6. pass my driving test
7. practice the piano
8. start a new novel
9. get a bicycle with a basket (in an ideal world, it would be this one)
10. go wild swimming
11. finally finish reading ‘a la recherche du temps perdu’
12. plant something
13. go to new york
14. make a charm necklace
    
15. order moo cards
    
16. go dancing
17. find a lovely place to live (no green taps please!)
    
18. learn to crotchet
19. write a dissertation!
20. have a handmade christmas
21. eat a lobster
22. investigate d-i-y publishing
    
23. go to rye in east sussex
24. take more photographs
25. drink champagne (this one is in much the same vein as ‘eat more cake’ I feel)
26. take a break

(The picture is a sample of just one of many images on my new tumblr thingy - this one comes via яuғina♫)

Homemade pancakes with raspberries and blueberries; birthday parcels wrapped in baby blue tissue; wandering in (very brief) interludes of sunshine, anticipating spring; drinking rum and ginger beer with mint and lime; taking a nap; celebrating my birthday with Susie and Chris with delicious snacklets and fizzy wine; buying treats; browsing in the Tate Modern bookshop; coffee in Soho; spaghetti with mussels; watching the sky-line; getting lost 'Logan's Run' style in the Barbican; listening to Billie Holliday and Miles Davies; cooking prawn laksa; seagull spotting; new perfume that smells like ginger biscuits; buying pretty cards to send to faraway friends; eating glittery cupcakes for breakfast; watching children in rainbow wellies puddle-jumping; contemplating maps; delicious Mexican food at Wahaca in Covent Garden; seeing friends; following the yellow brick road - or line, in this case - around the Barbican to see if it really goes anywhere after all.

More belated birthday celebrations... a delicious meal at Yard on Tabernacle Street, just off Old Street, where they serve their pizzas literally By The Yard! What could be better? A lovely evening catching up with friends old and new. I thought I'd share a few of the pictures Duncan and I took:

Yep, that's actually a picture of me. I don't think a picture of me has ever made it onto the blog before. Needless to say I don't always have quite such a stupid expression.

Lisa and Chris look forward to a yard of pizza!

Misty and Howie.

"But we can't make up our minds what to have!"
In the pub... Sarah contemplates the merits of a game of "Estonian wife throwing" as proposed by the bartender.

Sarah, Amy, Leah and Hazel (doing her best to avoid having her photo taken) catch up on all the news.

Amy and Leah made me an amazing birthday present - a fabulous box of homemade cup cakes. I should have taken a picture of the whole extravaganza but unfortunately I got distracted by eating them. I especially love the pink ones (with glitter) plus the chilli and chocolate flavour. The Year of Three Birthday Cakes has now become the year of more birthday cakes than it is possible to count. Hooray!

Check out this extremely fabulous copy of the 1920s classic Milly Molly Mandy - a birthday present from my mum who shares my love of vintage children's books:


I love this cute "waterspouts and chimney tops" perpetual calendar my boyfriend gave me - the illustration is by artist Lisa DeJohn. These friendly whales are going to brighten up my desk no end.


The tiniest pair of ruby slippers you've ever seen: a fairy-sized gift from my very own fairy godmother:

A birthday walk and a glimpse of the first snowdrops... followed by some genuine birthday snow! What more could I ask for...


The essay is finally in and Virginia has been forgiven.

This birthday will also go down in history as the Year of Three Birthday Cakes. I now consider my cake-related new year's resolution to have been officially achieved.