avril 14

I have always thought myself lucky that one of the most beautiful songs in the world happens to be about the day of my birth.

Aphex Twin - Avril 14

Avril 14th went mostly well...  For my birthday, I got some lovely treasures in the mail from friends and family:

(a very interesting-sounding book about the senses, a copy of St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised by Wolves, a beautiful vintage copy of Alice In Wonderland, some scented pencils - my favorite flavour is black cherry!, adorable cat stickers - I will be using those on plenty of letters, some wonderful rose vanilla scented soap, a book of Pablo Neruda's love poems, a very sweet deer figurine, a lovely book on Thoreau's letters, and some tiny paper origami stars, which are just the most whimsical things).

I was also given these beautiful French antique binoculars. It's difficult to tell in the picture, but they're covered with mother-of-pearl and are just the most wonderful thing. They're made by Marchand Paris, and are actually called "Opera Glasses", I believe.

My friend Christine let me wear her camel-coloured skirt, which looked lovely with one of my favorite lace blouses for my birthday outfit.

I went out for afternoon tea for two at a British-style teahouse. It was lovely, although I had one too many scones, I think.

I also got some beautiful flowers (I'm sorry for the awful phone pictures!), which I will of course keep until they dry, and then hang them and/or make crowns for my head with. I always feel terrible tossing flowers in the trash bin, even once they've died.

My birthday wasn't perfect, unfortunately: I fell ill in the afternoon with a sudden round of the stomach flu. I'm still a little weak and sickly, and I have never drank more hot tea in my life as I have the past few days.

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