Birthday dos

FOR My Good Lady's birthday tomorrow, I plan to cook her dinner.

We're meeting up with some of our friends in the Geriatrics' Corner first of course - several of them have already rung up to ascertain that we will indeed be there, so it should be a lively session.

Mind you, there was a time when these birthday dos started to become rather expensive.

It began with PD buying a bowl of chips one year, just as a bit of treat.

It quickly escalated into great platters of sandwiches and quiche and all sorts of other goodies - and the daft part was, I don't think any of us really enjoyed this food; the birthday boy or girl felt obligated to provide it because everybody else did.

Anyhow, when it started to get out of hand, by common agreement, we knocked it on the head: now we just settle for a round of drinks.

Back at home, then, I plan tomorrow to combine some experimental cookery with whipping up a birthday treat for MGL: at her request, I'm doing us a salmon and rice casserole - a real oldie this recipe, dating from the days when we were first married, thirty-odd years ago.

Maybe a spot of wine to go with it - we've just had a delivery of some interesting-looking German wines...

Should be good.