Look what I got for my birthday!

dolabellae has just given me the best and most undeserved surprise I've had for a very long time - never mind just today.

She's written a lovely story set in my "House of Flying Artichokes" universe - improving on it, some might say - containing Crabbe, his owl farm, Christmas cards and a bucket of dead mice. There's humour, observation and real pathos - quite a feat. I would praise it more, but I don't want to spoil. Instead, here's the link - you can go and read it yourselves. It's well worth it.

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It couldn't have come at a better moment, as I was a bit unimpressed with today prior to now. I'd got up very early, and then had to spend half the morning waiting for an electrician to come to check my electrical appliances. He was a very stressed man when he did show - he really hates his new testing machine, and he told me all about it.

I don't do existential panic on birthdays, but I was a bit concerned about this one, because it lands me squarely in my mid-thirties (up till now I could just about weasel my way into my early thirties - but not this year). How did I manage to get so far without paying any attention to what I was doing at all? *prods life*

Still, I like the being-gifted-with-fine-story version of my birthday better. Thank you, Dolabella!