Another year older! I was lucky enough to have the day off, and maintain my tradition of a ‘birthday swim’ and even a birthday surf this year!

While Clare was coaching in the morning, I took a walk from The Cottage. The rain and wind of the night had ceased and there were some good reflections in the puddles on the track. The mountains were still looking wet and windy, so heading up high held little appeal.

With a howling onshore gale, it wasn’t really a ‘surf day’, but I was keen to catch a birthday wave regardless! Once Clare had finished work around midday, we battled our way into the stormy seas and caught a few rides, so I was very pleased, despite conditions. We had to paddle out until we got tired or a bigger wave came, and then rode it in. ‘Out back’ behind the waves didn’t really exist with the wind, so there was no place to rest between surfs. However, in Rhosneigr we found a absolute sun trap to have a celebratory lunch out of the wind.

We were soon down to t-shirts and even after enjoying some food and drink, stayed put, soaking up the heat.

There was a kite and windsurfing competition going on at town beach, so we walked off our late lunch while watching the competitors do various impressive jumps and flips.

Back at The Cottage, after a hot shower warm up, I opened up my cards and pressies that had arrived in the post and Clare sang Happy Birthday to me after producing home made birthday cakes.

I got some Passion Fruit Green tea, which tasted as good as the one we’d had on the cycle tour in Holland and while cooking dinner, we cracked open a fine bottle of Champagne that we’d been given for a ‘special occasion’. It turned out to be bottle number 1475 of a batch of only 1911 ever produced! It’s not every day you get to enjoy some vintage champagne, so that made it an extra special treat. Very nice indeed!