Birthday Treasure Hunt
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Cottage tales | 19 comments
Photo: Birthday badge discovered by Jean on the clear up
Danny usually doesn’t want things for his birthday as he prefers an experience. This could be a party, a trip to the coast, a meal out, even a bottle of whisky. But this year he announced months ago, “I would like a new pair of shoes for my birthday. These ones are worn out.”
So the experience part of his present had to be a bit of a budget affair.
If cash is tight, then a treasure hunt with a prize every two clues or so usually goes down well. I reckon that adults enjoy them even more than children. I’ve never before organised one for Danny so I spent the morning in bed working out the clues. Some very easy, some just easy – it needed to be fun and a bit silly after all. I learnt my lesson once when a past boyfriend couldn’t find the prize in the woodpile and broke down in tears when he discovered that it was just a plastic comb…
I designed D’s hunt so that he had to move about the cottage and garden a lot. The prizes dotted along the way were bought from the village shop and had a chocolate and crisps theme – all time Danny favourites.
By secretly examining the sweet and crisp wrappers stuffed under the car seats, DI Cottage Smallholder had quickly pinpointed his favourite bars: Galaxay, Star Bars, Peanut cups, Tunnock’s Tea Cakes, Lion bars and cheese and onion crisps. Danny tends to eat these treats in the car on the way back from the Newmarket post run.
He also has a fondness for tomatoes plucked and guzzled straight from the vine – this at one time drove me nuts. Where were the salad tomatoes that I had been examining for weeks? But today I was generous – one clue led him to the greenhouse where he was able to sample the first two ripe toms of the season. As if by magic, they just dropped into his hand. Warm and firm and packed with flavour.
Danny will get some shoes when TKMaxx throws up something a little more soft and simple than the eclectic range on sale this morning.
Birthdays are special. They are a celebration of your life so far and, as you get older, there is so much more to look back on and salute. There’s no point in being despondent about the passing years – much better to focus on the achievements that have made your life happier and more rounded and expand on these.
Happy Birthday Danny – let’s hope that all your projects this year will be filled with spontaneous laughter and fun. You deserve it!
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Happy Birthday from over here! Enjoy the treasure hunt.
Happy Birthday to you Danny….does this mean you are both Virgos then ? Woow…all that tidiness… although…. I have met a couple of boy Virgos who could be quite contrary tidy wise.
Happy birthday, Danny! Hope you have a lovely day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANNY. ENJOY WHAT PROMISES TO BE A RATHER SPECIAL DAY.
Best Wishes for a very Happy Birthday, Danny!!
May there be many, many more, and may they all be great celebrations!
Happy Birthday Danny!
Birthdays are really special, and I hope you had a great treasure hunt, and really enjoyed the tomatoes – are they truly your first ripe ones? We have been harvesting ripe toms in our little polytunnel in Wilts for a month or so!
(Fiona needs a polytunnel for *her* birthday?!)
Happy Birthday Danny!
Happy 30ish birthday from one Danny to another may there be many more and may your glass never run dry 🙂
Aw… what a lovely post. A very happy birthday to you Danny. I hope you have had a truly lovely day. It sounds like Fiona has made a lot of effort laying out all of those clues for you – What fun ! And foody chocolate gifts too – the very, very best kind ! (I’m, eating chocolate right now, as it happends) And you get shoes !! Sounds good to me. I love TK Maxx, I am overdue a visit. Well, I am raising my glass of red and munching on my chocolate and saying ‘Happy birthday Danny, cheers !’ All the best, KG.
Happy Birthday Danny.
Forget the shoes, matey. Drive to Dovedale and walk over the famous stepping stones. It is, after all, God’s own country. Just don’t mention QPR.
Amalee