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Every now and again life gives us a wonderful gift: moments where we feel a deep contentment seeping through everything. In a shimmering layer above the contentment is a happiness. Today was full of such moments. No big parties; rather, sequential small groups of friends (and my mother, who drove for nine hours to be here) and distant wishes from even more friends and family. Some presents, and even more love. The world in perfect equilibrium. A day full of moments to store up and treasure. Fuel that will get me through hard times. Gifts I can look at in ten years and use to trigger the memory a nearly perfect day.

To every friend who blogged and emailed and messagebaorded and phoned in wishes: thank you. I have a history of major birthdays going awry. Every one of you has contributed to making this day perfect and all previous birthdays have been redeemed.

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Today is back to work. I have three courses to prepare by lunchtime tomorrow. Family History is one of my regulars (and one of those where the students self-select to be nice - it's as if there is an invisible rule "Mean people shall not pass") so it is basically a matter of considering if I need to change things and then doing some printouts. "Plantagenet lifestyles" is going to be a ball, but is an entirely new course. There will be music and games and maybe even food (depending on how foodie the class is) but there will also need to be handouts. I have a map of London I keep wanting to include and that is all. My crstal ball says lots of work on this one, and it starts tomorrow.

The third course is on worldbuilding, which you might have guessed from my recent preoccupations. My mind has been planning it without me realising and I woke up this morning realising I have most of it sorted. Just not the handouts. I worked out there are about five hours work in these handouts but that most of the work is work either I or someone else would have to do anyhow, for another project. So there is a bunch of work, but it's all good stuff.

That's only half my work for the next few days, but a Sydney friend has just dropped in and I need to make coffee. What I love about birthdays: my friends.