Let's Throw It Back

Throwback Thursday.

I haven't done one of those around here for a while and so I thought today I'd throw it back all the way to my 4th birthday in 1998.

Meet little 4-year old me with my clown cake which was lovingly made for me by my special gran, Gogo.

I have previously mentioned that I have a brilliant long term memory. My memory and the ability to remember things that happened when I was 2 or 3 never ceases to amaze my family and so it comes as no surprise that I remember this day like it was yesterday.

I have always loved birthdays! I love the celebration and the excitement,. I love the love you find yourself surrounded by and back then, the parties consisting of cake, balloons, screaming kiddies, those annoying things that you blow into and they make that baaaap sound (what are those even called??), the games of Pass the Parcel (I never won anything and I'm not even ashamed to admit that I'm still rather bitter about this fact) and the excitement of being the focus of the day. I loved every single birthday party I had when I was a little girl. Every single one, except for this one...

This birthday party was awful and humiliating for a number of reasons. To begin with, I had to share my birthday party with my sister, Bridgitt. I am three years older than her but our birthdays are ten days apart and so her first birthday party was the first of many combined birthday parties. I mean, I love my sister and all that, but having to share my special day with her and all her little friends just didn't sit well with me back then.

Secondly, I don't even think I wanted a clown cake, but whatever... (I am still very grateful Gogs, it was a beautiful cake and I'm sure it tasted wonderful!).

Thirdly, Gogs took it upon herself to buy trick candles to place on my cake. We have a home video of everyone singing Happy Birthday to me, I then happily lean over my cake, get ready to wish for a new Barbie duvet set, take a deeeeeep breath and then I blow all my candles out.... only for them to re-ignite again. However, I am not phased by this small glitch in my performance, I simply take another breath, wish again for that Barbie duvet set and blow really hard this time. The candles are blown out and everyone starts clapping, however, their clapping only lasts for about 3 seconds before those relentless candles decide to re-ignite a second time!! This happened a few more times before I let out a loud shriek of exasperation and annoyance and then proceeded to explode into sobs of embarrassment and a feeling of failure. My sweet dad rushes over to comfort me while my darling Gogs explains to everyone that she saw these magic trick candles and she just had to try them. To this day I will never understand why she chose my 4th birthday of all the days to try them out but I guess that will just have to remain as one of life's many unanswered questions. I am still embarrassed by that video and I make sure it stays right in the bottom of the home video drawer.

The last reason contributing to my 4th birthday party being an awful one can be blamed on a little blonde boy. I do not remember the name of this boy, but I vaugley remember Hula-Hooping with him in Red Group at pre-school. As you can see by the photo above, the clown on my cake has a nose and a pom pom on the tip of his hat. The pom pom was made from marzipan rolled in coconut and the nose from modeling chocolate. I don't eat coconut but I can vividly remember how I could not wait to sink my little teeth into that red nose. I couldn't care less if I didn't get a single crisp, slice of cake or party bag, but if I had that nose my life would be complete! I was standing with my mom when this little blonde boy approaced and said to my mom; "Aunty Cindy, please can I have that ball on the cake?" My mom replied "I'm sure you can my boy, but you'll have to ask Shannon because it's her cake." I specifically told this boy that he could have the pom pom from the hat, but NOT the nose. This little boy smiled at me and happily ran off to go and get his pom pom. I thought nothing of it and carried on playing with my friends. Later on, I wanted my red chocolate clown nose. I popped over to the cake table and my world crumbled down around me for a second time that day when I saw my clown's nose was missing and all that remained was a fuzzy coconut pom pom. That awful boy has taken the wrong ball!! I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forgive him for that - whoever he may be!

As you can see, I didn't have such a great 4th birthday party. I was so young and those little and insignificant things that went wrong may have portrayed me as a brat, but at that moment in time, they were my world. I am so glad that I am able to look back at these photos and giggle at that day!