Birthday time!

Sometimes, it's the simplest things that catch you out in this country. You've remembered it's your daughter's birthday, and remembered to order her favourite cake (chocolate, of course!). And you've remembered you need to buy candles for the cake. Unfortunately, remembering you need candles isn't enough, you actually have to purchase them too!

So you're at Galleria, a large shopping market. You ask in a stationery shop - they're sure to have birthday candles. Yes, they have candles, they happily tell you. They show you a box of six stubby votive candles, two inches high, and about an inch and a half thick. They're not birthday candles, you explain, you want something to go on a birthday cake. So they show you another box of candles. This one contains a set of tea lights, a small vase and a sheaf of those reedy things you put essential oil on. In my mind, this is still not a suitable substitute for birthday candles, but the man behind the counter obviously is more used to thinking outside the box than I am. He also shows me, as an afterthought, a candle in the shape of a number two. Thalia is turning 12, so two is a good number. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a number one.

I remember there's a "Party" shop downstairs. At least I think it's a party shop - the handpainted sign says it's "for all your Parth needs". As the shop is full of toys, I'm thinking that's a typo. They have birthday candles! The lady shows me candles which are exactly what I need, except they're the relighting ones. I refuse to buy these, because Rod and I believe they're dangerous. You want to blow birthday candles out once. Losing your eyebrows in the process is not exactly a birthday treat! She also has some of the numbered candles: four, eight (which I have already from Keir's birthday) and the number six, which she explains to me could also be the number nine. I decide against explaining how a candle wick works... I ask her if she has the number one, because I know where to find a two. She does not. She does have a set of six candles in the shape of teddybear pirates. They are at least of a size designed to go on a cake. I ask her if she has anything for a girl. She has a set of six teddybear fairies. I ask her if she has anything less juvenile - she does not. Even though I can imagine how Thalia's eyes will roll when she sees these candles, they are at least twelve candles, so I buy both boxes.

There is one last place to try at Galleria, another stationery shop. They have miraculously, the number candles, both one and two. I breathe a sigh of relief, and buy them immediately.

I am now set for any and all birthdays consisting of the numbers one, two and eight. I suppose this means next month Rod and I are going to have to turn 21 or 81. Both of these (for both of us) are a long way off the mark!