BIRTHDAY

This is what I did today which is the day before my 94th birthday tomorrow the 7th of August, obviously. Went to bed at 2am, more or less my usual bedtime. Slept soundly. Got up about 11am. Breakfast. Then up on stepladder, leaning out of bedroom window managed to clear the gutter of debris, including alien plant life, that was blocking the water flow and affecting the ground floor resident's flat. Asked her to come up and see my ingenious (genius) DIY. Did some more household-type activity. Then went upstairs to my studio to put away some things and prepare other things that need more work. By this time it was becoming evening-ish and there was food in the fridge that needed cooking. A small pack of diced chicken breasts that I put in an impro marinade yesterday: red wine, honey, garlic, spices, olive oil and left-over vegetable-cooking water. After quickly stir-frying the chicken with vegetables I put the whole thing in the oven, including the marinade,and let the dish cook for about an hour. It was beyond delicious, nectar of the gods! Now it's almost midnight which is and was my actual birth-time in Paris 94 years ago. But please ignore the age number, it's merely bureaucratic data. If you congratulate me let it be for who I am (whoeverthat is) and not the fact that I'm still alive here and now.