Rothko and Cake.

So. Yesterday was my birthday, and in the end it was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it might be. Being my first away from home I worried that I would feel isolated and forgotten, but thanks to a visit from my auntie, a tea-party with my flat-mates and a great big pile of post this was not the case.

The day began with a fluttering of the letterbox as cards and parcels flopped noisily to the floor. With great excitement I opened the door to find the postman counting out even more brightly coloured envelopes, so I happily informed him that it was my birthday and, unbidden, relieved him of his pile. My auntie arrived around 11 and after a one-(wo)man rendition of 'Happy Birthday' and a slice of cake I gave her a quick tour of the 'Smiths' campus. An hour or so later we caught the train to London Bridge and the tube to St Paul's, where we proceeded in looking for a Pizza Express. Our search took us as far as the Eye, where we were forced to conclude that we had been misled and heading back towards the Millennium Bridge, we settled for lunch at the Gourmet Pizza Restaurant at Gabriel's Wharf.

A pizza, a bowl of olives and a glass of Coke later we arrived at the Tate Modern, where we visited the Mark Rothko exhibition. The paintings on display were largely taken from his later series of work and thus tended towards a darker set of colours; reds, maroons, blacks and greys. It was an interesting selection and our borrowed headphones added a wealth of detail that was not to be found in the free booklets or on the scattering of wall plaques.

After a quick drink at a Cafe Rouge my auntie and I parted company and I made my way back to New Cross. I went to Sainsbury's where I bought a selection of party goodies and a birthday cake (a sad experience, it must be said). Then I made my way back to Halls where I set about preparing my own party tea. After a few initial disappointments the night was something of a success. We ate food, watched the Royal Tenenbaums and I opened the remainder of my presents and cards. In the end I went to bed feeling happy and looking forward to a weekend with Harry and a second birthday with my family in a week's time.

[EDIT] Incidentally, I found the Pizza Express the other day. We were walking in completely the opposite direction. :/