25

You may have noticed that I've had to update my profile slightly. That's right. The new year is a new year in many ways than one for me. On Friday, I turned 25. To most of you, that probably seems rather young. But not to me. 25 seems old. Somehow being in the 25 to 34 age bracket on the Vogue competition page is rather different to the 16-24. In the 16-24 bracket I could stay up all night, all weekend, spend money, travel and take up random new hobbies when ever I pleased. It somehow doesn't seem quite so appropriate. For this, I suppose, is the age bracket when I will, if I am going to at all, buy a house, get married, have babies and stick at a career path. I don't feel as if I have reached that age yet, which is perhaps why I am feeling the difference between 24 and 25 so much. I remember M's brother turning 25, when I was 21 and still at university. When I was worrying about dissertations and applications to law school, he had set up his own business, was about to buy a house, has been living and working in London for several years and had the (apparent) image and lifestyle to match. He seemed grown up and sorted out and knew what he wanted. He seemed old (not in a bad way either). And now here I am too. 25.

So I spent the actual day at my parents house in Berkshire, helping my sister run errands and sort out things before she goes off travelling in a weeks time. Because that's what you can do when you're 22. But I digress. We had coffee and bought beer for her leaving party and she dropped me at the station. Where I caught a train back to London and ran into an old friend who I had been trying to contact but had somehow lost his number. And then back to our lovely flat and to M. Who cooked me a wonderful supper of steak and mashed potato and red cabbage. And champagne and a present of a manuscript of a book pre-publication. It was a wonderful evening and so peaceful. We watched awful television (CBB and The Devil Wears Betty) and enjoyed being in each others company after a few days apart.

And then Saturday. A friend of ours has come to stay. He started his new job today and has the spare room until he has settled into his new life here in London. It is lovely to see him and an enjoyable change to our household. So we all dressed up and went out with some other friends, and B, because B was also 25 last week, and we have joint parties now that people really only will go out once the week after new year.

Cocktails in Trailer Happiness and then dancing in the Blag Club in Notting Hill. It was a great evening. And then home, with a few little incidents on the way, but nothing too serious. And then a lazy, hungover, sleepy Sunday before starting work again this morning.


Ps. Watch Rachel on 18 Doughty Street tonight at 9pm on a new programme about UK bloggers.

PPS. I have just noticed that it is another anniversary. Or rather, yesterday was. This blog is 6 months old!