Happy Birthday to me!

I'm not doing very well at keeping up with this blog but wanted to make sure I at least took a moment to record a very special weekend.

On Friday, I turned thirty-six and feel very blessed to have enjoyed a wonderful birthday in the company of old friends and new.

A hilarious singing frog e-card from Marie, Richard, Ava and Penny got my day off to the right start and sharing mid-morning birthday cupcakes from Crumbs - courtesy of Jaishree - with other members of my new little team made me feel very special.

I then took my first (and probably last) summer Friday and headed out on an afternoon outing with Jon, who is visiting me from Shanghai (via London), and Rachel, my work colleague and now friend, who very sweetly organised my entire birthday celebration.

We hopped on a ferry from the tip of Manhattan for the five minute trip to Governor's Island, a tiny pedestrian-only haven from the city hub-bub, which only opened to the public a couple of years back having previously operated as a military base. Once there, we ate Belgian waffles with ice cream and chocolate sauce, rocked in hammocks and explored the four corners of the island by foot taking lots of photos of the views over the water. It couldn't have been more perfect to be honest.

Having torn ourselves away from the peace and quiet, we headed for Williamsburg where we met up with a few more lovely people for some evening fun. The food at The Star of Brooklyn provided real (and substantial!) Southern comfort and the rooftop bar at Night of Joy provided the perfect venue for getting to know my new friends a little better. Even the cab ride home gawping out of the window at the Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building lit up in rainbow colours for NY Pride is now vying for a spot in my Top 10 New York memories!

I'll try to write more about the rest of my weekend soon (it was a good one!) but, in the meantime, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared in my birthday from the other side of the pond too. You were very much present and part of my day. So many people sent cards and emails and text messages from home which brightened my day and continue to make me smile. I'm a very lucky girl!

Introducing my 'hood

I must apologise for yet another disappearing act. The absence of posts during the last fortnight is not in the least due to a lack of interesting things to share. It is a simple case of not being able to face another hour at a keyboard after a busy day in the office.

The challenge now is to choose what to write about. I am currently comfortably ensconced in my favourite coffee haunt - Underline Coffee - which (unsurprisingly given its name) nestles under the Highline park on 20th Street. They serve delicious lattes and homemade cookies which are capable of undoing in one fell swoop all the good work I put in right next door at my yoga studio Yoga 216.

Yes, I am practicing yoga. I never thought I'd hear myself say that either!

To reassure you, I am terrible at it. I huff and puff and strain and 'glow' and look on in disbelief as my fellow yoga bunnies contort themselves into all sorts of unpronounceable poses ... and yet, I enjoy myself. The instructors are clearly humouring me or making allowances for my accent but I think I might even be able to sense some small improvements in my strength and stamina. Even if this feelings are psychosomatic, they must be doing me some good!

I am also trying to run. Trying being the key word in that sentence. I have downloaded NHS podcasts which claim they will get me running 5km three times a week. I know that doesn't sound that difficult to most people but since I started this job in January 2013 my fitness levels have plummeted and I've literally ground to a halt. Getting back into a regular exercise routine is tough but is greatly helped by having the Hudson River Park on my doorstep. In five minutes I can be jogging along the water's edge with stunning views and hundreds of other runners for company. Oh, and you can always treat yourself after a particularly tiring session to a frozen yoghurt at 'Wichcraft and sit on a bench looking out over the water to Lady Liberty in the distance.

Whilst we're on the topic of my neighbourhood, I might as well fill you in on my other favourite haunts. 192 Books is a real gem of a bookstore just around the corner from my apartment on 10th. It's one of those rare places these days where you can browse for hours without being asked to move on or can ask for a recommendation and be greeted with a helpful and knowledgeable response.

Pastai on 9th is very stylish and makes a delicious ragu and you can always pop next door to Billy's Bakery afterwards for one (or six) of their famous cupcakes. Le Grainne just next door to me in the second oldest surviving building in New York cooks up a delicious savoury crepe or Croque Monsieur. And I've also discovered a very special secret hideaway further down on 9th but I'm not going to spoil the surprise here for anyone who is coming to visit me!

Then there's the Highline itself. A stroke of genius on the part of its designers, I will never tire of walking along its length, even if that walk can sometimes turn into more of an obstacle course at peak times on a Saturday and Sunday when tourists and New Yorkers alike fight for space to eat their ice creams, listen to the talented busking musicians and take their photographs.

That's where I'm off to right now. Will try to blog more in the coming days to catch up on all the things I have to tell you about. The New York City Ballet, Harlem, The Cloisters...