A Birthday In Lockdown

Even as the world is in a state of collective lockdown, we had a birthday to celebrate. And despite being in the middle of these crazy times, I wasn’t going to give up on the celebrations so easily, so what if stocks were rationed and stuff not available.

Well, for starters, instead of the customary birthday bouquet, the garden displayed new blooms to commemorate the special month of April. Here’s a peek…

The good hubby ordered for a cheesecake couple of days in advance from a service provider that claimed to be addressing especially "birthdays during lockdown". But guess what? The order wasn’t delivered! Seeing the sad state of affairs, and unwilling to let go of the joy of birthday cake cutting, I baked my own cake. Of course, with the family chipping in. Reminded me of birthdays during my school/college days, when also I sometimes baked my own cake…. more out of passion than out of necessity.

We landed up with a gooey choco-banana cake that could give any professional cake a run for its money! The chocolate frosting only added to the flavours.

I had planned the food and meals beforehand, and made all preparations the day before so I didn’t have to slog on the birthday. A scrumptious veggie bake made from garden-fresh produce turned out superb. The daughter cooked us ramen so we could have a Chinese dinner. And finally, I made the effort to dress up for the occasion by wearing a new saree that had been lying in a corner of the cupboard for some years. 

Nah! No lockdown can lock me down nor can it take away the happiness from the small joys of life. We only have to alter our approach and work as a team, and things fall in place beautifully.