And so after all the planning and prep, we had our daughter’s 18th birthday weekend in Birmingham. No one really knows how we came up with the idea of Birmingham and it’s been an ongoing puzzle over the weekend. We do remember that the initial plan of London was changed when Harry Styles announced his concerts and hotel prices rocketed. Perhaps we chose it as being the second city with lots happening and a little more affordable. However we made the choice, it was a brilliant one, we all loved our weekend, Birmingham had so much to see and do and a bostin’ weekend was had by all.

The previous week was manic, not the quiet relaxed run up. Our son had his DofE residential which went really well and we received lovely compliments about his enthusiasm and commitment. I picked up our new car, normally this would be highly exciting but I have literally brought it home, tested the charger and left it on the driveway. I didn’t want to leave it at the station car park for a weekend so used my old car instead which we’re in the midst of selling. Hopefully next week I’ll have some time to make it more me, put our football team’s sticker in the window, add little things and enjoy driving the new car. The evening we went to get the new car was the night our son was camping and we were planning a nice pub meal on the way home and a little date night. However I had a banging headache and felt so nauseous that we had to postpone the dinner. On some days this week I was fuelled by painkillers, there was so much happening at work and home, I was dizzy with the plans.

The one challenge of the weekend was the train travel. Both legs of our journey were cancelled in advance and the new journeys were crazily busy, to the point of dangerous over crowding, running very late and hot, hot carriages. I have submitted our claims so hopefully we will get some money back for the inconvenience. However I would prefer a service which is quick, efficient and reliable. On the way up we were researching train times to Manchester for the first game of the season but after this experience, we’re not going to risk it.

As we knew the cancellation in advance, I was able to make some very quick adjustments to our day to catch an earlier train. This meant that we didn’t miss any of our time in Birmingham, as the early train finally pulled in at the ETA of the original. It had taken 5.5 hours of train travel and one change rather than 3 hours 20 on a through train. Friday evening had been planned as a relaxed evening, we popped into a restaurant for dinner close to the station when we arrived and then got our bearings and walked to the hotel. After dropping off our cases, the children and I walked back into town to get ourselves familiar with the places we needed to go to on Saturday. There was such a great vibe in the centre and then we stumbled across the most beautiful cafe, E,L & N London. It’s not a brand I’m familiar with but the patisserie looked too good to walk past and as we hadn’t had dessert we popped in for a treat. It is so beautifully decorated in pink and sage green and looks so, so pretty. The cakes were amazing and it felt very European sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by in the late evening. The warm weather and sunshine helped too. My daughter was also very impressed by its Instagram potential and was busy snapping away. We also went to see the bull opposite the cafe which then became a mini quest to find the bulls around Birmingham, there was the bronze one in the centre, a football one at Selfridges and the icon that is Ozzy at the station. We were lucky enough to see him put on a little show, moving his head and his eyes changing colour. It’s these little random things that give a city its character and fun.

When we got back in the hotel, I decorated our room for the birthday celebration. I was delighted how it all came together, the decorations, huge balloons, Polaroid pictures over the years etc.. I finished it around midnight and was able to wish my daughter happy birthday and take a photo with the balloons.

Just to emphasise what a special weekend this was, I resisted any temptation to do a parkrun on Saturday morning and we had a leisurely breakfast before heading to the shops. My daughter had a pair of Vivienne Westwood earrings on her wish list so Selfridges was our first stop where she found the ones she wanted. We also treated ourselves to a little mooch and a few new purchases from the beauty counter whilst the boys did the sports shops. The beauty counters and food hall are definitely part of the Selfridges experience. We had to also visit the biggest Primark in the country but it was a little hot and overwhelming here.

The main event of the weekend was to fit my daughter’s brief of jazz and cocktails. Initially this was a tough ask, I did so much research and the jazz bars were either closed or playing different genres on the date. After lots more searching and a little bit of panic, I was able to find that the Grand hotel did a themed 1920s dinner with jazz. It was described as an intimate dinner in a speakeasy and as well as the food there was a live jazz band performing between courses and an entertainer who did a few turns as fire eater, dancer and gymnast. I was really not sure what to expect but the evening totally surpassed our expectations and we all loved it. My daughter and I dressed up in 1920s style and it really added to our enjoyment. The hotel is beautiful and the room was cosy, intimate with a hint of 20s decadence and secrecy. It was a very cleverly put together evening with excellent food and the perfect venue for the 18th birthday celebration. The boys returned to the hotel around 11ish but my daughter and I went on to a bar for cocktails as she wanted to be able to buy me a drink on her birthday. Typically on the day she could use her id, it wasn’t asked for! It was a lovely way to end her very special day.

After such a hectic few weeks, it’s time to relax and get life back into order before the final planning and packing for our summer holiday. This time next year I’ll be in the midst of planning another 18th, I find it crazy that I have one adult child now and within 12 months, both my children will be adults. As the saying goes ‘the days are long but the years are short’