The big five-oh

Yep, Mike really is 50

So he ran 50km round Starnberg Lake

And skied 50 times down the mountain



And, all in all, had a really nice birthday weekend



Mike's 50th birthday began with a big surprise. He'd been wondering why he'd not been permitted to go in the kitchen during the previous evening, and all became clear when Lucy and I unveiled his birthday cake. The decorations were courtesy of Playmobil, their mountain set conveniently including a little chap who - with the addition of a pair of drawn-on glasses - did a good impression of the birthday boy himself.

Fortunately, Valentine's Day turned out to be a lovely, sunny winter's day. So while Lucy was sat in lessons and Steph at her desk at Spotlight, Mike - who'd booked the day off work - went out to jog around Starnberg's lake, roughly one kilometre for each year of his life so far. The good weather meant that there were superb views of the lake and mountains to enjoy. When he arrived home as planned at about 4 p.m., we had afternoon tea and birthday cake together, followed by a meal with some friends.

If you're going to turn 50, you may as well make the most of it and take your family, your friends and their kids for a skiing weekend to a mountain hut in the local Alps. Saturday was warm and sunny, later becoming a beautiful moonlit night. I really don't like sleeping in hut dormitories, but it was comfortable. Mike slept well (I think!), though Lucy was coming down with a cold. By morning, there was lovely fresh snow, providing us with a few more hours of skiing before lunch and the drive home. A great time was had by all!