Happy birthday dearest Sophie!



Sophs didn't want a traditional birthday cake this year. Instead, she chose the archetypal kids' party food from my childhood. I don't know if this is a Zim thing or a South African thing - fudge cake. Well, some call it fudge cake, and some call it fridge cake. It has no redeeming nutritional qualities whatsoever, but most kids love it.

Here's the recipe, in case anyone would like to try it :

Fudge Cake
 
1/2 lb Marie biscuits (Maria biscuits in this country)
1/4 lb butter
1 tbl spoon cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
Vanilla
 
Crush Marie biscuits.
Melt butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla over gentle heat.
Add well beaten egg and bring mixture to boil. Don't add the egg while the mixture is still hot, or you will get scrambled egg and will have to start over.
Pour onto dry ingredients and mix well.
Turn into a buttered tin and press together
When cool, ice with chocolate icing and cut into squares.

If you eat more than one square you will probably feel ill. But it is surprisingly yummy.

We went with the trampoline for her gift in the end. Those things are not as easy to assemble as one might assume. Specially not if you only start at 10pm, after a long week of 5am risings. Darkness doesn't make the assembly any easier. Nor do extreme heat and humidity. And killer Floridian mosquitoes don't enhance the experience at all. We finished somewhere after 2am, and it was a thoroughly miserable process. Except for the very last bit, when we got to lie on the assembled trampoline and admire the stars.

Worth it to see Sophie's face in the morning, though. She loves it. As do the other kids. It's the perfect finally-got-a-yard-again gift.

Here the girls are, at dawn, on the trampoline.



Sophie chose scones for her birthday breakfast. Had to phone my mom-in-law for the recipe, because I wanted the easy one from the W.I cookbook she gave me when Bobby and I got married. Most people had their scones with jam and cream; Sophie had Nutella and cream. Very festive.



There was lots of swimming. Steve and Sophie took turns trying to jump onto the boogie board.


More jumping ... here's Bobby in action.



The next few hours were taken up with Sophie's fairy building kit (a huge hit, with me as well as with the girls), a few board games, more swimming, and more jumping.

And then we went to see A Cinderella Story. Which has got to be one of the most pathetic movies I've ever endured. Utterly devoid of any sort of wit or charm or humour or intelligence. And as for the concept of a sixteen year old with her own car and cellphone as being terribly deprived and hard done by ... well, let's just say I found it a little annoying.

Sophs loved it though.

And at the end of the day, she said "Mom, Dad, I think this has got to be one of my best birthdays ever. And I've had seven, you know."