How to Celebrate a 23rd Birthday!

First persuade your parents to drive you to Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire. Ask along your younger sister (middle sister had to work :( , and your boyfriend...and arrange to meet some of your old uni friends there for good measure! Get there as the doors open, and make sure you are the first through the gates...

Once inside the park, quickly book your flight on Vertigo for yourself, boyfriend and younger sister!

Check in for the flight at the right time and get strapped into your flight suit...

Climb onto the harness deck...

And put all of your trust in two strangers who are there to attach the three of you onto the wire winch!

A few safety instructions will follow; you'll be asked to link arms, and then you'll be turned virtually upside down as the raised deck is taken from under your feet!

You'll then be winched up 50 meters into the clear blue sky. (Yes, that tiny black dot up there is the three of them! - not easy for a mother to watch!)

3...2...1...FLY! Pull the ripcord, free fall and swing...

Aghhhh...

...

A slightly ungainly landing!

We made it! (Thank goodness says Mum! :)

*

There were lots more adrenalin fueled experiences throughout the day...mostly not for me though! I make a good spectator!

Speed.

Hydro.

Yes, you DO get wet!

And just to show that I'm not a complete wuss...

Yes, that is me and youngest after a dingy ride on the Snake River Falls...

Perhaps this proves it better...My rather large wet patch after the experience...from the waterfalls, not through panic! ;-))

Heehee!

And I was persuaded onto Megaphobia,

not once, but twice!

We were one of the last groups to leave the park at the end of the long and tiring day...It was great to be able to share my daughter's Birthday, as we see so little of her these days...

Just give me a few days to recover from it!

**

I did have to be at the shop bright and early the next day, feeling slightly jaded, but it had to be done...

I had to make a few changes to the displays, ready to reflect the next era to be filmed by the BBC on the Market Place.

It will be another fast-forward, this time to the 1950's, so I wanted my windows to reflect this.

Luckily, some recent finds were just the thing...

A 'breakfast in bed' theme at the front of the shop, with 50's china, a rose printed tray and some colourful greetings cards.

And for the side window, some 50's fashion accessories with the gorgeous original oil painting that I was so pleased to buy last weekend.

**

Several people have asked me what the BBC programme is all about. I wrote a post here (and Belinda wrote some details here) at the start of the filming to explain - Hope that helps! x

Oh, and I'd just like to mention Isabelle's post, which she has just written, about the VE Day celebrations at Shepton- which you can read here.

Photo courtesy of Libby Page.

Finally, my thanks to Libby for her kind post, after her visit to Nostalgia at No.1.

And here is Libby looking stunning, wearing the 50's dress that she bought from me.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Niki x