No 10 - Go to the top of The Shard (6)

This challenge was completed on my Birthday with friends and family. We stayed in a hotel next to London Bridge after my party and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do this challenge.

It was a beautiful sunny day and London was looking good! I was a little surprised to experience vertigo though. Never having had an issue with heights before I wasn't worried about looking down, in fact it was amazing seeing the full 360 panorama! Stepped out of the lift and the dizziness and nausea set in - very strange I must say but I had a great time and did complete the challenge!

Getting ready to go up

Tower Bridge

Started to get vertigo!

HMS Belfast

Ooh very whooshy now!

The London Eye

At the top - it was amazing!

No 9 - Write personal letters (42)

I wanted to make this challenge a very special one. I originally thought I might write a letter for each person on their Birthday, but then I realised that it would only be a surprise for the first couple of people. I thought then to maybe do it for Christmas, but then there would be so many other things going on and other gifts that it might be seen as just a Christmassy thing, and I wanted it to be a something from me thing!

When I decided to give golden goody boxes as a little something for my Birthday guests I realised it was the perfect opportunity to pop a note/card into each box of the people I wanted to write to. This would mean it would be a surprise for everyone at the same time and also give me a lot of pleasure spending some time thinking and writing about all the people I love and the wonderful quirks and traits they have!

So I popped each note into the goody box and it was such a pleasure to hear how much they were appreciated. I loved this challenge as it was all about everyone else and not me!

Coloured notes and dinky envelopes!

The golden goody boxes

No 8 - Make my own Birthday Cake (20)

This was always going to be a good challenge as I am not a baker! I can make lovely savoury dishes but cakes, always a hodgepodge!  Still, I have 2 facts about my cakes: 1 - they always taste lovely, 2 - they always look as if they are about to fall over; and this cake did not disappoint!

First thing to do, make an extra large cake board as I was going big! An old cork board and some cardboard boxes did the trick....

Just a simple cork board!

Ta da! 

 Then I found out that too much chocolate dries out cake and also that ganache can curdle!!

Oh dear....

Curdled ganache - yuk!

 If it doesn't stick together then try kitkat scaffolding as a support structure, tasty and effective. Then if it looks a bit like it might just all fall apart, bring in the fondant icing!

Starting to look like a ship

Kit kat scaffolding!

Cover it up, lol.

It might still fall over but I discovered that a garden brick covered in gold tissue paper holds a cake up nicely and can even add to the overall effect!!

Secret support wall..

 

Let the decorating commence

Yummy chocolate...

Time to get creative

Ta da!