It seemed perfectly logical to share my significant birthday celebrations with a friend. So when JLW asked me if I’d like to host a joint party with A, I agreed enthusiastically.

It didn’t occur to me at the time that it was a little strange that a 50 year old and a toddler would join forces in such a way. A further practical difficulty was that we were born on dates six months apart. That meant that I would have to wait until the autumn for “my” party.