30th birthday eve

After an 11-hour meeting, I was finally free to meet my Mum and friends for the evening. We went to a tapas restaurant they had scoped out earlier in the day. The waiter was a real character and kept us very entertained as we waited for our dishes to arrive.

At midnight, the girls sang 'Happy Birthday' to me, so the waiter realised it was my birthday. Suddenly, he arrived out with five small pieces of tira misu, a candle on a plate, and five shots of local sweet wine.

We were very merry as we made our way back to the hotel. We bought a bottle of Cava and went to my room, all girly and giggling. I decided to put on the fancy dress I had bought just two days before.

Mum and the girls were all excited. It turned out they had brought lots of gorgeous cards and presents with them from Ireland. I was utterly spoiled!

My extended family had put together a video to 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin, with photos of them acting out the lines. It was so funny and touching.

A group of my Mum's friends and their daughters, including those who had come to Malaga, had also gotten together and recorded a video of themselves singing 'Our Gis' to the tune of 'My Guy', my childhood party piece, with lyrics they wrote especially for me. It was hilarious, especially the outtakes where they keep bursting out laughing.

Most exciting of all, when the others had gone to bed, my Mum presented me with my dream gift - a Canon EOS 1100d and a 300m zoom lens! It was a present from my extended family - my Mum, Gran, brothers, their wives, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, and their partners.

I couldn't believe it. I was gobsmacked! I sat down on the bed, with my mouth gaping, unable to speak.

Photography is such a big part of my life. My grandfather was a photographer, and all of my family are enthusiasts. I've been dreaming of treating myself to a good camera for years now, but still haven't managed to get the paycheque that would allow it.

I will have to justify this generous gift by working hard to improve my photography from hereon in.