I’ve never really been into birthdays. Maybe I’ve had a lot of disappointments; I don’t know. But, since my late 20s (which was a long time ago), I just haven’t bothered.

But, four years ago, with three partners, I opened a bar. Because I wasn’t into birthdays, the bar opened on my birthday. I did say that I wasn’t bothered but, after weeks of hard work, I probably needed a night off.

The thing about a night (or day) off, it’s sort of expected that you have one on your birthday. Of course, that’s not always possible. I had a ‘proper’ job for a long time and having a birthday free was never an issue. Although I wasn’t too bothered back then.

Well, there was always the ability to get time off when you needed (or wanted) it.

It’s not quite so simple when you run a bar.

I don’t want to turn this into a moan about getting time off when running a bar. It’s not.

I think I’d have liked a day off on my birthday this year (it was a big one). I should probably have conveyed that to my colleagues. Things have been busy.

That’s four birthdays in the bar that I’ve worked. The last couple were start to finish.

Going forward, I probably just need to say I’m having a day off. Or maybe I should retire.