Sweet Like Chocolate!

Heyy, 

Today is a special day. This day twenty-six years ago, I breathed for the first time as I came kicking and screaming into the world. Its funny, I don't think I have ever blogged on my actual birthday. Suffice to say that I have been well and truly spoilt, at least by those that I have seen on or before my birthday like Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and Mr. Warehouse. Oh and also the dog! Unlike myself entirely I have been very unorganised in organising something for my birthday to do with Mr. Warehouse, The Tweedles and myself. What with being preoccupied in terms of Mr. Warehouse's birthday, the Christening and the disaster of the cupcakes as well as the holiday and packing or unpacking, sadly the narcissistic way I seem to plan something to do for my birthday every year has taken a bit of a back seat. As such when I came back to work last week after being on holiday, I sort of forgot that there was less than a week until my birthday and with the Tweedles wanting to know plans and ideas for what we were going to do (and rightfully so) I racked my brain for things to do on my pre-birthday weekend. 

If I wanted to I could have forced everybody to go to a spa in order to have a nice relaxing day, but with paydays falling awkwardly for Mr Warehouse and I as well as our friends it was probably not in the best interest as none of us had the money for that. Maybe a day out at a theme park or city centre would be a great idea, however again that involved money and was probably going to end up being pricey. Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I had already done a farm visit, I didn't really want to wander round a Zoo in the cold drizzle of Saturday afternoon, so what else was there?! I was losing hope when I came across the brilliant idea of something we can all do together that wouldn't break the bank. Cadbury's World! "Why did I not think of this before" I thought sat at my desk Thursday afternoon - I love chocolate and whilst I had only just started my healthy eating plan after overindulging slightly on holiday, I had been pestering Mr Warehouse for us to go for months. I suppose in all fairness if I had planned it a bit better then I could have booked a cheap hotel room and maybe even spent some of the morning wondering around The Bullring hunting bargains before engorging myself. But alas I was busy with other things and so the last minute decision was made, tickets booked and before I knew it we were on our way - At least Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I were as Mr. Warehouse chose to do overtime in order to save for Christmas and our next holiday. 

Cadbury's World is less than a couple hours drive from where Mr Warehouse and I live, situated within the purpose built village of Bournville. It was here in the late 1800's that the Quaker Brothers, Richard and George Cadbury, decided to move the factory from smoke-filled and the industrial smog of Central Birmingham to the leafy Suburbs of Bournbrook. Captivated by the beauty and serenity of the English countryside, the factory soon grew and with it so did its work force. But these people were hard-working and needed somewhere for themselves and their families to live. And so houses and homes were built around the factory in order to keep the employees close and loyal. In time new hospitals, schools and shops sprang up in the local community helping it to thrive even more-so. With Cadbury's introducing their workforce into a whole host of new benefits never before seen on the employee spectrum with everything from holiday and sickness pay, right through to five-and-a-half-day weeks, Cadbury's was certainly a company worth working for. 

An absolute British Institute Cadbury's had seen the world through some of its toughest decades including rationing, two-world-wars and changing society. Tastes had changed over the centuries and the last few decades had showed that not just the rich can afford the delectable delights that is chocolate because now it was a substance that was a household name within Britain and the world, playing a major role in any special day throughout the calendar including Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Birthdays, Christmas and Easter. most cultures just like Britain can hardly imagine any of the aforementioned days in the year without thinking about chocolate. And that, in part anyway, is all down to Cadbury's.

The sad thing is that when I was a child Cadbury's World seemed like a dream come true. A real life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was magical and mystical to watch the chocolate being transformed from sticky, brown liquid, to being molded and shaped into all my favourite types of chocolate bars. Back in the day before Mondelez took over production of Cadbury's in 2010, you could watch the chocolate go whizzing through the factory being made, dipped, dunked and wrapped before being boxed up and put on lorries or the shelves downstairs in the shop, still warm from the conveyor belt. But now there is none of that as the production has been shipped off to a new factory in a different location from its heritage and there has been rumours that the British favourite of a glass and a half is not even being made in the UK any more and is instead manufactured in cheaper eastern Europe factories. Either way to I was slightly disappointed. No longer are you visiting a factory where pleasure of the mouth is made (no sniggering) but just a shell of its former self, and with a lot less chocolate bars than the eight or ten you received before - Now it is only four. This is not to say I had a rubbish time as I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was definitely a good day out, and probably one of the better ideas that I had. With the price of the ticket coming up to less than I would spend on a night out, I can surely say that it was money well spent and something everyone should do at least once in their life, especially if you live close (or even closer) like I do. 

As for the rest of my birthday celebrations, today has been pretty plain since I still have to go to work that is. Mr. Warehouse cooked me a lovely roast dinner for tea tonight and I will be seeing friends and family over the coming weeks to celebrate in our own special way. I suppose that is another year over and done with, but I must say that whilst I am only a few hours into being twenty-six I am certainly feeling my clock more than ever. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx