Happy Birthday in advance to the love of my life, my favourite person, the most fun guy ever, my Poppy... In other words... Simply the best! He turns 79 on Wednesday, September 7. I decided to start the celebrations early and got my baking mojo back on after ages... Made him the divine Reine de Saba (gorgeous, moist chocolate almond cake) with a touch of chocolate rum frosting... As you can see, I ran out of chocolate and there wasn't enough to cover the entire cake... But if you ask me, this cake is so good that it actually tastes better in the nude... So so so good... Just like my darling Daddy-O. Love him to bits. 😘😘😘😘😘😘😍😍😍😍😍😍💜💜💜💜💜 #happybirthdaydaddy #bestdadever #bestdadintheworld #daddysgirl #birthday #birthdaycake #reinedesaba #chocolatealmondcake #love

I posted the above on my Instagram, but I'd like to add a couple more things here... My blog is very close to my heart after all, and warrants more of my soul than I choose to put out anywhere else. As most of you know, I'm very close to my father... He truly is my entire world and my unconditional love for him takes precedence over everything else. Unfortunately, Daddy has Parkinson's and we have been dealing with it since October 2010. Lately, his condition has been deteriorating more than usual and I have been extremely stressed by this. We have had several sleepless nights because he hasn't been able to get out of bed and has trouble doing even the most mundane tasks. He has fallen down in the middle of the night twice in the last month and thankfully, they didn't result in any fractures... But it is a cause of grave concern for us. I have spent the past month or so juggling a hectic and unrelenting work schedule and trying to be there for Daddy. Also been knocking from pillar to post get him an appointment with a better specialist. Finally managed to get one scheduled for this Friday, September 9. So you can understand why I am keen on making this an extra special birthday for Daddy. Please send in your good wishes and positive vibes, as always. I need them now, more than ever. Thank you.