And, we’re off. Again. This time to a cottage in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Wales. (Actually, that could be considered a bit of redundant information – just about everywhere in the middle of Wales is in the middle of nowhere).
It’s all in honour of the lovely Penelope’s 70th birthday (yesterday) who is still as gorgeous as she was when I first set eyes on her some fifty-four years ago.
The boys and I originally set all this in motion last October! I know – it’s so unlike me to be on top of anything more than about a day ahead of time. It was to have been a surprise for her but Nick very rightly warned me that if I sprung this on Penny on the day of our departure she would probably not be delighted. So, we spilled the beans a couple of days ago and she has been walking around in a daze (a delighted daze, I think) since then. Not only did the boys, their wives and children all keep the secret, so too did half the village of Moreton Pinkney.
Thankfully, by sheer fluke, I managed to book a cottage which is advertised as being “dog friendly” so Miss Daisy will be coming along for the adventure as well. I hope we’ll have some photos to share next week.
Miss Daisy continues to delight and has only blotted her copy book a few times this week. She is slowly learning that she is nowhere near quick enough to catch any of the birds which congregate below the bird feeder but she will often have a go. Not this time though.
And they were so fat and juicy looking!
We had a couple of nice days and, on Sunday, Adam, Ava, Jessie and Julieta came for lunch. Actually, Adam was here most of the day – he and I are working on erecting Penelope’s Patio Pergola. Penny and Jessie took advantage of the fine weather to have a game of chess in the garden.
Meanwhile, the pergola is coming along.
Another good day should see it finished but we may have to string it out for two days – Adam and I are hoping to escape the bulk of the Jubilee Jubilations next weekend and pergola erection is the perfect excuse!
We’ve finally been able to book our inaugural campervan outing – we’re off week after next for a few nights near the New Forest in Hampshire. The occasion is really so that our dear friend Mary, who has recently moved to Hampshire, can meet Miss Daisy. We’ll let you know how we get on.
And, speaking of the campervan, we finally got round to installing one of the final bits to “make it our own.” Nick, Lucy and Annabelle put together this sequence of decals which, after careful installation by Ms Playchute, now adorn the window on the sliding door.
Such accurate renditions of the whole family!
And finally, this popped up on my New Yorker daily calendar on Thursday which I thought was cute. It made me chuckle at least.
Since Penny went Pescatarian some years ago, we have tried most of the non-meat burgers available in the UK. Some are better than others but in our humble opinion the Beyond Burger is by far and away the best of the lot.
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg