Birthday.

Our daughter's partner and I have birthdays just a few days apart so we had three days of celebrating, the weekend and my actual birth date on Monday. Eighty years young! The weather was warm and sunny so on Saturday we took a picnic to the National Trust gardens of KIngston Lacey and ate in style. We stowed away our picnic things after eating and looked round the house before strolling around the gardens. On Sunday we ate lunch outside on the terrace overlooking the sea at Brasserie Blanc. It was such a still, warm day that it was hard to credit that it was October. I went for a morning swim on my birthday and it was glorious. (It was also a statement of, 'eighty, so what!') I was the only person in the water, the sea was calm and warm and only the thought of the preparations for the afternoon entertaining persuaded me to leave the beach.

In the afternoon I gave a tea party to some of the people that I've got to know since moving to Bournemouth last October, neighbours and friends that I've met at the writing and book groups that I've joined. I set up savoury food and teacups in one room and desserts and fizz in another, with plenty of chairs both inside and out where people could sit to eat. I had a lovely time, lots of chatting but hopeless hosting skills from me as I forgot to light the candles and cut the birthday cake. (Rectified later when the family came round after work!)

Here I am plonked in the kitchen after a very happy time. The family did a good job of hoovering up quite a bit of the party food but half of the chocolate cake has gone into the freezer!