Lucky me.....

Because it suited most of us, my children, their partners and three extra dogs gathered at my place over the weekend for a family celebration - my birthday, which actually happens later this month. It was just great to have them all here and we had a wonderful time doing not very much at all – certainly no sewing or gardening.


My son did most of the cooking; we had Atlantic salmon for dinner on Friday night, and then very slowly roasted venison with roast vegetables for dinner on Saturday. The birthday cake was made the next day by my daughter, a delicious Carribean Spice Cake with cream - we would have had no room for it on Saturday in any case, and this helped extend the food fest for the whole weekend. It was a totally indulgent, with champagne and other wines at the appropriate times and I felt both very lucky and very spoilt.

My son spent some time doing various chores for me – things I cannot do myself, or for which I do not have the tools. I now have a chicken shed door that no longer sticks when the wood gets wet and swells, a gate latch that no longer blows open in the wind, a shrub securely anchored to the ground and no longer likely to blow over, a potting bench no longer likely to collapse, steps with anti–slip tape on them, and big rocks in a garden bed just where I wanted them.

There were gifts as well, some computer software, flowers, a gorgeous coffee mug with a design that looks as if it comes from the medieval tapestry of the lady and the unicorn, and finally, knowing that I have a soft spot for owls, my clever daughter made me this:-



He was christened Owliver Cromwowl, but somehow I think may be just Oliver, and will be watching over my sewing room from now on, encouraging me to stop procrastinating....