...but it's over now, so I can sag back into do-nowt mode.
Paris and Bristol arrived on Friday, by which time I had played golf, collected cake and fruit salad from M&S, and made a lasagne. There is more boasting to come.
Brighton added to the numbers on Saturday. After my trip to Sainsbury's,
there was a potage bonne femme (otherwise known as "summer soup" - summer this and summer that). At some point, Rick went off to shop and advised me that, acting on information received as to the only thing I fancied for my birthday, he had taken the liberty to buy me a replacement built-in oven, on behalf of the siblings.
Then North London arrived, accompanied, happily, by Frank and Laurie, whom we haven't seen for four years. My grog supply took a merciless beating while I got the steak and kidney pies in the oven. Fifteen sat down to eat, by which time I was beyond worrying about whether there was enough.
A happy evening. Pumpkins were carved and illuminated (one left out at the front to indicate treats were available). There were fireworks, and a launching of paper hot air balloons, and a bit of music. Then, when everybody was still asleep - every room in the house was occupied - at 7.40 on Sunday morning the doorbell rang. The oven was being delivered. End of sleep and any thoughts of a lie-in. But my competent sons took out the old and wired in the new, and by 9.30 I had a new oven! (A side note - we put the old oven outside - 56kg of scrap, and by next morning it had disappeared.)
So we tested the new oven with a roast lamb Sunday lunch, while the rain teemed down outside.
Then it became Monday. It was cool but sunny on the golf course, and I played OK, while Paris went up to London Town. They went out to Helen for supper later. Quiet chez moi!
On Tuesday I went to see the vampire at Guy's Hospital; next week I will find out what the PSA count is. And we watched the entertaining last half hour of ManU's match. Some stayed up to learn about black holes from a BBC programme. I went to bed.
Paris left at ten this morning. I did some laundry then went up to the golf club (by bus, of course) for a couple of beers and the Veterans' AGM. I seem to have missed lunch, so an early supper beckons, and a bit of football on the box.
The snag about having a new oven is that it will expect to be cleaned, a function I haven't performed for many years. Perhaps a nice young Polish girl...?
Too busy to reflect on the endless incompetence of British governments. How I will play tomorrow is the main question. And whether I dare watch Liverpool.
