Calming down and decorating

My turn, and fortunately not too much to say, though we’ve still not been ‘at home’.

Had a lovely evening with Alex and Rob on Saturday, they’ve finally bought a house, so if they get a wriggle on, we can even help them move! This was our 4^th different bed in 4 days, we weren’t that bad even when travelling! Arrived to scones, what a welcome, chat and glass of wine before a lovely tagine followed by crumble and Brians ‘proper’ custard.

Helen, Ian, Rudi and Jackie on our canal walk

Got home (after scones for breakfast, for me anyway) just in time for a slice of cheese on toast before the arrival of Helen, Ian and Rudi boy their very nervous rescue dog. Ian had planned a route between us and them linking all the available green bits. Who knew Birmingham had so many hidden undeveloped bits? Got back to theirs, just before the rain, for afternoon tea: scones, jam and clotted cream! Isn’t it lovely how well all our friends know us? Left Helen with the bluest of the fossicked sapphires as her 'something blue' before being delivered home with an armful of books, feeling we had made positive progress with Rudi, so happy all round.

Outside Highbury Hall, Ian and Helen's July wedding venue

Ian's home baked scones with jam and clotted cream

My butternut squash soup

Up bright and early on Monday to start decorating round at Mums, redo the gloss and scuffs of the stairs and landing and re-paint the bathroom. We feel very satisfied with our three days work, must just pop round tomorrow and replace the furniture in the relevant places! Feeling we were on a roll we stopped off at Sarah and John's as decorating of the bedrooms had been mentioned (well they've only been there 20 years) sadly decorating is about step number seven so we have to wait for steps one to six, so perhaps after skiing.... Have had a lovely day today, chilling and cooking, butternut squash soup for lunch and lamb and bean stew for dinner while B has cooked his third cake – I don’t bake, so if we want cake when we get in from skiing it’s down to him! Even managed a free trip to the gym, so feeling virtuous too.

And his iced chocolate cake