Happy 90th, Mum!

It's my mum's 90th birthday tomorrow. So this is a rare occasion when (almost) all the family -- four generations -- is present in one place (her 18-year old grandson is missing, off digging up a Roman fort). We had a lovely long and leisurely lunch in a very pleasant local hotel. They thoughtfully seated us in a pretty room with a large mirror so that I could be in the photo too.

We'd spent the morning on an unplanned visit to Nottingham Castle museum. We hadn't intended to, but we spent over two hours in there -- it's a charming and well-presented museum. One part of it consists simply of a semi-random collection of beautiful and/or useful objects from anywhere and anywhen, that people have chosen simply because they like them, contributing a few sentences explaining why. There was also a temporary exhibition of Chinese silks, linked to the cultural Olympiad. And a nice cafe that served me the only decent cup of coffee I've yet had on this trip. I highly recommend it despite the steep entrance fee (£5..50 each). Be careful as you approach though -- it can be dangerous for the unwary, as my spare blip shows.