Sunshine on a Plate

Sunday west of the Pennines was a beautiful sunny day today. After a short stint doing yet more book-keeping this morning, me and MrsB then headed over to Tameside to the delightfully called village of Broadbottom to see old friends Keith and Paula.

Over a quick cuppa and a home-made scone we first sat in the front lounge, and Paula's juicy ripening tomatoes and plums immediately caught my eye. Ooh Matron! I can use this pun freely amongst these friends, as both Keith and Paula are the ultimate masters of the double-entendre, and so their use is practically de rigueur in this company.

When we went to see Martin and Angela earlier this week, Angela mentioned that their boatyard friend Useful Dave had described her gift of home-made raspberry jam as "sunshine in a jar". That was such a poetic description and the same applied here, with these small home-grown tomatoes looking like sunshine on a plate, as they ripened on the lounge window cill, and soaked-up all the late afternoon rays.

A Sunday roast of teriyaki pork was already slow-cooking in the oven as we headed out for a circular walk along the River Etherow and up through Woodseats, before dropping back down to eat. Before that though, and not to everyone's taste perhaps, a half-way resting point provided a perfect excuse opportunity for a little aperitif at the George and Dragon in Charlesworth.

A lovely return walk and Sunday tea followed. All in all a pretty perfect day all round with such good old friends they feel more like family.