Herding two whippets and a greyhound

Before we left our wonderful holiday accommodation in the Yorkshire Dales this morning, our hostess Lindsey to agreed to pose for a blip. Unfortunately the three dogs did not really understand the concept of turning to face the camera, but here they are, nonetheless.

We had a straightforward journey back to Edinburgh. First we dropped off the hire car in Northallerton, then zipped up the east coast in the sunshine, thanks to LNER.

Once home again, I finished off the preparations for our book group dinner (started last weekend). By 7pm we were two people down: one pulled out due to contact with someone who may be harbouring Coronavirus; and the other due to illness (probably not Coronavirus). I did wonder if anyone would turn up at all after the PM's advice of the late afternoon!

In the sitting room with drinks (and the Recovery Moomin observing us all, as blipped by ArcLight) I served smoked salmon pâté on rye bread, cheese and cucumber on cocktail sticks, sweet peppers stuffed with goat's cheese, garlic-stuffed olives, and baby tomatoes. Then at the kitchen table we worked our way through: carrot and lemon soup (adaptation of a Cranks recipe); boeuf bourguignon (Cookery Year recipe), baked red cabbage with apple and water chestnuts, green beans, and baby new potatoes; and granita and hot apple sauce (BBC food recipe) as blipped by Ridgeback13. We ended this feast back in the sitting room with peppermint tea, and chocolates supplied by Ridgeback13 and Melissa.

Our conversation was, of course, dominated by discussion of Coronavirus. Indeed the whole evening had a sense of a 'last supper' as we wondered whether/when we will ever socialise again. The verdict on our book - Milkman by Anna Burns - was rather negative. Indeed, only one of us persevered with it to the end. That said, collectively we know of two people who loved it. I have to say that I quite enjoyed it at the very start but soon found the writing tiresome (in the same way that Beckett plays now irritate me), and I gave up on it about half way through.

Exercise today: walking (17,657 steps).