Chloe in Alnwick Garden

We are having such a good time with Chloe and Graham. They are lovely visitors and easy but fun company.

Mr C took Graham up round the moor for 5 or 6 miles while I drove Chloe and myself to Alnwick. It was nice and sunny here but the haar was in Alnwick so we needed our coats.

I made use of the garden ticket and she really enjoyed the walk in the gardens but not the sexist guide in the poison garden. The children’s monstrosity of a fake palace play thing is going to cost £15.40 adults (they have to go to supervise children) and children - wait for it! - £16. Apparently it’s a timed ticket for 3 hours.

We had some tea and cake in our garden when we got back then I cooked a really tasty dish from the Meera Sodhul Feast India book. I’d already roasted the 2 cauliflowers so all I needed to do was the sauce - caramelised onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom seeds, garam Marsala, Chilli powder, ground almonds, yoghurt.

They had a look through some of our old DVDs and chose Takin’ Over the Asylum (1996) with a young David Tennant and Ken Stott. I’d forgotten how good it was. They are taking it home to finish watching it.

Nathaniel’s friend’s dad took him and his boy to the Newcastle match today. Sadly they lost to Arsenal but Man Utd also lost so they are still third. We loved the Liverpool and Celtic recent singing! Poor Ella is very stressed by the SATs coming up. I hope she doesn’t get brain fog. She has been using the Guatemalan dolls I gave her to put under her pillow to take her worries away.

#2 daughter had a great time in Berlin, getting back late last night via Dublin. The presentations went well and she did lots of sight seeing and enjoyed speaking German again. I hope the Bucharest one goes as well.