Milestone birthday

This afternoon - Friday afternoon - N and I drove across country on empty roads through Cranborne Chase avoiding all the towns and only a couple of miles on the crowded dual carriageway near Ringwood to the New Forest. It was P's important birthday and we had been asked to join him and his family as "honoured guests" since N and P had been friends for many many decades!! So as to amuse the grandchildren we had to dress up as vaguely Spanish, and we enjoyed tapas and sangria in the garden under the spreading oak tree to the sound of Spanish folk songs before feasting on paella sitting at a long table inside. D had made her uncle an enormous birthday cake with a quantity of candles for each decade which he blew out with great gusto.

A memorable evening!