Granddaughter up our apple tree

Had Son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter around for Sunday Dinner today. A very pleasant day it was too with them all, the little livewire proving to be her usual electric self, flitting from one thing to another all the time. She likes to climb the apple tree each time she comes. In the past we used to be under the tree, now we just sit and watch from the conservatory.

A nice lunch of roast beef and yorkshire puds followed by steamed chocolate sponge pudding and strawberry blancmange sauce. Thak goodness for microwaves for making steamed puddings. What would you do, boil it for 1 1/2 hours or microwave for 4 1/2 minutes? It's a real success of ours , one that is made between courses and has always turned out fine (touch wood). The blancmange idea is also good - lots of different flavours, you have it hot with the sponge and then set cold later in the week. We've been eating old powder though - I noticed that the use by date was 2011. But we're all still here.

After lunch it was down to the play area in the Woodland Trust where she spent most of her time on a huge swing when not racing around on the fitness circuit or climbing on the frame. Tired legs got in the way of walking home but were revitalised by an ice lolly which gave her enough power to get home.

In the evening, by way of relaxation, we went to see The Fureys with Davey Arthurs at the Hazlett Theatre in Maidstone. Tickets organised by our good friends Wendy and Chris. Never heard of them before but they have been around for over 30 years and have a large following from all over the world. They're a band from Dublin and perform a wide range of songs and tunes from romantic ballads to high stepping jigs and reels as well as tall stories and tales about people they know and places they've visited all over the world.

They had an enthusiatic audience in Maidstone who responded with gusto when invited to sing and clapped and cheered throughout the evening. It was a good gig, all the more so for not knowing what we were going to see and being pleasantly suprised by the quality of the musicianship and entertainment.