'What a difference a year makes…' – last weekend heralded the girls all materialising chez coot, as a belated weekend together to celebrate Sarah's birthday.
Last year – much COVID anxiety, 2 of the gang sleeping in tents in the garden to keep us well spaced, majority of the time enforced outdoors – in the bloody rain mostly. This year – still the overhang of covid (which amusingly just auto-corrected itself to 'Coven' – cheeky!), but to a much lesser extent, all of us sleeping indoors and some glorious sunshine – hurrah!
All got there Fri eve, for Clare's mushroom truffly pasta and the first of many hours nattering and catching up. Spent Saturday at Bourne Hall in the huge gardens, ambling round and checking out the hundreds of sculptures dotting the trails. Dug out our picnic food and rugs and sat in the sun, by the main hall, soaking up the rays..
Lovely place, truly middle aged, so hopefully next year we'll be back to something a wee bit more 'out there'!
After the garden thrills we then slid in a quick hour at Kinsbrook, the new vineyard that's opened up on the edge of West Child, just 5 mins drive from the coot. Muggins here of course in the driving seat as the grape liquid is never my favourite of tipples.. What a cute little place, felt like we had suddenly arrived en France (if only..), with the bonus of a slobbery vineyard dog and a rather good looking chap manning the place. Popped a bottle of fizz and the birthday girl was in her element.
Sat eve then made me laugh – I think because I am married to Hawksey the Fire Meister – I was put in charge of BBQ lighting, charring the garden courgettes and smoking the giant salmon slabs. As well as making the fire pit. Or perhaps it's just because I am the worst cook of us all…
Anyway – a fab weekend, and always good to spend proper time with the girls en masse. And its my birthday next! S x