Weekend in Somerset and Party Celebrations...

SATURDAY

Saturday was a cold, dry and bright day, so cold that we had to defrost the car before discovering the delights of Sherborne which is, compared to Yeovil, a bustling and thriving town and I think this is because the regular high street shops have been replaced by small independent and interesting establishments run by people with a real interest in their clients and their products.

I could have bought a million things from a beautiful shop called Forever England.  In their sale they had exquisite quilted and quintessentially English bedspreads that were really reasonably priced but unfortunately too big for me to bring back! 

I was telling Hazel that I could remember making a massive quilted bedspread by hand with hexagonal patchwork pieces - it took me years and for some reason I decided to get rid of it.  How I wish I had it now as it would look so lovely in our bedroom.

Anyway back to this shop there were scarves and throws and bedding and bed wear, mugs and trinkets and I wanted them all!!!

This was just one of many shops with lovely and individual items on sale.

We stopped for coffee in the Three Wishes where Hazel came out with one of her classic statements.  Such a classic that I nearly spat my coffee across the table when she announced, quite loudly, that at Christmas she had, apparently, a lovely little bear poking out of her bush at the front!!



We spent a couple of lovely hours wandering around Sherborne looking at the lovely shops and the buildings and noting that there were loads of people doing exactly the same and they looked happy and smiley enjoying the experience unlike the people we had passed in Yeovil a couple of days before who looked as sad and tired as their surroundings.

Our evening was spent at the Lord Nelson Inn in Norton Sub Hamdon which is a super old fashioned country pub.  This was Hazel's choice for celebrating her birthday.  Blow me if the first person I saw on arrival was my cousin's son Robbie - last seen as a teenager and now a strapping 30 something bearded and married man!!!

We were joined by Jordan and Abi (Hazel's son and daughter in law) and her long term friends Sid and Karen.  It was a lovely evening although we think there was something a bit 'iffy' with the wine because we all felt a bit unwell afterwards - not from the volume by from the taste - it was a bit acidic!!

SUNDAY

Today I had arranged a little get-together with a small group of friends to celebrate my forthcoming big birthday and I had opted to get them together at the Green Room for Sunday Lunch - this was to be my treat for the people I would have spent my birthday with had I been in the UK.

I had asked if we could be accommodated downstairs in the vaulted cellar so that we could make as much noise as we wanted.  The Green Room used to be called The Hole in the Wall and it is where I met John 30-odd years ago.  It was a bit of a dive in those days but was always busy and in order to make ends meet I used to work behind the bar.

The people who came did not necessarily know one another at the beginning of lunch but after a tentative start everyone was chatting and enjoying themselves.  I have to say a massive thank-you to Catherine and Steven, Sally and Tommy, Laura and Mark, Gemma and Mark, Jordan and Abi and Haze for joining me and to the staff at the Green Room for providing a fabulous venue and fantastic food and great service.  Absolutely full marks to everyone concerned it was just lovely and thanks to Sally and  Tommy for kindly giving Hazel and I a lift home.  It was so lovely to have such a select group of fabulous people around me - I felt truly blessed.

This evening I cannot believe that I am watching a programme on which there is a singing tree or at least someone singing in a tree costume - is this really what prime time weekend TV has come to???  The Tree was preceded by a singing Octopus and followed by a singing Daisy, Monster and Fox - I feel I have slipped into an alternative Universe - god help us!!!  Actually if I had been a child I would have found this somewhat scary!!!