A meal to celebrate Nicky's new kitchen...

We had a quiet day home with Charlie today keeping an eye on him save for later in the afternoon when we had been invited to go over and have a meal at Nicky and Mark's to celebrate that finally, after 3 years of blood, sweat and not a few tears, they now have a working kitchen.  I would say finished by they are still waiting for a couple of doors which are en route from Greece I think so photographs will follow in due course so you can see it in all its glory.

I have started to tidy the garden now that it seems to have shaken itself out of winter slumbers.  Keeping an eye on Charlie I started in the conservatory.  I have all sorts of succulents in there and they needed a good tidy up and a bit of water.  I love the way that the water settles in the leaves looking like a diamond.

I then moved out to the garden where the Gazanias are in full flower and in need of dead heading so that they flower for longer.  When they go to seed they go like a dandelion clock and unfortunately most of them end up in the pool.  We have yet to venture in there and with thunderstorms forecast for the weekend we aren't likely to go in there any time soon.

Here is part of the garden which we want to develop a bit at some point.  The gazebo is ancient and John has fashioned a number of different covers since the original met its maker.  Currently there is an eclectic mix of 'brown' stuff which is like the 'green' stuff they put around boundaries like tennis courts but is obviously brown which is battened down and then some leftover triplex from when we did the conservatory.  We have retrieved several pieces from over in the fields after storms.

I wanted to take a couple of little gifts over for Nicky this evening.  She had made me a little terrarium for my birthday so I returned the compliment and made a mini one with a couple of succulents to see if she can manage to keep it alive (she is not renowned for her green fingers!).

I also decorated a small picture frame which I had.  The dandelion decoration was from one of the serviettes I had purchased and which had ended up being posted to the United States for some reason.

She loved them both and I am so pleased.  In fact she wants to try her hand at decoupage herself at some point.

We had a lovely evening - the food was excellent but then why wouldn't it be?  Nicky is a very accomplished cook and with her lovely new sparkly kitchen things could only get better!!!

We had a salad to start which got the old taste buds going and this was followed by a dish of Chicken in a Spinach sauce with lovely roast potatoes and beans and peas and then some little tartelettes which were absolutely delicious - particularly the raspberry and vanilla one (in my opinion, everyone else liked the chocolate ganache but then you know me and things flavoured with chocolate!!!).