Birthday celebration

It felt strange, not going to today's music session, but I just couldn't fit it into the schedule. I was in town before 9:00 am to get greeting cards and a gift for tonight's 60th birthday party. The intended gift was a special bottle of whiskey, but I'd forgotten that we aren't considered sufficiently adult to purchase alcohol before 10:30, even it is only as a gift. I didn't fancy hanging around town, so made my way back home, stopping off to pick up trousers I'd left in for shortening yesterday (but the shop wasn't due to open until 10:00, so that was another frustration). Not a good start to the day.

Our original plan was for me to be over at Carl's place around 4:00, from where we'd get a DART to Bray and a taxi to Kilruddery House, the party location. But Carl contacted me around midday to suggest that we book into a hotel across from Kilruddery rather than get a taxi home after the party. I readily agreed, and we made the booking. Also, our Bray friends live very close to Kilruddery and had suggested that we call in for a glass and a chat on the way to the party, which (not surprisingly) we'd also agreed to.

We spent a pleasant time with our Bray friends and then continued on to the hotel to check in and leave the car there. It really is just across the road from Kilruddery, so it wasn't any hassle to walk across. The weather didn't permit the planned pre-food drinks to happen out in the garden (how could it be so dull -- and so cold! -- towards the end of May?), so everything happened in the Orangery. The buffet meal was wonderful, and we thoroughly enjoyed the night. Drinks over at our hotel afterwards went on into the early hours. We were surprised that we were the only guests who'd booked in.