Water-lilies

Ben, Alex and I had a wonderful day out in Cambridge, as part of Ben's birthday celebrations. We arrived at the Botanic Gardens before lunch and mooched through the greenhouses, admiring the miniature perfection of the alpines and the green and sweaty exuberance of the tropical house, before heading to the cafe for lunch. We sat outside and were the only people to remain when the rain started - it was soft and warm and not at all unpleasant.

Refreshed and replete, we walked round the remainder of the garden, although most of our time was spent around the rock garden and the lake, which is surrounded by secret avenues through forests of bamboo, and has a set of large stepping stones for those adventurous enough to use them. For some reason I'd always avoided them, but today the water level was low and I went across, which gave me this expansive view across the lily beds.

At 3.30pm we met up with my half-niece at the cafe, and talked almost non-stop for the rest of the afternoon. It was interesting to see the family likeness - I'd always thought Alex took after my father's side of the family, but this was even more obvious when we were with Kaddy. Their noses were surprisingly similar, and both had the same warm golden skin-tone!

Eventually she had to leave, so we headed into Cambridge and sat on the terrace  of the Anchor, which overlooks the Cam, sipping our drinks and watching the punts go by on the river. Leaving the city later in the evening meant that we were able to avoid all the traffic jams, and had a smooth run home to a delicious meal cooked by Pete.