The day that Dave built a BBQ

The Sun was actually shining. A lovely summery warm feeling, in the actual morning. Jings! Action stations! Yes, it was time to clear the encrusted bird poo of the seats and make the most of this unexpected second (but undoubtedly last) day of summer. Breakfast outside with Mark and Mel, like yer actual Europeans do it on a balcony, except of course there was no balcony but a rather large wasps nest instead. But we like breakfast with a bit of risk.

Then the girls started plotting, "To Cadonnas!" they said. "To the harbinger of all sort of miscreants and germs as yet unknown to humanity" I silently thought. But they were not for dissuading. With Grace off to see a long lost chum up Fyvie way, luckily, top action hero Val stepped into the breach to drop the giggling girls down to the carnies, a place where me and Dad used to head down to every Friday to bag a goldfish when I was wee.

Meanwhile, back at Vitamin D HQ, I'd persuaded Dave that a BBQ was the way to go, while he persuaded himself that now we were in our 40s, we were finally grown up enough (just) to get a gas BBQ. There would be no more charcoaling it up for us on wee disposables that inevitably became rain catchers in some damp corner of the garden for many months before being actually disposed. Yes, we were now officially going to gas our bangers.

A trip to BBQ, a detour to homebase for gas courtesy of our niece (and soon to be high flying edinburgh university student) Katie, then it was off to the beach for a flyby to the Sandollar and arrive just in time to see the girls living it up on the log flumes.

Back home and the pressure was all on Dave.....to build the BBQ, which took slightly longer than planned....but he got there. Just in time for Val to help put on the finishing touch and neighbours either side Pat, Bill and Ellen, to arrive and have a neighbourly reunion with the Stones.

Despite my complete lack of hostessesing finesse and the Sinclair Stewarties tendency to live like a hermits, we had a lovely night. They even partook of some raspberry gin soaked strawberries. The girls meanwhile, went all modern and taped themselves doing taste dares for youtube or some newfangled online thing.

Mel and I finished things off with a moonlight stroll to walk the newmacher posse down the road, giving them a Kingseat tour special, including the life size naked lady made of disco balls in the tree. In my world, That's a garden decoration belonging to the category, "straight to landfill", along with McDonald happy meal and kinder Egg toys. But each to their own.