Birthday tea ...

I don't know if our friends Michael and Charlie knew that I was unlikely to have baked a cake for Mr PB's birthday or if they were just having a spontaneous moment of loveliness, but whatever the reason they brought round these amazing cakes this afternoon for a bit of birthday indulgence, meaning that as the darkness fell on the raw wet of the afternoon we could sit round the fire drinking coffee and choosing which cake to eat. 

In honour of this unusual situation, I ferreted in the cupboard and found Grandma's wedding china (saucers and plates, but not one surviving cup) and mother's silver teaspoons and cake forks tied up in a special yellow duster with compartments for each individual item. (Actually the cake forks, which were what I needed, are stainless steel and therefore perfectly usable; the spoons would have needed a fair old rub with the Silvo wadding, and the sugar tongs would have taken the whole afternoon to rid them of the black tarnish.)

So there you have it - phone calls from sons and grandchildren and sister-in-law (his) and two visits from friends. Last night we were out for dinner with other friends.  I have to say it's a long time since I enjoyed someone else's birthday so much!