La Fête de l'Indépendance

Yes, I know it's not the 4th of July. But every year we celebrate our own personal Independence Day: the 4th of July was the day we officially left the UK in 1997. It's a bit of a movable feast, and since we couldn't do it on the 4th this year we decided to do it on the 14th instead.

In the past we've invited up to 40 people to the garden for a massive buffet that would take us two days' solid slog in the kitchen to prepare and several hours to clear up after. For the last few years we've kept it simpler. Access to our garden is tricky for ageing friends since it involves walking down a steep, stony, rutted track. So nowadays when we want to invite friends and eat outdoors, we usually adopt a simple solution: set the table in the street. The menu was simple too: salad, couscous, summer pudding -- all of which could be prepared in advance.

There's a little placette next to our house which is perfect for the job. A dozen friends, copious food and wine, a warm evening with a bit of a breeze but not enough to be too chilly. Perfect! I was so busy that I only took about 3 photos, so this will have to do. I even forgot to photograph my beautiful summer puddings, which turned out perfectly (hat-tip to Bundle for the idea).

After two late nights, we're planning on a quiet day today. I did manage to drag myself out of bed to do 20 lengths in the pool (air: 20C, water: 23C).