For Maggies

This morning SWMBO and I picked up Bags and Squirrel and headed to The Secret Herb Garden.
We were going there so the girls could take part in a fund raising flower arranging lesson in aid of Maggies ....... a charity which helps people after they or their family have been diagnosed with cancer.

The class was being run by an old school friend  who is a florist from 'down south' and whose best friend (for up here) who has overcome breast cancer but was helped mentally by the good people at Maggies in Edinburgh.

It came as a complete surprise to Squirrel.
I was there to help Squirrel and take some pictures for Heather and Maggies but I rarely needed to step in to help other than cutting the top off the pumpkin and and cutting the flowers to length (under her direction most of the time). She loved getting her hands in to empty the pumpkin and was really intent when directions/hints were being given.
She knew what she wanted and got on with it with some of the women being amazed at how quickly and how well she did things.
Her finished display was really very good for a first attempt.

Afterwards it was back to Bags house which was packed with relatives.
As well as K & M there was the mother-in-law, K's mother there was one of her brothers and niece who had driven up from Manchester for the day.
I was surprised to see either cat with all the noise and commotion that was going on -- the whole lot of them are Jeykle and Hyde characters.

After goodbyes had been said and K & M had left to get the train home to London the rest of us laft Bags and family to have some quiet time and went for a meal.....paid for by one of my sister-in-laws who wasn't even there!

After that SWMBO's aunt, cousin and his daughter got back in their car and headed off back to Manchester.

It has been a great three days seeing this collection of lunatics again - we can't leave it so long until the next time.