Cool and green

I had a busy morning cooking for our Irish guests. We drove to Morpeth to pick them
up. Mr C and Kevin went to Barter Books in Alnwick but it was hard for K as his sight is very poor now with macular degeneration. And he has a very soft voice so Mr C can’t hear him very well. So one blind and one deaf, but they managed.

I took Trish to Alnwick Garden as she is a keen gardener and had never been. The blip is one of the cool areas, welcome today as we have lost the cool easterly and are now getting warm air from the west. (It rained a lot in the night).

Back home we sat in the shade with coffee and cake and wide-ranging conversation. Now he can’t read so much K watches/listens to YouTube and has some interesting insights into Putin and USA. He has a good memory for names and we listened well but I’m tired from concentrating!

Dinner was much appreciated. We had some salmon on blinis with cream cheese, my home made preserved lemon and dill. Main was the broccoli and feta cake, a tomato, cucumber and pepper salad with a tahini and za’atar dressing, and roast crushed potatoes, blue cheese, chicory, radish and spring onion salad with a honey and grainy mustard dressing. For pudding we had strawberries with framboise and home made orange and lime ice cream.

It’s ages since they have stayed, way before Covid though we did see them last year for Trish’s 80th. We have been friends since her son and #2 daughter were at infant school, before they moved to Ireland, being unable to cope with Thatcher’s Britain.

We weren’t able to go to James’s sports day but daughter sent us photos of him winning
the sprint and the 400 metres. His next dyslexia assessment is due soon. I do hope he’s made progress as he has only one year left in primary school then it’s Middle School.