Chayse

For the first time since Helen’s wedding in 2019, I saw my school friends together. There have been at least three new child additions since then as well as various other life events such as house purchases, job changes, and sadly, cancer.

We gathered in Helen’s garden at 10.30am, which is apparently a normal meet-up time when you have a young family. It was wonderful messing around all day, playing with the kids’ toys, drinking coffee and eating classic Staffordshire oatcakes with chayse (cheese) and bacon. We did periodically have to retreat indoors because it was chillier than acceptable for early July, but I shall refrain from commenting further on the weather.

Later I went back with Nicola and Tom to their place, where since I last visited a menagerie has sprung up. I accompanied Tom on the feeding round, here filling a trough for some greedy guzzlers. The massive 9-month old puppy to the left of the scene (can’t remember the breed, some sort of alpine rescue dog) is in a truculent phase and gnawed on my hand the entire evening. Resistance was futile.