What a fantastic name

For any business really - The Giggling Squid. This particular establishment is on the high street in Marlow, Berkshire. Am down for the night to celebrate my brother's 50th birthday.

Got the train at stupid o'clock this morning after being in a rush and badly parking the car - I'm sort of at a 30 degree angle in a parking bay... I'd put some new music on my little iPod last night, going to bed before it had finished so it'd charge from the laptop overnight. But I got on the train this morning to find absolutely no juice whatsoever in it - or no music on it, it's a shuffle so I'm not sure which. Fortunately I had The Lumineers and Jamie Cullum on my iPhone to drown out the Japanese people across the aisle who occasionally broke out into a bit of a croon.

Got the underground across London then, and the train to Maidenhead. There was a sign part way along the track asking "where is your banksman?", but it was still a bit early in the day for such existential reflection, so instead I focused on some graffiti on concrete posts which said "mine" on every 4th post or so - it reminded me of the seagulls (or was it pigeons?) in an Aardman animation (or was it Finding Nemo?).

My brother's in-laws arrived and we tootled around Marlow in the afternoon - it's a lovely place with lots of little boutique shops and a (seemingly) bustling high street. I could've spent a fortune but, uncharacteristically for me, I stuck to window shopping!

We all wandered from the pack at times so it took a bit of time (and I think even a collie would've struggled to keep us together!) but eventually we were back in the cars and off to a free tasting session at the nearby Rebellion Beer Company. I don't really do beer, so just had a couple of wines. Only 4cl altogether - last of the big drinkers eh lol. Also, I feel really quite uncomfortable getting freebies when I know for a fact that I won't be buying. I am most definitely not my father's daughter in that respect!

We came back to the house for a lovely evening of lamb tagine, wine, cheeses, port and chatting. My sister in law's mum is very drunk...

And now I'm just waiting for my nephew and his uncle to stop talking downstairs so I can get some sleep. To be fair, it's the most I've heard him say in years...

x