Thursday

Wasn't yesterday lovely?  It certainly was here although, despite the bright sun, it was still just a little bit too chilly to sit out.  Maybe before the end of the holiday it will warm up.  It makes me realise that we could still have a night frost and that one has to be careful with plants.  Despite that, the sun is really cheering and today looks like more of the same!

I really enjoyed yesterday - some friends arrived for coffee and stayed around for lunch.  I did a very simple lunch of rolls (made fresh that morning so really nice) with ham, cheese and smoked salmon pate with cherry tomatoes, chutney and crisps on the side, so to speak.  It was 'make-your-own'!  Afters was a sort of Eton mess, really delicious..  The best bit was the update chat though.  We could have talked for much longer.

It was a bit of a rush before they arrived but after they had gone I treated myself to another glass of wine and a lazy afternoon - perfect for a holiday.

Tonight I have another friend coming round for dinner and I'm going to do Jack Monroe's cola chicken again although this time I will add some veg and probably some chorizo and smoked paprika.  With rice and some garlic bread, that should do nicely, and there's enough sort of Eton mess left over to make a nice dessert as well.  Easy peasy and, more importantly, yummy scrummy!

Taken at Hyde Hall on Tuesday on the bank of the lake.  Does anyone know what they are?