A weekend feasting

We left fairly early on Saturday morning and made our way down to Salisbury, where we picked up The Builder's mother, Gwen, and took her out for lunch. We haven't seen her for a little while, and won't have a chance to see her again before we head off on the World Birthday Tour in four weeks time.  The weather wasn't absolutely delightful so we took her to the Old Mill for fish and chips (burger and chips for me) and then out for a slightly soggy drive around in the countryside.

She was looking very well. Life in Bemerton Lodge clearly agrees with her. She has been positively thriving since she moved there.  The staff appear to be lovely and Gwen certainly seems to like them. And I was impressed, on Saturday, when we were there to collect her at lunchtime, to notice that the residents were being offered fruit juice, water or red or white wine with their lunches (as well as tea and coffee).  Gwen says the food is very good as well, though she is certainly not averse to being taken out to eat by way of a change.

Waiting for fish and chips in the Old Mill

We ran into The Builder's sister and nephew on our way out, after dropping Gwen back. The staff were a bit worried that they had come to visit Gwen, because "Some people came and took her out". Fortunately, Marie had known that we were coming to take her mother out. And had also figured out that we had probably brought her back, since we were there and it was unlikely that we would have left her in the pub!  We haven't seen Marie for ages either.  It was good to catch up with her as well.

Then we made our way to Waterlooville, where we were staying with Jeanette, Matthew, Rebecca and Evie for the night.  Ian, The Builder's son, came over for the evening and we had a merry time catching up with them all,  eating Chinese food and drinking an assortment of alcoholic beverages. Apart from Ian who was driving back home later and had to stick to the non-alcoholic beverages (and Evie who at only 8 is a bit young for carousing!).  We hadn't seem them for some time either.  We probably should Do Better all round when we come from from the World Birthday Tour!

We had a fairly leisurely start to Sunday morning. The Builder and I even managed to sleep in - well by our standards it was a sleep in!  I was up, ready to talk to Stella and Tony at our regular Sunday time.  But I wasn't dressed.  Or I was dressed, it being a bit rude to wander around stark naked in someone else's house, but in my pyjamas and dressing gown.

Evie and Bayleigh hard at work on Sunday morning!

Eventually pretty much everyone managed to get up and dressed for the day and Matthew proved us all with a magnificent Full English Brunch.  Then we left them to get on with things and took ourselves home, where we were greeted by outraged chickens and ducks, who had waited for a whole five hours for their breakfast (although there was still plenty of food in their hoppers so I don't know what all the outrage was about!) and a relatively relaxed Marlo who had eaten all of the extra food that we had left for him but who seemed to be assuming that we would eventually turn up again and give him some more!

And now here we stand on the brink of a new week.  I wonder what it has in store for us all.