A start to 2021

We welcomed 2021 by hosting Lindsey, Ian and Stella to lunch at our place on the first day of the year.  I said it last year, and I'll say it again. Starting the year as we mean to go on. Lunches, joviality, conviviality.  Didn't work last year but I'm hopeful ...

Salad platter for our New Year lunch,
accompanied  by seafood and fried chicken

And a New Year present for Brandy and Whiskey from Lindsey:

Jim and I took Stella back to her place on Sunday afternoon, after a fortnight's holiday in Mount Helen.  I think she enjoyed it. We had lunches out and lunches in. We went to the farm shops and to the greengrocery shops. We went to the lake and out into the countryside.  We saw an echidna. Ian cooked her amazing dinners. After a long, long year of lockdowns and restrictions and physical ailments I think she rather enjoyed the opportunity to get out and about and to do some exploring.

She was also quite pleased to get back to her own place, her own routines and her own bed.  Holidays are fabulous and fun and coming home again is a pleasure.

Jim and I stayed over on Sunday night. We had gone down in Lindsey's car rather than in Ziggy, partly because there was a lot of extra stuff to take to Mount Martha as well as Stella's things. Lindsey's car was jam packed full. You would never have got it all into Ziggy. Also, I was hoping to get Tony's electric piano into the car.  On Monday morning I carefully, carefully measured the piano.  I carefully, carefully measured the interior of Lindsey's car.  I calculated that it would *just* fit.  Jim and I slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly manoeuvred the piano out of Tony's study and slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly levered it into Lindsey's car.  I decided to leave the piano stool until our next visit, later in the month.

Then we left Stella in the hands of her carer and took ourselves and the piano home. Lindsey came by to help us move the piano into my study and to swap the cars back.

I can't actually play the piano.  Stella has, quite accurately, pointed out that I had had piano lessons and it is quite true that I did. When I was a child in London. I think I was probably six or seven. We left London when I was nine, so it had to be earlier than that.  I can't actually play the piano in any meaningful sense now.  I can read music. I know what notes the keys on the piano play.  I can pick out a one fingered tune.  That is not actually piano playing.  But it's a start. I have no wish ever to be particularly competent. No concert pianoing for me. But it might be fun to learn to play something. Lindsey has lent me a book for adult beginners.  I have ordered a couple of books online.  I might look into online piano courses.  YouTube is bound to have something!

But not today. Today we are at Rupert and Hugo's place. Freyja and Simon came for a spontaneous lunch (I made a vegan lasagne that I was quite pleased with). Our friend Julia came too for a cuppa and a chat, bringing 10 month old Baby Henry with her.  Rupert and Hugo were absolutely fascinated by Baby Henry. Baby Henry was fascinated by them. A mutual fascination society :-)  And then Rupert and Hugo discovered that 10 month old babies drop food on the floor.  A definite win!