The last sunny day for a while, not that we were to know this, but the next day it rained and has been raining ever since. As Pippa, Anouk and I are starting to settle into the Coach House we decided to have a few people over for a BBQ.

Jordans, Freemans, Semples, Foresters a Sullivan. i.e. Pippa relatives in London and Amy, our friend from Australia. But as that is basically all the people we know it was a good turn out.

I did a budget shop and picked up the outdoor setting for 30 pounds and the BBQ for 20 pounds. The BBQ is lime green which is very 'noice' and 'unusual' and 'different'. But they fit well into our little garden and with a few blankets and pillows it made for a good space.

I was put in charge of the cooking and on several occasions I pointed out that it has been many decades since I cooked meat and was happy to hand over this responsibility to anyone else. But as the wine and beer were a plenty and the nibbles yummy I was left to my own devices to establish if the meat was cooked. Everyone seemed to like their sausages very well done, or perhaps all our friends are very polite....you be the judge. But the vege stuff was very nice and for some reason was eaten quicker than the meat stuff.

We all sat around the garden and had a dessert of bananas BBQed with chocolate inside thanks to an idea Pippa showed me a few years ago when we were camping. They worked out very well.

Not long after evening the littlins' were getting tired so we said good by to most of the guests and Amy, Pippa and I thought we should carry on regardless in the Half Moon Pub in Herne Hill village. After all Amy did need to catch the train home and the station is in the village and we could not let her walk there alone.

But all up things did not get too messy and I think everyone had a good time. We shall do another in a few weeks when we get the last of our stuff from Dorset in July.