Hosting lunch and getting out

So, having hosted Thibault and Clarissa for lunch last week I lined up another visitor for lunch in my garden, my mate John from Hampstead. But in the meantime I got an unexpected visitor, namely my next door neighbour's son. 

To explain, his uncle is an electrician who had come round to replace my fuse box. And he brought the lad along to help - handing him tools etc - no doubt also partly as the boy was bored. Anyway, being Albanian conversation was easier with the boy. It turned out he has a lively interest in history and he was most impressed that my father had actually fought in the last war. Then his uncle decided to send him down the road to buy some pastries for lunch, and offered to get one for me. So I ended up in the garden having lunch with my new friend! Really nice lad. And note the remarkably good looking haircut courtesy of his dad!

I was showing off my zoom lens!

 Monday arrived and so did my anticipated lunch companion John. He brought fresh bread, I supplied everything else. Really nice lunch. Lot of catching up to do.We have been friends for over 35 years, although needless to say more recent events dominated the conversation, some of them nice, like how he spent Father's Day with his sons.

And then today the big event; my first time out of the front gate in over 3 months. Actually my friends saw this as a bigger event than I did. They seemed to think I was tantamount to an acrophobic. But I just didn't want to take a risk without it being worthwhile. And given weather and being a weekday morning with fewer people around (and infection rates so low)  I judged risk was close to zero. And I actually had a gain to be made, namely to meet my friend Elaine and plunder a local garden centre.

So I duly got dressed for the occasion.

And then immediately dumped the facemask. I had acquired a box of 50 from Boots. Unfortunately they lacked one vital quality. The ability to be used. The loops to go round the ears simply snapped off. After getting through three I gave up and just headed out.

As it turned out, the Great Outdoors is very much as I remember it, but with better weather.

Fortunately Alexandra Palace is just where I had left it 3 months ago.

 There are some nice places to walk on the slopes down from the Palace

But as I say I had a destination in mind. Basically just filled a trolley with plants. Fortunately they deliver. Would have struggled to get this lot back in carrier bags!

 So that is what will be joining my garden next week.

Hydrangeas starting to flower. 

 

Open for visitors!

So after three months of lockdown I am open to (outdoor) visitors!😀

I had arranged to host Thibault and Clarissa for lunch today. But on Saturday afternoon I got a call while sitting in the garden from Thibault's mother asking if I would like a doorstep visit.

"Of course" I reply. "Where are you?"

"At your doorstep!" So that was a nice surprise. We had a decent chat in the garden before they wended their way back to Caledonian Road.

And then Sunday I got my usual food supply delivery from Elaine, but this time she didn't have to hurry back, so she too came into the back garden for a nice chat.

And finally to today and my scheduled visit. Long trek for them by bike from South London, but as they said, not much longer than by public transport. And better exercise.

Was lovely to be able to host. I had gone for the fatted calf approach. Salmon and tuna sashimi to start, then home-cooked ham and brie with sourdough bread and an avocado, tomato and mozzarella salad. But just so nice to see them again after all this time. Even at a range of two metres.

Otherwise has just been a week enjoying the sun in the garden and pleasingly continuing to lose weight. Have now dipped below 70 kilos, and lost more than 10 kilos since lockdown began.

And although I do half an hour on the cross trainer every morning and a strength workout every other day, basically I am just sitting the garden soaking up the sun, not pounding the streets.

So cue for a lot more garden photos.

 

Well to get a butterfly you need to accept a little collateral damage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And finally, for the inside, peonies this week