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Food and Friends

The temporary incapacitation caused by this pesky bronchial pneumonia has allowed me to indulge in a prolonged bout of reading. I highly recommend an exceptionally well-written first novel by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, both as a pleasurably bitter-sweet tale and as a seemingly balanced insight into recent Afghan life.

We enjoyed a lovely trip to Chester on Monday. The River Dee had flooded the lower level of the river walk, but I have seen the waters higher on rare occasions. A gorgeous swan came to say hello to me. What beautiful creatures they are; and though to describe them as regal might be an unforgivable cliché, this word truly does belong to these magnificent birds. They can be surprisingly fierce – apparently their wings can break a man’s leg – and yet if you’ve ever watched one sailing along with cygnets hitching a ride on their backs then you’d know how tender they can be also.

We lunched in The Slug and Lettuce, which was rather pleasant, before having a wander round the old city. I bought some rather snazzy stiletto boots. I’ll admit to a fondness for boots… And once we’d wound our way down to the swollen river, we naturally went to our favourite Blue Moon Café for tea and cake – and they do make the most fluffy yummy cakes imaginable!
Chester is easily one of my favourite places. The energy of the place just feels right, somehow.

My mother and sister Evelyn came to visit, too. We had dinner at The Queen Anne in Oxton whose décor was lovely inside. What really caught my eye was the tasteful barn conversion to one side of the pub, though – huge windows, sandstone walls, with a small courtyard in front. I’d love something like that!

Lee and Lyn have just returned from a trip to Cyprus, which they enjoyed. Lee said everything was very expensive, though; they were charged $9 for two coffees and ice-creams.

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