Rounders

We're sitting around my chimnea in our back garden. It's kicking off a lot of heat and glowing a beautiful deep shade of amber. It's the first time we've ever used it despite the fact that Nathan bought it for my birthday last year! Now we've broken the duck, I think we're going to be out here most evenings. It's so relaxing. Chatting calmly in the stillness of the night. We're currently talking about weddings and the benefits of sweet trees over flowers and favours. 

We've been on the Heath all day celebrating my birthday under a tree by the bandstand. It was a lovely day, a bit windy at times, but some wonderful people came to share food and play rounders. 

Obviously my team won the rounders. It was massive fun teaching the game to an American and an Australian, who had no idea what was going on. 

Broadway Ian was playing in a pair of Swedish clogs and someone asked if he'd be able to run in them. "Darling" he replied, "I can tap-dance in them!" Surely the quote of the day? 

Daniel, my first ever boyfriend, came with his partner, Matthew. They're in the process of having a baby with a surrogate mother in the States. It's astonishing how life has changed in the last few years. 

My brother arrived with a camera. A wonderful camera which was a gift from my family. 

Deia, Silver and Philippa were there. We played with a huge water pistol - a water rifle, even - which Nathan's father and stepmother brought with them. Deia says she wants to watch people playing rounders for the rest of her life. 

Nathan's parents' dog, Barny, was also there, but he kept getting freaked out by the sound of a starting pistol on the running track behind us, so ended up in the car. Poor thing. He missed out on the joys of the Heath. 

Tina lost a very special ring, and we spent ages searching for it, knowing how much it meant to her. I'm still hoping she'll find it in her bag somewhere or deep in a pocket. 

We went to the other side of the Heath with Tina, Nathan's sister, her partner, Peter and Abbie and Ian to look at the tree with the hole in it, and climb about six other trees... Each of us trying to get higher than the others. A fabulous sunset completed the day, and here we all are with our pizzas, feeling over-full, and hugely contented.