Some Lazy Hazy Days Of Summer

It's been absolutely roasting since we got back from St Andrews and we've enjoyed a couple of fairly lazy weeks in the sunshine getting back on top of the garden and mostly pottering about, reading and managing to find time to finish the crosswords (me) and Sudoku (Marion) in The Times.

We have managed to get out of the house a couple of times. Marion's car was due to be serviced so we spent an enjoyable morning basking in the sunshine on the much underrated Ipswich waterfront.

Last week we were invited to London by Cumberland Place Financial Management (who manage our money) for their summer party. They've had some great venues for these parties over the years and this one was no exception. 

Arriving early in Liverpool St, we decided to walk to Trafalgar Square via St Paul's. It was a good walk with plenty of sights to take in and it passed an hour or so before we were due at The National Portrait Gallery.

Here we were treated to a fabulous array of nibbles and canapés plus a wonderful assortment of cocktails and fine wines (sadly driving prevented me from taking advantage of this).

We were given a private viewing of the gallery's Michael Jackson On The Wall exhibition.

Off the wall would have suited better.

Jackson actually commissioned this portrait before he died. I think Freud would have had a field day working this one out. It was a very interesting event even if the art was somewhat strange.

I said we've been doing some reading and must mention this book, The Seed Collectors by Scarlett Thomas. It's not particularly highly rated on Goodreads but I loved its filthily anarchic style and look forward to reading more by this author. At the moment I'm almost through reading Matt Haig's How To Stop Time - an interesting idea and an easy read.

We had to turn to Twitter and Instagram for help when this mysterious bloom arrived in the garden. We hadn't planted it and didn't know what it was but thanks to the wonders of social media we knew a few minutes later that it is a Yucca. Not sure what we're going to do with it yet. 

On Sunday it was time for our grandchildren Catherine and Teddy to have their birthday party. It's not their birthdays yet but with school breaking up and friends due to go away they wanted to hold it when their friends could make it. The theme was "Glow In The Dark" and a local club was chosen for the venue. 

The children's talented granny made costumes from material that glows under UV

And great fun was had by about thirty kids aged from two to about seven

Some of the older kids loved it too.

It was a great theme, the entertainer who provided the disco and bubbles/snow machine was brilliant and the food provided by Paul and Josephine was amazing.

Even the cake fitted in with the scheme.

We're off to London again on Friday to join the protest rally against Trump. I'm wearing the Suffolk League Of Angry Women T-shirt in support of a friend who can't make it. Should be an interesting day.