On a warm and sunny morning, listening to sweet tones of birdsong, to the crackle of jackdaws in the chimneystack, to the crunch of gravel beneath my sandals; keeping alert for wasplike Syrphidae hanging flickering and bees buzzing at eye level; I carried out weeding and deadheading, and righted a few fallen owls.
This afternoon Frances, Jacqueline and Elizabeth visited for tea. Because our guests were all old ladies, albeit rather younger than me, Jackie thought it fitting to provide rindless, crustless, cucumber sandwiches and some of egg mayonnaise to accompany the Setley Ridge Dorset Apple Cake provided by Elizabeth, with large dollops of extra thick clotted cream.
My sister Jacqueline, little pinky suitably extended, enjoys a sandwich,
while Jackie flourishes a plate of cake.
Ellie and her parents came out to join us in the patio, but could not stay in the bright sunshine and needed to return to the sitting room. Our great-granddaughter is now able to wave a hand in greeting with a creditable attempt at saying “hello”. Here Jackie does likewise, but it
was a bit overwhelming for the little girl to reciprocate.
She was more comfortable in the sitting room.
Elizabeth, Frances, Jackie, and I conversed for several hours, reminiscing over shared and unshared memories.
This evening, after the sisters had returned to Elizabeth’s, the rest of us dined on a variety of pizzas with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Moerbei.