Finally in the pink

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After 57 hours in and around planes, and only a couple of wee cat naps to sustain us, you could understand us questioning our state of wakefulness when we were greeted at Heathrow by a pink wigged crowd. Not many of the passing businessmen appeared to find it a common experience, but being the polite British gentlemen that they were, pretended it wasn’t happening. What a welcome - and what a challenge for when the families next come out to visit us!

The bbq planned for mine and Sheila’s birthdays that evening was in stasis, dependent not on the weather as I presumed, but on our ability to cope with relatives and a party. Venting about the ticket mix-up was cathartic for a while, but it soon grew old, and we were determined it would go ahead.

The cabana had been set up in the backyard. The great British traits of stoicism and preparedness arise I’m sure from their acceptance of wet summer weather. It’s wet? Put up a cabana. It’s also windy? That’s why beachside camping stores carry windbreaks. You’ve planned the bbq? Bring it inside the cabana. We would have given up by now, and cooked it on the grill inside, but not the British, who are determined to ignore adversity.

The anticipated summer rain arrived, though it remained warm. This proved a boon to Sheila, as we did not abandon her to her smokefest, as would be normal, until much later when the SingStar competition commenced. If anyone from Woodley is reading this, I’m sorry - but not repentful enough not to repeat it. Sue was surprisingly good, giving strength to the claim that this is what she does at home during the day, between coffee dates and vacuuming. My skill is mostly enthusiasm, and she and I performed a rendition of “Careless Whisper” that George Michael would find hard to repeat. Sam discovered that alcohol may be sweet, but too much is sickly, particularly when you have to face up to other people’s recollections in the morning. Luckily for him, but not so much for Sue, he removed all traces of evidence from his system before bed.

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