New Year's Birthday Eve

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Back in London, Kyle and I joined the Pattons, Briony and "Christmas Joe" on another trip out of the city to Whitstable for Alec's birthday (you cannot say the name of this town without sounding english). An hour or two south of London, Whitstable is oyster heaven, or rather oyster hell and oyster-lovers heaven. The town is right on the water with mud/sand flats for what seems like miles off shore, though it might just seem so because of the treacherous walking. The stoney beach actually has more shells than stones and we went down to add to the collection with our oyster feast. Birthday lunch was had at a lovely little restaurant, surprisingly gourmet given the size of the town. I had a chocolate desert served with whisky jelly! Good though it was, I don't know that I would list jelly as my preferred form for whisky.


We followed up with drinks from the pub. I can't say in the pub because we took ours out onto the beach so as not to disturb the other patrons with our roudy behavior and loud singing: "...and the captain said: we're going this way that way forward and backward over the irish sea..." christmas joe will have to give you the rest bc I can't remember it, but it was great fun. Almost as much fun as trying to keep our beers' trajectories going straight from glass to mouth rather than escaping to our shirts and neighbors due to the wind.
More oysters on the way to the station and then naps on the train to rest up for the night!


We all cooked a big meal back at Alec and Briony's and ate our plenty with plentiful wine. We hadn't even had birthday pie yet when it was nearly midnight and time for champagne. The most remarkable thing happened just as we were all getting ourselves together, about to gather around the table, the first bottle of champagne popped itself!! Which prompted us to hurry up and start pouring it round just as the clock struck midnight. I loved it.
Then Alec and Andrew made us all Tom and Jerry s (you'll have to ask them what exactly is in it- all I can tell you is it's powerful!) and Alec read us a story all about the drink from the book that inspired Guys and Dolls the musical. Full of foolery and merriment.
We finished the night falling asleep to the hit british sitcom Dr. Who (I think I dropped out around episode 4 but I wasn't the last)

Happy new year to you all and stay posted for news from the rest of the time in London and next Paris!

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Photos

Shell Beach
our first picnic spot

picnic
'wait, which one was I eating?'

contemplating the approaching hour
(this was not posed)