Celebrations

Up to Hampstead this morning, fiddling with my poem on the train. A gorgeous sunny day, I arrived early at Hampstead tube station, so popped into Waterstones for a cup of tea and bought Giving up the Ghost, an autobiographical book by Hilary Mantel. Met mum, and we walked all the way down to Belsize Park looking in the kinds of clothes and shoe shop windows that have no visible prices. In one there was an elegant reindeer decoration, and mum pointed at it and made the shop people laugh. Eventually we found ourselves in The Roebuck, just opposite The Royal Free hospital. We had a bite to eat and a drink sitting either side of a table on plush bench seats, one much lower than the other. I swapped with Mum after she began to look like a hobbit. Mum said that she remembered watching people come into the Roebuck from the hospital when she had her cancer in 2008. A lot to be grateful for in her continual health. As we left mum told the man behind the bar that she was only paying because she couldn't run fast enough. 

We sauntered uphill back to Hampstead station, fond farewells. I then walked down the lovely streets to West Hampstead. Home at an impressive 5:30, and almost immediately Lorraine and I walked off to a local restaurant called Vicini Vicini to celebrate Beth's birthday. Pat and Maureen behind helped out of Beth's car, by Beth and James. In the restaurant we met Julie and Andy. Julie speaking to the manager in Italian. A cheery atmosphere and we all had fun. We were also celebrating the fact that Maureen and Pat now owned their home and they, very kindly, paid for the meal. Also celebrating Julie and Andy moving in together soon. 

Beth and James dropped Pat and Maureen home, and Lorraine and I sauntered back, nice to be warm indoors. Walked 17k paces today.

Below Mum admired the bubbles in her glass of cider, and James and Beth on her birthday.