Woke up at Mum and Mason's place in Edgware. Lurched downstairs at 9:45 which is probably one of the longest lie-ins I have had all year. Downstairs for coffee before setting off for St Albans. Mason drove us to Tanya and Robert's house and from there went off to eat at the Golden Elephant as another celebration of Mason's birthday. The restaurant does an all you can eat buffet on Sunday and we certainly gave it a good go.

I enjoy Tanya's stories of growing up in the Philippines in the jungle, today she told us about climbing up tamarind trees and getting covered in rashes from caterpillars on the trunks.

After we went for a walk in an area very close to the centre of St Albans that had been reclaimed from railway workings. It is now a small sanctuary for butterflies, with a pond and orchard and areas given over to wild flowers. We also came across a sleeping figure of a woman sculpted from mud in the undergrowth. Quite magical. Tanya arranging a bikini from clumps of moss over her as we left. A tranquil place in the sun.

Plucked then crunched on an enjoyably tart apple before Robert drove me to St Albans station where I only had to wait a few minutes to catch a train direct to Brighton.

Home, and finally reclaiming my mobile phone, I ended up talking to my beloved MJ for a while, and reading an email from Mrs Pie which mentioned "the Kenerelli clan" which made me smile.

Then up the road to see Anton and Anna for some pasta and crisp glasses of white wine. Anton mentioning his "birthday folder" several times. It contains print-outs from the internet of items he wants for his birthday. His tone darkened and grew more insistent when I mentioned I'd be in the US on the day itself.