Afternoon at Anton's plus glassmates

A happy holiday made up of talking to flesh and blood people. Made off to Preston Park to stand about with my former glassmate crew. Lovely to see them, despite an unforgivingly cold breeze. Sally's birthday and I gave her a card, and a nosegay of hellebores.  Rick feeling sad as two of his mates are very unwell. Otherwise I was given a slice of lemon drizzle, and chatted happily in distanced circles with Fran, Sally, Adele, the two Kates, Jane and her husband Ian. Ben there too and we walked back across the park talking about sacred geometry among many other bits and pieces -- it was so good to see him.

Then the big excitement of the day... Lorraine and I went off to see Anton in his garden, which looked fabulous after he has put lots of effort into planting, and redoing all the brickwork. It felt like being on holiday sitting in the back garden playing a few hands of Euchre. Despite being blinking cold was quite bright and sunny and Anton treated us to delicious olives with hot chillies in them, and barbecued sausages and fries and drank Polish beer and nips of Aquavit, which seems to taste extra lovely in the cold. A very well and cheerful Anne came down too, but only stayed for a short while as it was cold. We all got rather merry as Anton was pouring the Aquavit with some abandon. He said it was our new year's drink. He had prepared an amazing cabbage dish, which Lorraine is going to learn how to prepare too. 

Eventually Lorraine and I masked up and jumped into a cab. Home to cups of tea on the gold sofa. Below Ben and magnolias, Ben and I with magnolias, a well wrapped up Lorraine tucking into a sausage and Anton, and an extraordinary stuffed olive.