Toby meets and greets

Breakfast. Lorraine zooming off to do Story Time at the library, and take Pat and Maureen some fish and chips. A bright pleasant morning. Tobs and I went into the garden, and then went for a decent stroll by the sea. Passed Maureen and we waved at her. Then continued to Splash Point. There the sky, which had been steadily darkening, unleashed hail and icy rain on us quite enthusiastically. Stood dripping in a shelter for a bit, but ended up legging it back into town and going to a small cafe, one of those time travelling moments where you feel you have stepped back into the 1960. You are waved away from the counter, and when the person arrives, her first question is will we be paying together or separately. A quick beverage there, and then off to Pat and Maureen's place, where Lorraine was. Maureen on sparkly charming form, and both of them happy to see Toby. I don't think they've met him before -- but Maureen seems to think so.

After a bit, Lorraine Toby and I made off and had a bite to eat in the Lanes Eatery. Home and we drove immediately off to see Beth and James, and mainly stood about in the back garden looking sadly at the huge tree that had snapped and fallen onto their summer house, and the neighbour's shed and back fence owned by yet another neighbour. This happened earlier in the week, all a bit galling. Beth doing okay, and really showing her pregnancy now. It's all very exciting.

Just a quick visit, then back home for a bit of an afternoon power down before heading off to the Old Boot Inn. A bumper crowd of folks there today, many of them eager to meet Toby, and hear about life in Washington DC.  Steve, Chris, Adele and Patrick, Yvonne and Brian, and Brian's pal Martin, Guy and Barbara, Kate and Andrew, and Debbie. Toby enjoyed himself, and a few beers were drunk before we repaired home at around nine thirty or ten. Lorraine, Toby and I had eaten in the pub too. Toby enjoyed a couple of pints of Mother in Law, a mixture of Harvey's Old Ale and Best Bitter.

Below a pasque flower that suddenly appeared in our garden, and the colour of the sea and a snap Toby took just as we were leaving the Lanes Eatery. I took some snaps in the pub but nobody would thank me for putting those here.