The day before

In fact this begins on Wednesday when Mother and Andrew arrived at Dover Priory station at ten past two.

As agreed her friends came to pick her up to take her to the hotel, where they promptly left her as soon as possible with the final words of 'see you Friday evening'. This is what happens when you lie to friends and they find out.

I took Andrew back to our place and cracked open a big bottle of ice cold German beer. and we kicked back and chatted.

We picked Jools up from work just before half six as she had been putting in so many hours trying to clear her desk for two weeks holiday. But they kept finding more work. In the end she had to leave or she would have been locked in the factory all night.

Back here we fired the Weber up, and with beer or wine, personal choice here. And we cooked bugers, some nice buthchers sausages and some mighty fine corn.And so to the day before. Or after. Anyway, Thursday. I picked up Andrew and Mother for a trip out to the game butchers we use. Its a half hour run out to the village, and on a nice sunny autumnal day, nothing quite beats the Kentish countryside. Once loaded with a huge box of various bits of animal, I thought we would try to get Mother into the flat not to be left out of things stuck in her hotel. Once out of the car she asked for a rest while she got feeling back in her legs.

A rest means pause for a cigarette.Apparently.By this time Andrew and I were off into town to pick up the suits with top hats, etc.Back here to finish off the saffron buns I decided to make for those arriving early for the evenings bbq.

Then in the afternoon meet up at the barn with Jools' Dad to deliver the booze and meet up with the organiser, sort out some last minute things, and then back here to chill before the gusts arrived.

Although we did leave the wedding cake in the flat.

So another trip was needed back to the venue to deliver that.About four we started to get messages from friends that there were in there hotels and guesthouses; so I said come on down to the flat for coffee and buns. Soon enough we had more people than we had chairs for, but as it was a fine evening it was nice enough out on the patio watching the world go by.

At seven more people turned up, and yours truly donned his chefs hat and did his duty at the Weber whilst Julie did hers in the kitchen making coffee, splitting rolls and all the other things that needed to be done.Most left about nine, but my two oldest friends stayed until quite late as we progessivly sampled ever more expensive malts from my collection, and over a cigar and a very rare and peaty Islay we reflected on what was a rather good day.