Sunday 17th July 2011

Its midday on Sunday, and we are, or I am, pooped to the extreme.

Just before four on Friday afternoon, I powered down the company laptop, and thought about what we should do over the weekend. We had invited friends down, but heard nothing for three days.



My mobile chirped.

"We're now leaving London, I've not told the others, is it still alright for us four to stay?"



OK I hear myself say. Four people staying; we have a large enough house, but one bed. So, wait for Jools, she rings her dad to borrow the airbed. Then, go to Tesco to get some supplies for a bbq as the weather was fine enough. I post a comment on the PEO group to let them know of the events, and was informed that at least two of them are vegetarians. Jools was already at Tesco with a shopping list for meat, meat and more meat.
Thanks to the wonders of mobile phones, I called her and she went on the hunt for veggie burgers and veggie sausages.



Jools returned loaded with shopping and the air bed. We have a pump to inflate the bed, we put the sheets on the beds, and sat down to wait and wait.

Thanks to the interwebs and Facebook, i was kept up to date with their progress. Right on time, 45 minutes late they tune up, and Sam unloads case after case of stuff. I later find out its all laptops and camera equipment, very few clothes.

I light the barbie and get ready the food. Although, Bruce, being an Aussie soon takes charge to ensure that the food is actually cooked. We sit down outside and have our food, and then the others connect their laptops, phones and i pads to our hub and go about updating their various digital lives. Sam does a few gigs for Fivr, and we hear him ranting on video at some poor company.



We head out to see the sunset from the cliffs by the Dover Patrol monument, and then drive down into the bay as the full moon rises over Calais. It was a stroke of luck, and there was a scramble for cameras and tripods to get shots.



Once back home, I find that Bruce is a fan of cycling, and I had just taped that day's stage of Le Tour; so we sit down to watch, and Sam and I share a few very large wee drams. It was nearly one by the time the cycling ended and Sam and I had drained our glasses for the last time.



Sometime around half six, Jools got up to feed the cats. I slept on. For a while, as Mulder came up to the bedroom and jumped on the bed, meowing for some attention. I woke up. Slowly.



We came downstairs, had a coffee, tidied up and waited for the others to emerge. The weather forecast was dreadful, and they were bang on. After a bright start, the wind hwled and the rain lashed down, getting heavier as they day wore on.

By half eleven, everyone was up, had breakfast, updated their digital lives, and we decided to head out. Quite what to do on such an unseasonal day was tricky. We decided that the new Turner Contemporary in Margate would be fine, as it was:

a. Inside
b. Free
c. Arty
d. free
e. dry
f. Not golf
g. free



Even trickier was how to get to the other side of Thanet dodging the golf traffic. That we did by going down some narrow country lanes, twisting and turning past churches, farms and orchards.

The rain continued.

We drove across Thanet, and then along to coast once we had driven through Acol; although we did not stop for a rubber or two of bridge.



We drove into Margate, along the prom, dropping the others off at the gallery, then sam and myself drove to the carpark at the Lido and walked the 5 minutes back.

The gallery was quite busy, due to being free and the weather, but as ever the installations were great, especially the twirly light one. We stayed for an hour or so; I started to snap people rather than the installations.



Once we had all had our fill, we headed out to a place we know for lunch. We had given them the choice of eating sane or crazy; they chose crazy; and so we made our way to the Mad Hatter's tearooms. I did not snap them yesterday, as I did a year or so back, and it is as crazy as ever, with Christmas decorations, the Diana shrine, hundreds of photos on the wall, original Victorian fixtures and the proprietor in top had with price attached. The Mad Hatter.



we had a fine lunch, some had sandwiches others had cream teas. We had two teapots, two jugs of milk, a pot of hot water, cups of coffee, milkshakes; all of which with the plates of food, filled the table. We ate well, and sat back happy.

Time then to fetch the cars so only the drivers got wet, and then back home to watch more of Le Tour and get ready for the evening, as we had booked dinner at the Grover Ferry Inn.



As we were driving back from Margate, the commentator at the golf said he saw blue sky; it was hard to believe as it was still raining here. But in time the clouds cleared and the sun came out. By the time we left for the pub, the sun was shining and a wonderful golden light was over the land. All quite amazing as it was pretty much the same route we had taken that morning, but the land looked so different, and so very glorious.



The pub was everything we knew it would be; we had a table overlooking the quayside and the river beyond. we ordered our food and waited. And it was indeed good, I had handmade burger with fries and wasabi coleslaw. Very good, followed then by a very fine cheeseboard, which did indeed come on a board with a good selection of crackers too.

Back home then past Sandwich as the golfers should have been all tucked up in bed, and then onto Deal, along the coast road as the full moon lit up a huge cloud and made the most perfect silver lining. Having had a couple of beers and a glass of wine, I did try to takea picture from the moving car of the scene. Needless to say, it didn't come out. Oh well.

Back then so Bruce and I could watch the end of Le Tour, and in the end hot the sack at half one.

And so soon after getting up, having breakfast, our friends loaded the car and headed off. Now the house is quiet, except for the sound of Billy Bragg as one of his albums spins on the record player. We have put the house back together, in that furniture has been moved out of the bathroom, the airbed deflated, and now the cleaning is done, it must be time to sit on the sofa with a cat and watch more of Le Tour.