Midsummer kiwi xmas

After David's successful appointment (that we had thought would be the last) with Imran and Pete, we had arranged to meet Mick and Julia at our lovely Edgbaston mooring. We had thought it may not happen because Mick had a poorly shoulder and had a day off steering. However they arrived on Saturday afternoon, not long after David arrived back from his post-operative retinal scan check in Lozells.

A big catch up was required as we hadn't seen Team Granger since they had chivvied us from Gayton to Hockley Heath back in mid June.

And Kai had to investigate their boat where she happily took up space on the couch... She remembered them from our surprise lunch for David on the day we arrived back in Debdale. So I am sure she would happily undertake temporarily boat-dog duties on Unknown No 3.

Yes, I can get down those steps - I think this is my cabin, right, Mick?

Yes, this piece of fine Persian carpet was put here specifically for me.

Midsummer kiwi xmas dinner which we ate outside in the warm late afternoon was pretty good, if I do say so myself:

• roast lamb with garlic, yummy meat juices gravy
• roast potatoes
• salads:
• kumara and orange with almonds and bacon
• potato with egg and mint mayo
• beetroot and carrot with cheese, sultanas and balsamic
• green salad from the rooftop allotment
• olives, tomato and basil
• chocolate brownie with berries and yoghurt

Only four of us so plenty to go round. But there were very few leftovers.

No one imbibed too much, although I did try ... We ended the evening with much laughter over a game of 5 Crowns - David won, dammit!

In the morning, OCD Mick came over to fix the case of the out of plumb photo frames he had installed a while ago. They bugged him in their capacity for moving. So now they are screwed in place with fittings top and bottom - carefully measured to ensure plumbness, of course. But he will not use a level!

Coffee, multiple hugs and then they were off for points west - Stourbridge, Stourport, Stourmont, Stourponting or some such.

And they are off! Look how lovely this is, less than a mile from the centre of Birmingham.

We winded and did the stretch back to Hockley Heath in one hit. It was lovely the first couple of times. I am bored with it now ...