In the Courtyard
Joanna in Dartington Hall Gardens
Tracey’s young son, Jamie, picked me up at Reading station later in the afternoon and after sorting out my mail and making all the bookings for Henley Regatta at Phyllis Court in the summer ( they have to be done way in advance if you want to get the best seats in the restaurant and on the deckchairs) I handed them in and met Jilly for a game of snooker there. Two hours later we tootled up to Wargrave where Paul and Debbie had invited us to supper. Delicious meal and cosy atmosphere – a lovely evening. (I spent part of the evening with my hands over my ears as, having missed the much heralded explosive episode of ‘Eastenders’, I didn’t want to know what had happened before I caught up with my recording of it.)
Yesterday morning Gill Dodds, the Mayor of Henley, was in the main square of Henley where she’d inaugurated a fund raising event in the shape of ‘A Mile of Pennies’. People came from all over and soon Falaise Square was a hive of activity. I took a bag full and saw Paul and Debbie there. Paul was doing his usual great job of enticing the crowd. We trotted along to the Cafe Rouge and had a late breakfast then headed back to the money mountain. Vince and Annie Hill were there by then.
Martin, Vince, Paul, Richard, Debbie, and Annie
On Wednesday I was part of a team at the annual Phyllis Court Quiz Night. Held in the ballroom there were 12 tables of 10 people each. After a nice supper, the very talented chairman for the evening, together with his half dozen acolytes, started the proceedings. He’s an ace with the computer and had spent months preparing the 100 or so questions that were projected onto two large screens. The last time I went to the quiz evening out table managed to come last and were awarded wooden spoons. (I still have mine and use it for whisking up scrambled eggs). But this year, lo and behold, we won! As we were competing with Probus members and the Tennis Section, plus other intellectuals, we gave ourselves a little pat on the back and walked away with our prizes – a free dinner at the Club.
I’ve just planted about thirty double begonias on my back balcony, and as the day is still glorious I think I’ll spend the next few hours cleaning my big boat.