MILEOMETER PARTY

We held a Garden Party on Sunday to celebrate 2 birthdays: Iain turns 70 and I turn 65! The weather held and the sun shone with only occasional clouds scudding over. Every single person there appreciated the blue skies as we could just as easily been doused by heavy showers!

These tulips really like the cool to cold hallway in the building. From being very droopy (like I feel sometimes) they were bold and upright in perfect symmetry - pure chance! - after 24 hours in a vase on the window ledge. The vase is Iain's mother - Wedgewood).

Some years ago Alastair gave me this yellow Glasgow Smiles Better Mr Men figure (i.e. it was used in 1990s when they were revitalizing the city). He normally sits on my top bookshelf but I hung him out here on the gate so people could find their way in. The See-You-Jimmy hat is mine. I wear it on the boat at the Ladies' and Cadets' Race when I am forced to take the tiller and Iain shouts "No push it in the other way!" I have a fetching red boiler suit to match (which I don't wear in the Race as I wouldn't want to lower the tone...!)

Flowers from Kay and David which are a joy and will last for weeks and weeks in the cool hallway giving joy to all my neighbours en route to the outside door.

Champagne for Iain from Bill and Connie. Before the days of recycling Bill was already into this sort of thing. The blue tape and personalized card will have some wonderful story to it; probably he dug them out of his attic when he was searching for something to wear to the party. His sartorial idiosyncrasies might include: an Oxford rowing eight blazer, his granny's semmet (Scots for vest) and probably plus-fours with multicoloured socks for port and starboard!