The morning after...

Next day dawned bright and hangover-less (that's the joy of tea!) and I wandered around taking more pictures of Helen and Dave's lovely house. I'd slept under a quilt she made, which is quite the loveliest thing. I couldn't quite get it stuffed into my overnight bag...

She has inherited some lovely things from her parents, including these two seats covered in 1970s fabric...

On the landing sits this little blue chair, and a beautiful cupboard, with three panels painted by Helen. Elsewhere, a cushion up-cycled by Helen from a tiny quilt she made...

One surprising addition to the decor was discovered in the shape of various heights recorded by some of the guests the night before, next to where the kids' heights have been noted...!

As the five of us sat around the table chatting, breakfast moved into brunch, with home-made sourdough bread, mushrooms and eggs  - Dave wandered out into the garden and came back with a couple of very fresh eggs which he placed in my hands. One was warm, the other was verging on hot - as if he'd had his hand under the chicken's back end, waiting for the egg to plop out! And it was a double-yolker!

The duo suggested that (if they really felt they couldn't come empty-handed) folk might bring a copy of their favourite book as a birthday gift  and my contribution was Four Hedges by Clare Leighton. It's a book filled with Leighton's own beautiful wood engravings, and is a gentle, and affectionate, account of a year in the life of her garden - which seemed appropriate for this pair. We headed out into their garden to say hello to the chickens. They are huge things, up close! But their feathers are soft and lovely, and their gentle calls are so sweet!

Into the studio for a last wistful look around (so much lovely stuff, so little money!) and to have my vase photographed and wrapped up for the journey.

Until next time! xxx

*******

The journey home was almost as long-winded as the journey there, with delays and crowded trains, but, as always, my 'creative' eyes were opened by spending time with these loveliest of friends, and I amused myself by taking all sorts of photographs while I waited at different stations...

And look, moiré fringes - which my brothers taught me about, using the net curtains on the kitchen door, when I was very young. At the same time, they also tried to get me to learn the lyrics to 'She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!' by the Beatles, which appalled my mum, but that's another story!

Bus, train, replacement bus, train, cancelled train, bus...

A joint birthday bash for two dear friends meant a bit of a trek to the Midlands - well worth it tho'! C was off in Bath with the Gorgeous Girl, exploring fashion courses there, so I missed having his company - but it meant I concentrated on reading my book in between hopping on and off various modes of transport!

Norfolk really is pretty flat, and the wind-turbine thingies seemed to be looming on the horizon forever, never appearing to get any closer. A cancelled train at Nottingham meant a short walk through town to the bus station - I've been to Nottingham before with Helen and Karen, and it's a pretty cool and funky place, even on a dull Saturday afternoon.

It's always lovely arriving at the homes of creative friends - so much to look at! New artwork on the walls, little vignettes of things dotted round the house and this time four big, bold chickens to meet. All this and a new studio out in the garden to explore, complete with recent ceramic pieces to covet! Two other good friends had arrived early from Newcastle, so there was time for conversation and the grand tour of the house, garden and studio, before everyone else arrived.

On the kitchen wall.

In the studio, part of a series of 40 vases, each a one-off. I bought the one furthest left in the middle row. Beautiful.

Dave's hand-built printing (not fruit!) press.

Of course, the main reason for visiting was to help two old young friends celebrate their birthdays, so we helped with final preparations and then settled down to wait 'til the party got properly started.

A chat while we waited.

Glasses, ready to be filled.

Soon enough, the house was filled with all sorts of lovely people, and the front room given over to Eaves and the Thieves, who sang beautifully all evening, with an ever changing, and appreciative, audience as we all took turns to sit in and listen. My kind of music/venue/folk.

I did my (now) usual thing of drinking tea all evening (I've decided it really is what I prefer) and luckily got into conversation with Jon,  a lovely chap after my own heart - the glitter-sprinkled, chocolate cupcakes (forty of them) clearly needed to be eaten with a cup of tea, so off we scurried to the kitchen, like kids up to mischief, and on went the kettle. Grand!

Friends brought along food, and the table was soon groaning under the weight of all manner of lovely edible things, and the house got busier and noisier, filled with music from the Thieves, and people having lovely conversations.

Birthday smooching beside the birthday sparklers and birthday cupcakes.

As someone who has gone to bed at what I thought ought to have been the end of one of my own parties, with guests still there (who all ended up finding me after half an hour, and piling on the end of the bed), I'm clearly not a late night sort of person... But, because we were staying over, I am proud to say that I was one of the last ones standing! Ta dah! (And, technically, the last one to leave, albeit not until next day...!)

Happy Birthday, you two.