Going out…and shielding, Day 143

It’s been a champagne kind-a evening. A belated birthday celebration among friends, with an Indian meal, Cobra beer, Prosecco, red wine — aaaand, champagne! Whoopee-doop! It was Hazel’s birthday a couple of weeks ago, so we celebrated in style this evening – in person!! How exciting was that on a scale of one to ten??

Postponed from our plan two weeks ago because Malcolm had come down with shingles, we finally made our get-together outdoors, in a marquee, socially distanced, to celebrate dear Hazel’s milestone birthday. And what a good time we had. Such was our enjoyment that we chatted, drank, ate our meal, quizzed, drank and chatted some more – until one o’clock in the morning.

Such an enjoyable evening and the first time out socialising since before the lock down in March. Naturally, we were anxious about going out, but our friends assured us that all precautions were in place, so not to worry. And so it was. The marquee, festooned with yellow ribbon to represent the Welsh Daffodil and adorned with yellow and white roses, was set up with plenty of ventilation; the table was laid with the seating well-distanced; and every surface had been cleaned down to within an inch of its life, so that we were all safe.

Nigel strode round to Tamarind’s for the take-away while we all imbibed Prosecco or beer. The take-away was all delicious, carefully packaged up in separate bags for individual couples. The Birthday Cake came out, resplendent with birthday candle, and ‘Happy Birthday’ sung. And then it was Quiz Time. Malcolm was Quiz Master and we took it all very seriously until we’d perhaps had one too many, at which point, of course, we didn’t, and giggled our way through the last few rounds.

Despite our giggles (and possible half-drunken states), we did alright on the quiz and were pleased with our results, and then we drank some more and chatted some more too. Oh, it was so brilliant! Malcolm and Caroline were great hosts, having set everything out beautifully, making sure we had absolutely everything we needed. In fact, it was all so good that it was a bit of a shock to realise the time. Ooops, better get going home!

We were walking, rather than driving, which was delightful. The moon was peeking through the dispersing clouds, creating a silver glow, and the air was so balmy that we hardly noticed the air alongside us. Utterly, utterly, marvellous.

The ol’ man took his time walking there and back and found a few leaning posts on the way, but I was delighted that we managed the walk. He brought ‘Puffing Billy’ with him today, so I’m not sure what that’s all about, so we’ll see in a day or two whether anything needs looking at.

Mind you, he had been working hard today, down at his own ‘man shed’ trying to adjust the doors on it, so I suppose I am not surprised he didn’t feel very ‘breathe-easy’.

I, on the other hand, had had great plans to sort out Andrew’s old room, but in the end fell fast asleep on the sofa all afternoon. So, I felt fresh as a daisy for this evening’s jaunt, as you can imagine!

Despite my general euphoria of having been out and enjoyed myself this evening, I spare a thought for anyone who is unwell this today and, in particular, those who have caught the COVID-19 virus – whether in this country or in the world elsewhere. For the record, however, in the UK 65 people have died from the virus in all settings today, with two reported as having died in a hospital setting yesterday, and six being confirmed for the day before. 892 people are reported as being infected.

Delighted to have tasted a little bit of freedom this evening, I remain cautious and wish everyone a safe passage as we work through the COVID-19 pandemic. God bless you all.