Summer Visitors

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic, but pleasurable, with quite a house-full. Firstly Nick came home with GF, Sarah. She's now gone to Switzerland (as you do) then our friend Eileen pitched up to help us redecorate after we had some plasterwork done. As we were putting Sarah on the plane we collected Hanna's sister Katy and husband Joost from the incoming Amsterdam flight. The next move will be on Thursday when we put Nick on the plane to Prague for a long week-end. The snag is that we have to be at the airport by 5 am! What were we thinking, Nick? (He hasn't seen 5 am since Christmas 2002).

Nick played a charity gig at Grafham Church with Pablo's Army, otherwise known as the Blues Band, which includes loads of musicians from his old school. It was great fun, and really slick, given that they only had a day to get an act together after all being at University for a year.

Katy and Joosts' visit was a lot of fun too, because we happened upon one of the best events of the year. The village of Hemmingford Abbots  holds an open gardens festival every other year. The Tourist Board would have you believe that this is a typical English village, but actually, it is an extremely wealthy and exclusive location, close to the river and market town of St Ives.

However, it's a brilliant day out because you can go and gawp in people's windows, mostly at the swimming pool or gym, or you can go and appreciate, and criticize, wonderful gardens without having to lift a hoe or a spade. The whole event speaks volumes for the community as they have worked together to produce a world-class day out. As well as gardens we saw vintage cars, bicycles, tractors and Morris Dancing, an art exhibition, cake sale, plant sale and more. Then we had tea while listening to a first class concert put on by the Huntingdonshire Concert Band, which includes quite a few professionals as well as talented amateur musicians. 

Then on Sunday we went to Cambridge to generally poke around the colleges and to put Katy and Joost safely on their plane home. Joost is off to Austria on Monday.