Knightshayes

Having videoed cat, and recorded Shakespeare, was a full enough weekend, but also we fitted in a walk round the Knightshayes garden.

Visiting Devon

Mother-in-law has a little cat, an old little cat, a slightly potty, old little cat that walks round and round her arm chair. Old little cat is called Sooty, has only one eye (accident when a kitten) and may be has a neurological problem. Last time I saw her, she was shy and hid, but this time she didn't run away from me, just plodded round and round.

Dancing

I do a dancing class once a week lunchtimes at work. We're practising to do a performance in June. Scary!

New Greek restaurant in town

Husband and I have just eaten here, and enjoyed a good meal, with enthusiastic service.

The restaurant has been open only a few days, and the staff are nervously keen to please. They hover almost too much, asking if everything is all right. It is. The starter dolmades were delicious and my husband was happy with his pitta bread and taramasalata. My lamb kebab was fine, and the rice cooked just right. I thought the Greek salad might have included black olives, but it didn't. Husband was happy with his delicious sea bass, but the rice that was supposed to come with it never did - an oversight I'm sure from new staff, just beginning to get into their new job.

The retsina wine that accompanied the meal was just right in pine tree flavour and temperature. And it is rare that you can get a retsina.

The setting is clean and fresh, with pictures from films like 'Mama Mia' and 'Zorba the Greek' on the walls. I'd have liked the music a little more discrete.

The proprietor took a couple of us out the back to see the courtyard that is nearly ready. It is entirely enclosed with a huge tree in one corner. Paved and collecting the sun from morning to evening, surrounded by trellis and will have lemon trees, it could appeal to families who don't want their children to be able to run out of sight, but also to office workers, because this restaurant is right in the middle of town, over looked by the council offices. In fact it is so overlooked that you can guarantee the owner won't put a foot wrong. For example, he had someone fixing his roof, and within minutes he had a phone call from people in the neighbouring building, saying "Get him off that roof now or we're closing you down." And he hadn't even opened yet!

If you're in Aylesbury, go down Walton Street from Market Street and try this restaurant. It's worth it. It has been a nice end to the bank holiday weekend for us.

Facebook phishing

Son has fallen for a Facebook phishing scam, and he's sent 200 emails to people when he wasn't even at his computer. However, he's very sensibly not sent me one.

Good old son!

Son is now off Facebook until exams are over.

New gardener

Our garden looks something smashing now, with trimmed lawn, and bushes. Even the climbing rose that hasn't bloomed for years under the shade of the weeping birch, is now coming out with lovely blooms.

Why the change?

Husband has retired and is spending hours in the garden. While the garden improves, husband is getting covered with scratches, and grazes, as he catches his hands on sharp grasses, and bangs his head on dangling branches, or even on the garden table today when he was weeding underneath it.

Irish scandal

Years ago, at school in north west England I had a left-handed friend. LHF was very shy and under confident. When she blushed, and she blushed often, she blushed well. The pink would visibly rise up her face. Years later, she told me how when she was in reception class at her Catholic convent, the headmistress nun used to smack her across the back of her left hand with the wooden ruler. Try it on yourself. It stings with a plastic ruler. The headmistress was so cross that my friend was left handed that she kept her down a year before letting her into the next infant class.

That nun accused me of 'dragon-tears', and answering back, but didn't smack me. I can't remember if she was Irish, but there were a lot of Irish Catholics in the north-west. Nuns and clergy were held in great respect, and had much power. So I'm not surprised, though I'm sad to see here how much worse it was in Ireland.

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Dragon-tears were false tears - putting it on - crying to impress a hard-hearted nun - and I didn't know what she meant

Driving somewhere

Son and others intend to go to the States in the long vacation at the end of third year university. They intend to hire a car, but son hasn't been able to drive since he passed his test years ago because he hasn't had access to an insured car. However, he wants to take his share of driving in the States. Now he is twenty-one he is statistically a safer driver than when he was younger, so despite being his worried mother, I guess he's okay.

Son and friend found a means of borrowing a car for a day, so they've been driving round at the weekend to various places. Son has taken the opportunity to practise driving and do his PassPlus sessions and today he and friend drove over here for Sunday lunch. Then son took me out for a Sunday afternoon drive, which was pleasant, despite the rain.

Now he's safely back in Oxford and I can stop worrying about him. (I know - he's safer in a car than on that b* bicycle of his!)

Shakespeare and children

Husband and I took two grandchildren over to Oxford to see Midsummer Night's Dream here. We were in a sunlit, windswept quad. The two fairies, Pease Blossom and Mustard Seed were scantily clad and must have been freezing. We'd brought blankets.

Eldest grandchild thoroughly enjoyed it, though grandson was more amused by the labourers attempts at the thespian arts, and his attention wandered when Titania was speaking, though I was impressed by his concentration throughout, given he's only seven, and bilingual, so following Shakespearean English wouldn't be a sinecure for him.

An academic, David Leal, wandered over to us afterwards, after watching our granddaughter rapt in the play. He asked her what part she would play (a giggling fairy), and encouraged her to get her school to do some Shakespeare next year when she's in year 6. I'd forgotten I'd done some Shakespeare with my year 4-5 class years ago - acted it, not read it. Shakespeare's for acting and for watching, not reading. Grandson knew that when he said he'd like to play Bottom.

There was no programme, so I have no idea who the actors were, nor the name of the director.

Shopping - hate it

I went shopping this morning because it's nephew's birthday and I want to get him a present. His parents are giving him a mobile phone because he's moving on to the secondary school in September, so I thought I'd get him something to go with that, an eco friendly charger. I was able to buy one a couple of years ago. You wind it up and it charges your phone. But I couldn't get hold of one. I tried the Eco shop in Wendover, but they only do the expensive Freeloader photovoltaic chargers. I tried the Car Phone Warehouse, but they suggested an in-car charger. How many eleven-year-olds do you know who have a car! Eventually, I thought of the camping shop. They didn't have exactly what I wanted. The wind up version that I have is great. I put husband's grand children in the back of our car with the charger and they wind and they wind and they wind. My mobile is charged, and so is the wind-up torch that goes with the winder. Their grand father is also wound up because he gets fed up with noise, but that's a minor disadvantage.

But they did have something: a pull-string charger, so it fits in with the eco approach, and the lack of access to a power socket. So my shopping expedition almost ended well.

I thought I'd celebrate by going into the Coffee Tree and ordering a decaf espresso with a glass of water. I made my order, received the cup and saucer and the glass, and stepped back with them to find a table. The glass wobbled. As I tried to steady it, the hot coffee wobbled, splashed my hand, so I wobbled more, then the whole lot went over, every single drop, over the counter, down the counter, over the floor and over my clothes. I saved only the excellent piece of Venezuelan chocolate that Barry had just given me to try.

Barry was very nice and got me another espresso (I don't think it was decaf by then). The Coffee Tree in Aylesbury is worth a visit.

Cleaners

Today's news reveals that some politicians have a lot of cleaning done. Mr Brown has been claiming about £240 a month for cleaning.

What bugs me, is why can politicians have a cleaner on tax payers' money and I can't?

At university, the students get rooms in hall, or college. At Oxbridge, they have colleges that own their own premises and rent them out to the students. Cleaners come as part of the deal. No-one has to buy their own sofas, or arrange 'essential maintenance' because that's the colleges' problem, not the students', and it shouldn't be an MP's problem either. Why can't MPs have the same arrangement? Parliament should buy and own accommodation that is available to MPs, so there's none of this nonsense of expense claiming for second homes.

Ashridge walk

I skived off this afternoon for a couple of hours walk with retired husband round the Ashridge estate. The bluebells enticed me over there, especially as even the newspaper had a photo of them yesterday. There are other flowers there, like this white one - what is it?

If you know what you're looking for, you'll know where to find wild garlic leaves. This is the only time of the year to get them and they are delicious. We found them. I picked and ate about half a dozen. Yum.