Ken and Shirley

Shirley, Lola and Ken on Lola's 15th birthday

Ken and Shirley are our next door neighbours.

They are also our very good friends and surrogate grandparents for Calum and Lola.

Ken and Shirley are the sort of neighbours you dream about.

They are always there when you need them but never intrude.

Best of all, almost every visit usually involves alcohol as they are very sociable!

My gin consumption has definitely gone up since I met them - but I'm not complaining.

Their champagne consumption has increased since they met us (there's always something worth celebrating) and we've also shared many excellent bottles of wine.

When we were having our new kitchen fitted and were living on takeaways, Ken and Shilrey invited us round for dinner every week and fed us us delicious, home-cooked food.

Shirley's puddings are a marvel.

That sort of kindness you never forget.

Over the years they've done a myriad of little things that have made our lives richer.

We went to see them on Lola's birthday and, of course, ended up staying for the obligatory gin and tonic (Lola had elderflower cordial).

Lola wanted to say thank you to Shirley for helping her with her textile project at school (Shirley is also a fantastic seamstress).

She also wanted to thank Ken for making a beautiful wood and glass presentation box containing a pair of embroidered ballet shoes to give to Lola's ballet teacher as a retirement present (Ken is a fantastic engineer).

Needless to say, we had a lovely time with Ken and Shirley and chatted away happily for over an hour before heading home.

So thank you Ken and Shirley for being lovely people, lovely neighbours and the very best friends we could wish for.

Happy 15th Birthday Lola!

Phoebe and Nic

Lola with her birthday card that Joe made

Lola with her birthday presents, including a $100 dollar bill

Lola with her birthday presents from 'Auntie Nicci'

Me and Nic at Wagamamas

A Day Out in Cambridge
Today was Lola's 15th birthday, but we've been celebrating all weekend.

Yesterday we spent the day in Cambridge with Lola's Godmother Nic and her beautiful daughter Phoebe, who's a model.

Lola hadn't seen Nic or Phoebe in ages so it was brilliant to catch up.

It was nice to see Lola and Phoebe get on so well, simply picking up where they left off. Phoebe also gets on really well with Calum as there's only a couple of years between them.

I think Calum, Lola and Phoebe will always be friends - I certainly hope so.

Even though she's a model Phoebe hasn't let it go to her head and is still the same down-to-earth and unaffected girl she's always been.

'Auntie Nicci', as Lola calls her, really spoilt Lola by buying her lots of gorgeous presents, including some wonderful make-up. I might just have to borrow the coloured mascara and glittery eyeliners ...

We spent the day eating, shopping and doing lots (and lots) of talking.

The sun shone all day, too, so all the shoppers seemed in a good mood which made a nice change.

All in all it was a perfect day.

A Day at Home
Today we've spent the day at home, at Lola's request.

It's been a real treat just being able to chill.

We had pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast which was delicious and set us up for the day.

Later I cooked a lovely Greek meal which we ate in the garden as the weather was so warm.

Lola got lots of cards and presents - too many to mention - but her favourite card by far was the one Joe made for her.

It has a Nightmare Before Christmas theme - Lola's all time favourite film.

She was also really pleased with the Emily McGuire CD that I bought when I saw Emily in concert with The Blue Nile in Glasgow.

Emily was lovely and signed a CD for Lola saying 'Happy Birthday' which Lola thought was very 'cool'.

All in all it was another perfect day and, for Lola, a perfect birthday weekend.

Happy 70th Birthday Mum!

Me and Mum at The Olive Branch

My Mum turned 70 on 14 July. She doesn't look her age which means that (thankfully) neither do I! She had a great time and really celebrated in style.

She went away for a luxurious week at a posh hotel in the Isle of Wight.

Her neighbour threw a surprise party for her and everyone had a brilliant time - so much so that they were still talking about it days later.

I took her out for a meal at a really special restaurant in Rutland called The Oliver Branch. It's very popular so you need to book in advance, but it's well worth it

We usually go there for a birthday lunch but this time we had dinner and it was a really lovely evening.

I also bought her lots of presents so she had plenty of things to unwrap on the actual day, plus a very expensive bottle of champagne. Well, a 70th birthday is definitely something to be celebrated.

So Happy 70th Birthday Mum.

I'm glad it was special for you because you're a very special Mum.