Now we are one

Today’s guest picture comes from my correspondent, Venetia who went to an NGS open day yesterday afternoon.  It was in East Harptree, on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills.  It was a little too chilly for comfort but her heart was warmed by music while she was there.

We had a lovely day today here and I enjoyed more of it than usual as I had to get up early (for me) and go to the Archive Centre to wait for a man to come and read our electricity meter.  I waited for a couple of hours, putting a week of the newspaper index into the database and doing a crossword to pass the time and was finally rescued by Ken, another archivist.  He is one of the data miners and set about combining waiting with mining when I left.

He told me later that the meter reader came not long after I left so I am glad that the meter has been officially read.  Perhaps we can get our electricity bill sorted out now.

When I got home, there was just enough time to wave at a pair of blackbirds…

…and say goodbye to the chaffinches….

…before jumping into the car and driving off to Edinburgh to visit Matilda on the occasion of her first birthday.

Our route took us past the new Edinburgh to Galashiels railway and it was exciting to see how near completion it seemed to be.  It will open in September and we look forward to riding the rail later this year.

In the meantime, the trusty Kangoo delivered us to Edinburgh safely and we even found a handy parking spot. There was no time for any Edinburgh pictures today as we were in full party mode.  We were joined by one of Matilda’s aunts, Clare’s sister Catherine and we had a tasty birthday lunch with six different sorts of salad. Then it was time for the highlight of the day, the birthday cake.

After a few well chosen words and some amusing reminiscences, Matilda invited her parents to assist in blowing out the candle.

She wasn’t totally impressed by their efforts but she liked the cake and literally got well stuck into her slice.  Clare, who made the cake, tells me it is a Boston Cream Pie.  This would be an excellent name if it used cream and was a pie which it doesn’t and isn’t.  But it does originate in Boston, she says.

After lunch, we settled down to watch Matilda open a pile of presents, including one from her Great Grandmother, who is 97 years older than Matilda.

Although she might not have been fully aware of what all the fuss was about, Matilda seemed to enjoy her birthday and her adult helpers certainly had a good time.  We are enormously proud of TWGSP and of her parents who are doing such a good job of bringing her up.

The glorious weather for our drive home made the journey pass by quickly and there was still enough light left for a walk round the garden to admire the flowers catching the rays.  The primulas looked gorgeous.

I took one representative tulip…

…and one daffodil.

Two new blooms were to be found…..

A purple aubretia has joined the pale blue ones.

And the flowering currant has opened.

The two different shades of blue grape hyacinths are growing well.

Finally, the magnolia rounds the show off.

Mrs Tootlepedal always says that 20th April is the real start of spring in Langholm, regardless of any official dates so it is a lovely coincidence that this is also Matilda’s birthday and it was another stroke of fortune that we had such a wonderful day of weather to celebrate this.

I didn’t have much time to stare out of the window today but a chaffinch made a timely appearance to become the flying bird of the day.