Simply the Best.

D'you know, it was simply the best Easter. I had two days of complete peace and quiet on Friday and Saturday, and then Sunday and Monday turned out to be frantically social and busy. On Sunday morning Gay Friend and I went to the "last ever" Car Boot Sale at Brighton Station. They have been threatening this for ages, but Sunday was finally the day. It was a bright morning, and we wandered around buying lovely bits and pieces before sitting down for a bacon sarnie and a cup of tea. Most of the stall holders we talked to are planning to transfer to the new site, which is at Brighton Marina. This is not a terribly popular move, because those of us who have lived here for a while don't particularly like the Marina. It has one saving grace, which is free parking, but otherwise it is not a favourite place to visit. It has none of the magical glamour of other Marinas I have seen on the Continent. In France or Portugal, for example, they are gorgeous places where one can sit ouside a cafe or bar and sip coffee or a cocktail while watching fabulous yachts bobbing at anchor, and the equally fabulous owners bobbing around in their designer clothes. At Brighton Marina one is always dodging the rain or sheltering from the prevailing winds. It's not a pretty place, being constructed mostly of grey concrete, and though the little boats are nice enough, there's nothing glamorous about it. It's more like a bus station than a Marina somehow. A watery Bus Station. Anyway, if we want to buy and sell our hoarded rubbish in future, it will have to be at the Marina, not the Railway Station. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.


Then I got a phone call from Son to say that he was on his way down! Surprise, surprise. And he was driving down with his girlfriend. I had already planned to go out for a Pub Quiz that evening, and had been invited for dinner beforehand by one of the Spritzer Sisters. Son seemed happy to consider joining in the Pub Quiz, and being an honorary Spritzer Sister for the evening, though he didn't fancy coming to dinner before. In the end, he and Emma drifted off into town to look around and eat fish and chips, and we arranged to meet in the pub later. It was great fun, though the Pub Quiz was late starting because a crowd of 40 or so pub-crawlers made so much noise we couldn't hear a thing. In the end we came second in the main quiz, and we won the music and picture round section (with the help of a bit of cheating I'm sorry to say). We won two bottles of wine, one white, one red, and I didn't get home until 1a.m! Son and his girlfriend carried on the evening at a drum and bass event, staying out all night I think, and came back to sleep in the single bed. Great fun. And the next morning Daughter and Grandson turned up ready for Easter activities. So I hid some chocolate eggs in the garden and then cooked industrial quantities of eggs and bacon for everyone's breakfasts. What larks!

In the afternoon we all landed on the lovely Roz, downstairs, for her Barbeque. It was a stunning day, and Son did help Roz to put the barbeque together - it was one of those tricky kit things from Tesco - and then we all sat and drank cocktails and ate barbequed chicken, burgers, sausages and vegetable kebabs, all with wonderful side salads and various goodies. It was a real feast, and since there were five of us there: Son and his Girlfriend, Daughter, Grandson, and me, she really was feeding the five thousand (my family are all good eaters!). And that's without counting her other guests. The lovely thing about Roz is that she adores having a houseful of people, particularly children, and so of course people love coming to her parties.We did have a terrific time sitting in the sun, and only left when Son decided it was time to drive back, ditto Daughter, leaving me with Grandson. And of course KT and Hon Grandaughter arrived back home just as soon as everyone else left! It really was a fun-filled weekend, and I had a gorgeous exotic Easter plant from Daughter and a fabulous photographic print from Son, brought back from Argentina. Altogether it was a great holiday, and lovely to see all my nearest and dearest.