A Birthday Weekend ends...

It was the perfect ending to a nice weekend. Mint ice-cream with tiny bits of chocolate chips on top was our way of saving the best for last. Mr.R's birthday celebrations concluded finally - a two day affair that involved singing, guests at home, a flat tyre and a barbecue. It's not a birthday that he's likely to forget soon!

On Saturday, Mr.R, as part of the local choir joined about 200 other choral singers and the Ealing Symphony Orchestra in a 'Gala Prom' to celebrate 2o years of a charity called the 'Ian Renning Hospice at Home'. The concert was at a RAF (Royal Air Force) base about 20 minutes away from here. It's amazing how a smartly ironed and starched uniform can make even the most ordinary looking person look absolutely stunning. What is it about uniforms that makes heads turn, I wonder?! Anyway, there were all these gorgeous men and women in fatigues who later changed to a more formal uniform for the concert, so it was quite a sight. After a afternoon rehearsal, we had a picnic on the grounds and then the concert at 7.30. Our friends, H&F, drove all the way from Shropshire to join us and braved bad traffic and many hours of driving to share the weekend with us. The concert ended with much flag waving and singing of patriotic songs with gusto. It was a sight, watching little old ladies and fragile men in summer cardigans, waving bright plastic flags with enthusiam as if their life depended on it. The gusto was contagious and seeing that the three of us (our two friends and I) were possibly the only people in the audience who didn't know the words to 'Land of hope and glory' by heart, we were offered the lyrics by a kind old lady. So we left our Indian reservations behind and joined in the singing. It was fun although I did feel silly praising the virtues of England. But well, I am after all, a tourist, a visitor to a land that feels very strongly about its past and about its present. And after Thursday, one can't help but show solidarity.

Anyway, we got back home from the concert and stayed up well past midnight listening to tales of Goa. The next morning, after Sunday mass, Mr.R and F played duets on the violin and keyboard respectively, while H& I listened appreciatively. Post lunch, our friends decided to start making their long trip back. We walked them down to the car and Mr.R's keen eye spotted a flat tyre. Spent the next 90 minutes changing the flat (quite a task, given that our house is on an incline and it was hard keeping the car level). Our Japanese neighbour stopped to help. Finally it was done and off they went. Mr.R and I were so exhausted with all this work that we promptly took a nap. I was woken by the sound of tapping on the door and opened it to find the wife of our Japanese neighbour inviting us to a barbecue in the common garden at the back of the apartment. That ended a good evening, sitting in the grass, soaking in the sunshine, chatting with neighbours about politics, England and life elsewhere. The weekend was over, but because it was such a nice one, Monday didn't seem so bad anymore...