Hi! It’s so lovely to see you, you look well, and so summery in those colours. They suit you.
Come on in, Oh! don’t mind Pepsi, she will settle when she has said hello. No she won’t remember you, she is a Greyound; beautiful, but only one brain cell.
I’ve set the table in the garden, is that Ok? It is so much cooler today, I was afraid we would have to sit in and I do so love being in the garden.
Let’s have our drinks first. Yes, just water for me. Would you like some elderflower Presse? It is so nice if you like sparkling.
So, tell me all your news, I know it’s only been a month but it seems so much longer.

I will ask you about your family and pets and how they are all coping with the heat and you will laugh when I say how very British it is, talking about the weather.

I will ask you how you are getting on with The Scavenger Hunt and we will swap finds. My latest is Clouds, we will laugh and exclaim over some of the fabulous cloud pictures that are appearing all over blogland.
We might talk about Instagram and how impossible I find it. Maybe if you have the hang of it you would teach me?

You remark on the noisy gulls.

“Yes the gulls are terribly noisy today, they are my brothers, he has sent them over to me, as he has obviously had enough of them”. I see your forehead tighten, you are wondering if I have totally lost it!
I tell you that my brother, who lives in Wales, just across the bay from me, has the noisiest gulls in the world. I think it’s because he lives near to the docks and the gulls fight over the scraps from the boats. Anyway if the gulls are extreamly noisy I say that they must be his. Yes I am very close to my youngest brother we are always in touch and always laughing about some thing or other…

“Shall I put the lunch out now? I have made my newly named ‘World Salad’
I thought that would make you laugh. My family say that I am the fussiest person in the world. My mother always said I was born fussy but I don’t have a problem with that”.

“So, in this pretty blue glass bowl, we have;
Lots and lots of gorgeous Italian pomodorino tomatoes
Huge juicy black olives
Garlic and coriander naan bread; heated under the grill and cut into squares
Olive oil, which soaks into the bread beautifully
A little garlic, fresh thyme and black pepper
No salt. You may need to add, as I can be heavy handed with it…
And Feta cheese”.

“So why isn’t it a Greek salad?” you ask me.

Smiling and screwing up my nose in a kind of embarrassed way “I can only eat feta if it is made from cow’s milk
I don’t put cucumber in it (cucumber doesn’t like Paul and it’s become a habit to leave it out)
And I use Naan bread instead of Pitta bread.
So, it’s been upgraded from Greek to World! There is extra virgin olive oil out on the table….”

We are both laughing now as you have mentioned the film ‘When Harry met Sally’ with Meg Ryan and her ‘on the side’ arrangements.

Oh I do so love it when you visit.

Next month, shall we go into town? There is a nice cafe right down on the sea front, we could have an ice cream and walk on the warm sand in our bare feet, arm in arm laughing like old friends…
Oh and I’ll bring my ATC’s/ICAD to show you, bring something you have made? Show & Tell, just like at first school, do you remember?….

The 27th of August is a Tuesday, is that OK with you?

Once a month Abi at Creating Paper Dreams invites us to ‘have tea and a catch up’ This is my second invitation and I have fallen in love with the idea. Thank you Abi.