Supporting the St Neots Almond Road re-cycling event and then Keith Seiler’s LibDem ‘thank-you’ Barbecue as Tottenham Hotspur win the FA Cup after extra time in a closely fought Wembley Final
We were looking particularly closely at the weather this morning, it being the day that we had planned the barbecue to thank all of our party workers and supporters that had helped in the recent elections. It was drizzling slightly first thing and a bit chilly all day, but it then got steadily better as the day went on, with a few bright spells. I tended the fish and plants and checked the swimming pool and then, after morning coffee and a few things, set off for the Almond Road re-cycling event with our family's contribution of newspapers and cans. I met Derek and gave him the membership recruitment lists and labels that I had got off of the computer this morning and then saw Sally who was passing on concerns from barbecue host, Peter Seiler, about the arrangements for the chicken to thaw out. I therefore went back to collect the boxes of chicken and took them over to Offord early, intending to un-box them there.
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I met Keith and he helped me unload before inviting me in for a couple of cups of coffee. I stayed rather longer than intended and we chatted politics and, in particular, education as it transpires that Mrs Seiler is a supply teacher at Little Paxton school. Home in time for lunch which I ate with Debbie, fresh home from school, and then I drove her to Staughton for her riding lesson now that she is going on Saturday. All this time, my Range Rover petrol gauge had been showing empty with the warning light on and I could only find a petrol station open once I had got back to Southoe. It being many months since I had serviced the car, I also topped up the engine oil and windscreen washer bottle before proceeding. Soon it was time for me to go to the barbecue. I loaded up some garden chairs, a collection box, and took Della with me and we arrived at the scheduled starting time of 3.00pm. Diana came later after collecting Debbie from horse-riding and the event gradually built up in numbers as the afternoon went on.
There was nowhere near the higher estimates of people who had said they would come, and the event did clash with the Football Association Cup Final which was being shown live on television. Even so, it was quite well attended and very worthwhile. The Seiler's house in Offord was an excellent venue with a nice copse of old fruit trees to locate the barbecue, a grass car park for the many vehicles and then many grassy fields for the guest's children to play. Hoops, bean bags, sacks and a tug-of-war rope and other playthings had been brought and the children had races and games which kept them amused and the rest of us sat and chatted and ate the food which was being cooked all afternoon. It was a little chilly for comfort and the sun would have been nice, but at least it did not rain. Home in mid-evening, after which I settled down in front of the television and watched a videorecording of the cup final until quite late. I saw my team, Tottenham Hotspur, win after extra time in a closely fought match and I thoroughly enjoyed it.