Unexpected

 We had an "unexpected granddaughter in the sleeping area". After a bit of a meltdown yesterday evening, it made sense for Ellie to sleep here overnight. She settled quickly and slept through until gone seven. During the morning she had been invited to a party so I drove her to Chichester and deposited her at the bowling alley where one of the mums would keep an eye on her until Kim came along to collect her after the party.

Back home, we awaited the arrival of Jan and John. They had a slow journey down from Odiham, commenting on how heavy (and slow) the traffic had been through the Downs. A cup of coffee and some biscuits made everything seem better as we caught up on family news and everyone's comings and goings.

Lunch was booked at The Oystercatcher and I must say that I'm glad that we were heading in that direction. Traffic coming towards us was almost at a standstill as it stretched back for miles from the flood alleviation pumps near Sainsbury's. We would use a different route on our return.

The Oystercatcher was busy, but the meal was very good. Diane had the lasagne, Jan had fishcakes, and John and I both had their pie of the day. In anticipation of our trip to Cornwall, I also enjoyed a pint of Doombar. Back home, after lunch, we enjoyed some tea and desserts - profiteroles and cheesecake. We got on to the subject of cruises and explained how much we had enjoyed it and how simple it was compared with a flight off to some distant location. Eventually, we had answered most of their questions and seeded the idea for their future holidays.

John and Jan left us late in the afternoon and we settled down for a quiet evening.