The Park and Ride bus PR3 (in fact buses) were crammed for our journey from Trumpington P&R into town. It being the end of school spring holidays perhaps not so surprising. What was surprising was Virginia and I saw someone we knew on the bus - Brenda’s Kate but I didn’t believe it was her because she lives in Luton and what would she be doing in Cambridge?

To start with she was seeing the Botanical Gardens like we were. We managed to exchange a few words in the busy cafe there besides wander round the gardens in search of flowers. Virginia spotted jade vines with a splendid shade of green in the greenhouses which she knew from South Africa. Relaxing after being in a bus crawling along thanks to the never ending roadworks in Cambridge.

We then went and ate at Browns where we normally go after seeing the Botanical Gardens. Wise getting a side order of veg to accompany the chicken pies. On our return walk to the bus stop we saw a PR3 ahead of us and because of the traffic crawling at less than walking pace we even caught it back to Trumpington!

In the evening I laid out some presents and cards on the dining room table as a surprise in the morning. Moving around trying to be quiet each little creak sounds deafening! I had thought of perhaps something more creative with lights and paper boats in the lounge but this was simpler and safer. It’s lighter in the morning, we have Jasper roaming around, there isn’t that much floor space in the lounge really.

On the Saturday we had lunch at the Bridge in Clayhithe with friends from church and my side of the family. We got there in plenty of time but Laura and company had beaten us to it. The side of the long table we were sitting on could have been better lit, I had to use the light on my phone to read the menu!

On Sunday it was Loughton’s turn to receive us. We had an easy drive down the M11 for once, getting there in good time thought not as quickly as if we had been in a posh Porsche doing the ton down the road. Well doing the ton except when it got held up by other traffic. Can’t be fair to own such a racy car and not be able to average over the speed limit because of other people daring to drive on the same road as you want to.

We arrived well before 12 o’clock (Charles and Karen beat us there) only to find the Miller and Carter firmly shut and dark and devoid of people inside. Was something wrong with the booking? A staff strike? The wrong date? They did open in the end but only just before noon itself.

The staff treated us well enough, we were sat so half of us were trapped against a divide (I like others prefer to be able to get out easily). Virginia and I shared a baked camembert whose ampleness deterred me from having a proper pudding. As dessert I just had ice cream (which I had to ask where it had got to). Miller and Carter are a steak house but I don’t go for steak so I just had a burger. We sang Virginia “Happy Birthday” and the staff presented Virginia with an ice cream dessert with a candle in it and “Happy Birthday” written in chocolate on it! Kind of them!