Birthday Blessings

Such an emotional experience last night; would have liked the extra to be my main blip, but took it before midnight... it's the ceiling of the priest's dining room, below our flat, where we'd been invited for a meal. As always, mountains of good food, good wine, good conversation, and then... just after midnight, a few of them went out and came back in with a candle-lit cake, singing 'Happy Birthday' (well, Parabéns a você, actually) to Mike... 

It's his birthday today, but couldn't think how to celebrate, really, and feeling lonely for family - and then this. Such kindness, such thoughtfulness. Bless them, bless them!

The main photo is a bit of contrast - the room we hope to be living in soon, while we build the top building... having been cleared and swept out today. Unlike the extra, there is no ceiling, and even the roof is being held up by the prop... Went and jumped in the Lake to wash the worst of the filth off afterwards, and now I need to make dinner - it's early, but lunch was just a load of cherries, sitting in the midst of the muck.