Up front

Thank you so much everyone for the comments, hearts and stars for my 4,500th blip yesterday. I had forgotten it was coming. You really are a fab bunch. I have just renewed my membership for another year and feel so happy to be part of this wonderful community.

Took some TOIL and left work early with Miss R to go up to London. Met up with The Dizzle who was exhausted but happy after passing a difficult course. He is now qualified in a specific area that few of his colleagues achieve. Very proud of him.

Getting that week done meant we could celebrate his birthday properly with a few beers and a meal. The Kings Arms in Roupel Street is becoming something of a favourite of mine so we spent a couple of hours there with Strider and were joined by TSM a bit later. Then moved on to the Horse and Groomsman in Whitehall for food and more drinks. Got home about tenish and did the birthday cake thing. I was exhausted by now after being up since 4.30 am and having had more than enough food and booze for one day. In fact the walk back from the station was one of those endless, frame-by-frame affairs where you are not sure whether you have fallen asleep mid-perambulation or not.

I gave the young lovers a tacky but hopefully amusing present of playing cards with one of their pictures on them. Here is Miss R demonstrating a full house, so’s to speak.