Saturday, June 30, 2007

Monday, June 25, 2007

Literary Lunch

We had a lovely birthday lunch at the Beetle and Wedge at Moulsford, which is a gorgeous restaurant on the Thames. Wind in the Willows which is based on that part of the river - and apparently Jerome K Jerome wrote his book at the Beetle and Wedge. The sun shone enough for us to have champagne and canapes outside watching the ducks and swans drift by. And then fabulous food inside by a window that looked over the river and we watched the clouds roll in and the thunder come.

Eleanor's birthday present to me was to have the table decorated in HUGE helium balloons which was fab. Will upload some pictures at some point soon.

In the meantime, this is a poem from Wind in the Willows:

`DUCKS' DITTY.'
All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim--
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
WE like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call--
WE are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!