Of sun and moon and rounders in the park

Yesterday was rather silly busy - and if I am honest - I was regretting getting involved. Well, I say involved, I had originally suggested then ended up organising a picnic and game of rounders as a birthday treat, then discovered that I had double booked myself and suddenly my parents needed help moving into their sheltered accommodation. I did not know where start!

However, it turned out to be such a laugh and to see folk who'd not played rounders since they had left school having such fun - it was certainly worth it. It was, I have to say - rather a scorcher of a day so we found the biggest tree we could and spread out our picnic feast on three blankets and then tucked in to some rather delicious food and birthday cake.

We chatted and caught up - this lovely group of folk were the volunteers I'd worked with at the walled garden and they, when I left, were made to feel 'surplus to requirements' so drifted away. I could not bear to see these lovely people feel cast off, so we now meet once monthly either to celebrate a birthday or just in a pub for a natter around a table. And they are genuinely a lovely group of people.

The rounders game was definitely a sedate affair - I did not want to be responsible for over heating any one and we stuck beneath they shady tree and fortunately Willow did most of the outlying fielding - she was marvellous at it. I also had to make sure I didn't over heat my dog too so she was doused in copious amounts of water and silly girl absolutely loved the attention.  What ever happened to the wee timorous beastie I brought home six months ago?

Then we hugged each other good bye at the end of our afternoon and Willow and I drove home with the air con on full - my hot and sweaty dog was definitely pleased about that! Shortly after we arrived home, Himself did too and within moments we had to eat, shower and dress up for .... Othello at East Riddlesden Hall done by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. What a performance!

The Shakespearean play was delayed by 15 minutes so that we could watch the eclipse and all the lads in the company came out in their costumes and watched through glasses or pin hole boxes like the rest of us.

The theatre group was excellent and there must have been over 600 folk sitting on the lawn watching them - and at a particularly poignant moment - a skein of geese flew overhead in the evening sky with their bellies lit up by the stage lighting and it was just.so.magical.

And in the late evening cool air, we left feeling that our souls had been refreshed - what a day indeed.

A teeny wee sun and moon shadow in my home make viewing thingy which worked far better than I had hoped!

During the play, Othello says ....

Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe
Should yawn at alteration.

How very approriate.