Plans to join thousands of others to cycle round a traffic-free central London in the Freewheel on Sunday were shelved as M, although somewhat recovered, didn't feel quite up to cycling 30ish miles. So we went to Folkestone to dandle our niece and walk along the prom instead.
I had a good birthday on Monday, with a shoe-box full of gifties arriving at my desk from Ry, and M taking me out for a lovely posh dinner at this little restaurant in Ealing Common that we've been meaning to try for a while but never had. I had a tasty gin and crème-de-mûre cocktail called a "Bramble", some sauvignon blanc, fishcakes and beef with celeriac. We've agreed a mutual no-prezzies pact, and will instead be taking one another on treat-filled outings at some point between now and Christmas.
Since then, Mel has been to visit (and instructed me in the ways of Black Tie for the Merton Gaudy that we're off to on Saturday), and Sarah's coming for dinner tonight.

We went to a really nice lunch party at my parents' on Sunday for Dad's birthday (also M's, which is on the same day). Just immediate family plus partners and my dad's brother; we seemed to spend the whole afternoon eating - lamb, roasties, raspberries, local cheese - and drinking (mm, pouilly fume). The week since then has been quietish, I got to spend an afternoon finding out all about Korean at work, and M has been researching his paper about the Winchester round table and exploring possibilities for his book's cover. This Sunday coming I'd planned to go to the Freewheel cycling event, but I haven't received my registrant's bib yet so I'm not sure what's going on with that. Anyway, M has a cold, so he might not be up to it.

Back from Wales; the rest of the trip was also lovely, though for me much of it was yarn-themed and is therefore documented over in my other blog. We pootled over to Richmond yesterday for M's birthday, but still pretty tired so we just had noodles for lunch and headed back home after a couple of hours. There are now a few photos from our trip in this web album. This sign appeared at lots of the CADW properties; M was convinced, sensibly enough, that it meant "mind your head" but on closer inspection it doesn't.

We have been having a grand time in Wales. I had an odd health blip the day before we left - was standing in the lift at work, pressed the button for the 7th floor, felt queasy for a second, had a moment of total mental clarity, then woke up slumped on the floor by the buttons with people wedging open the doors until the first aid guy appeared. Really bizarre, I haven't fainted since my teens, and I'd just had my lunch too. Working hypothesis is post-viral wobbliness. My bike and I were sent home in a taxi. Anyway, have felt hale and hearty ever since, and here is a summary of our trip so far:
Friday: Virgin trains whisked us in a timely fashion to North Wales in time for three course lunch in the place we were staying (Bangor's finest Cantonese restaurant-cum-hotel), then M attended the first afternoon of his conference while I pottered round the town's second-hand shops.
Saturday: in the afternoon I joined M and the other delagates for a three-castle excursion (Beaumaris, Dolbadarn and Caernarfon) followed by a medieval-themed conference dinner. There was mead, which I discovered is nastier than sweet sherry.
Sunday: more conference for M, and I went along too since he was giving his paper - which went well, though I was embarrassed to feature in two of his powerpoint slides standing next to Gascon ruins "for scale". Another afternoon, another castly excursion - to Conwy - where we bade farewell to the other delegates to spend the evening eating spaghetti and enjoying the comforts of our oddly overfurnished B&B.
Monday: the weather so far had been overcast and coldish with a few drops of rain, but from Monday when the nice man from Enterprise turned up in his huge shiny Mercedes to whisk us to Llandudno and sort us out with our (considerably more modest) vehicle - a blue Renault Clio, how apt - it's been gorgeous and sunny. I drove us out to the Lleyn peninsula, stopping on the way to walk/scramble round a lake where Ed I inexplicably spent three weeks (M suspects some kind of Arthurian connection, but alas no samite-clad sword-wielding arms were in evidence). On to Nefyn and all the way out to the end so we could clamber up the cliffs and see Bardsea island, then back around the south side to Criccieth, where we had a quick visit to the castle, ate pheasant and mint-choc chip icecream (not both at once), and enjoyed the unexpected splendour of our B&B, which included a bath and four-poster-bed.
And today M drove (brilliantly) all day, and we saw Harlech, Castell-y-Bere, Cymer Abbey (that was my pick), some terrific mountains and lakes, and now we've left Gwynedd behind for Powys and M's second conference at Gregynog. Again, no coupley accommodation, so we're staying separately in a very posh B&B - I'm promised haddock for breakfast, the first time that's been on offer!

I spent most of last week having a really nasty (and most unseasonal) cold, but recovered sufficiently to go to visit M's family at the weekend. We are off on the train to Bangor early in the morning and will be in Wales for a week - Marc is speaking at this Cadw conference and then we're hiring a car for a few days' exploring around Gwynedd. Photos on my return - or sooner if I can swing an internet connection.