Guests

​I am free!   I am free!!  Well when it comes to this isolation thing I am - in a limited capacity.  It is funny how I never seem to want something so much until I do not or cannot have it.  I heard about a set of apartments built right on the water line.  No one ever fished from it – until a sign went up saying “no fishing.”  As soon as the sign was gone people stopped fishing.
We had people over for dinner.  No biggy, but in the current context it was huge.  There were three visitors.  Our best cutlery came out.  There was stuff I was hardly game to touch.  The washing up was huge but it would have been bigger if Merril had not washed and put away the really good dinner set. 
Ok our butter tub was not of the same standard.  It was what someone gets from the shop but hay it had butter and that was what we were after for the bread.  Not just any bread, but long skinny stuff.  All special like.
We have bird salt and pepper shakers.  I set them up to be staring straight at one of our guests as he commented last time how they were staring at him.  No comment this time.  Waste of time really.  But we knew.
This getting older thingy though is a bit of a downer.  The food (thank you Merril) and the conversation (thank you everyone) were great.  The talk was free ranging and went many places.  It included a cruise we have booked for Merril’s birthday in October.  We do not know if that will happen at this stage, but a lot can happen between now and then.  Besides, if it does go ahead, they are likely to be diligent beyond measure to ensure a clean environment.  We shall see.
The thing was we wilted.  What had been animated became like voices from afar.  Eyes got heavier.  There were more silences.  There is no doubt everyone was absorbed in everything, but our staying power was not what it used to be.  Except for the youngest.  He could have kept going until the cows came home.  As there are no cows around here that could have been a really long time.
It was totally worth it though.  We had wanted the catch up and we did. Trouble was (que sad music on a violin) we felt less a part of the action and more observers of the action.  Still there was action and we were in the thick of it – in a watch from a distance way.
We have our own action happening.  But after last night that is on hold.  We have declared today a rest day.  I got up forty minutes later than normal.  Mostly I check the clock and it is like 2am and I have more time to sleep.  But today it was more than time to get up.
Besides, the washing up awaited me.   Ok I could do without that, but it is good to start the day with an achievement.  But having friends over was a better achievement.