Trouble

I've been wanting to blog very badly, but a horrendous mishap with my laptop means that I've been left in the lurch, unable to even reply comments.  Now, my lovely, life-saving friend Hilary has lent me her mini-laptop and as a result, I'm finally back online!  Thank you Hil!  This post is possible because of you!

Unfortunately, there's still an issue replying comments and I've been trying for the last half an hour and have only managed one.  I don't know why that is, but I'm thinking that I'll have to start replying on a different schedule till my laptop is back out of the shop.  For this, I'm very sorry.  I love reading the comments and I reply every single one (thank you Tori, for commenting by the way!!  Please teach me to make elderflower cordial!  Please!) and I will get on it as soon as I can. 

I'm also getting used to a new photo uploading system and will start posting outfit pictures as soon as I can.  In the mean time, here are some pictures from my lovely weekend away in London where I enjoyed my little nephew's magnificent pirate party.

The whole backyard was littered with balls from the ball pit, lying in the sun like giant spheres of candy.  The decorations were loads of fun too, and I'm not just saying that because I helped put half of them up.

I even got to play with some of his toys.  This set, Kapla, is apparently one of the best-selling toys in Europe because it's just simple wooden block but you can build a multitude of things with it (and without glue!), right up to the Eiffel Tower with thousands of blocks.  It's supposed to be a toy to last you your whole life, and I can see why.  Here's my attempt at an igloo shape and my cousin's attempt at stairs.

The weather was great for flowers - my aunt had unfurling roses the size of my head.  I'll put the pictures in another post. 

And of course, what would a visit to the relatives be without good food?  The food was amazing - crisp hollow shells filled with a spicy sour tamarind juice, a salty chutney and chickpeas and potatoes.  Called pani puri, they sometimes have flakes of chilli sprinkled on top for extra spice and you're meant to pop the whole thing in your mouth and savour all the juices and textures in one bite. 

I hung around the table so long that my aunt came over and said to me, "I can see you like those."

There were also beautiful fruit displays, dosai with various chutneys and at least three different cakes, including a cute pirate cake my cousin made for her son.

And the best bit?  Having stuffed our faces, we sprawled out around the massive back garden, sun-drenched and windblown, watching the unbelievable blue sky though the dappled leaves.  Bliss!