The Zimmers

Our lovely French friends, the Zimmer Family, came to stay this weekend. We met them on holiday in Sri Lanka some years ago. The Zimmer's are (in age order) Christophe, Valentine, Camille and Charlotte.

Whenever they come, they bring me the precious gift of wine, all from their home region of Beune. The reds are fantastic!

In return for their fine wines, I made them my special Saturday slap up English Breakfast. But the girls were unimpressed and stuck to their cerials.

Ibs made her fantastic 'Jamie' chicken recipe on Friday evening.

The Zimmers under our apple tree.

This beautiful rose has been another mid-summer surprise in the garden.

On Sunday we all went to Joanna's in Holloway for her birthday barbecue. She lives right by this spectacular, deco, Odeon cinema on Holloway Road.

This was the barbecue, with an abundance of hot Polish sausage.

The girls enjoyed the trampoline.

This is the huge garden where Joanna lives.

We left the Zimmers at the party while Ibs and I had a lovely walk, back down Tufnell Park road, towards the tube.

We passed this hexagonal church, which is being restored.

Next to it is this wonderful, Italianate, tower. In the middle of Tufnell Park!

We also passed this lovely old grocer's shop,

complete with these ancient tea and coffee signs.

We took the stairs to the station platform.

When we got home, this helicopter was circling over the garden, for what seemed like ages and put us both in mind of the final scenes in 'Goodfellas'.