A Friend's Birthday

For my friend's 80th birthday I took her for a meal in the restaurant at the New Hall Hotel. The  picture above shows the moat and modified drawbridge. The one below is a side view of the building, you can see the moat that runs all round. 

Judy and I go back a long way. Almost twenty years ago she was my deputy when I was Chairman of Publications at the WI and later she was again my deputy when I was County Chairman. We've been friends ever since. These days she is more active than me, still with the County Federation, still assisting everyone in sight. She does everything, from offering advice to actively doing the jobs that others should do, yet she is the one that other people should help ... if she would allow it. My friend is disabled, you see. Because of severe burns and various problems she had both legs amputated when she was a young girl, I think she was about eleven at the time. Now she is surrounded by healthy women who complain about this, that and the other but who rely on this admirable woman to get things done. She didn't get the British Empire Medal for nothing. We, all of us, love her to bits. 

Since we were eating at lunch time the New Hall didn't offer an a la carte menu but that didn't matter because whatever is eaten there is first class. After a potato and chicken gnocchi (sorry no picture) served with home baked bread we moved on to gammon with spinach, duck egg, and chips. It wasn't the everyday grilled gammon, it was carved from the joint; beautifully tender and juicy, as meat should be. I've never had gammon with spinach before but I would definitely have it again. To follow we had the orange pannacotta which was to die for. 

Now Judy is off on a cruise to celebrate her birthday. I just know she'll have a wonderful time.

Happy Birthday, Judy.