Alex Wood makes it to adulthood

Dong's youngest offspring reached the legal age of majority yesterday and celebrated in traditional 18 year old style by glugging to incoherence and incapacity as evidenced in the action shot above. Alex is the blond(ish) one in the throes of descending from the lounger to the relative safety of the patio (not so far to fall from there).

Mrs The Millbrooker and I were kindly invited to attend the Thursday night bash at Sollack Barn (I think I've spelt Sollack right, but if not....). Dong was there playing mein host and sloshing the wine around like a good 'un. Auntie Sharon had also made the arduous trek up from Millbrook for the occasion.

I was introduced to Dong's old mucker Ian, who demanded an introduction because I have a reputation as a socialist. We enjoyed a pleasant couple of hours thereafter arguing over the not-too-fine points of economic theories and the usual old debating contentions around Thatcher and Scargill. All in all we got on famously. That's Ian in the photo below. He hates the interweb because he thinks nothing on it can be guaranteed to be true - but he's on it now, so does that mean he's not real? Pete Stanniforth and his partner Cathy entertained in the dining room, and managed with a little effort to keep Dong in key when he insisted on joining them for a singalong. Pete and Cathy actually allowed Dong to use a microphone, terrifying thought though it is. He gave us a lusty accompanied rendition of something or other (Ian was bashing my ear about nuclear energy at the time, so exactly what Dong was performing passed me by a bit).

Not for the faint hearted...here's a photo of Dong in full swing:

We had to leave the bash at around 1030 because we had to pack and leave in time for the ferry to France, from whence I write this posting having found a hotel with free wi-fi. Huzzah.

Thanks to Trudie and Dong for the invitation. Congrats to young Alex on surviving this far (although his head may have been a bit thick this morning). A bientot.