Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

This weekend we had a very special visitor...

Meet Ralph!  

He's a cross between a Jack Russell and a Lancashire Heeler, 
and he is the cutest and most intelligent dog I've ever come across 
(apart, of course,  from my Mum and Dad's lovely Meg, 
who was equally so...)

Ralph's cleverest trick is that when he enters a room, 
if you enquire of him, 'Were you born in a barn?'  
he will turn on his heels (all four of them) and close the door behind him!

Ralph is a Scouser, so we don't get to see him all that often.  This time he came on a flying visit so his owners - Mr U-t-B's sister and brother-in-law - 
could see the newest addition to the family, little Sophia, who is now three weeks old.

At the appointed hour, Mr U-t-B and the visitors made their way over to Farnham, where they found Sophia wide-awake and ready for cuddles.  
I was engaged in running a taxi-service 
for Miss U-t-B and friends, who'd been camping in a friend's garden, 
so had to miss out!

They couldn't stay too long as more visitors were on their way - Mr U-t-B's niece and her nearly five-month old daughter.  Then we played a game called 'Pass the Baby'...

First Mr U-t-B's sister got a cuddle...

Then her husband...

Then my turn...

And finally Miss U-t-B!

We had a very nice lunch (if I do say so myself) which I managed to rustle together quite quickly - chicken salad,  carrot salad, new potatoes and lentil and roasted tomato salad.  

Later, my sister-in-law and I went on a treasure hunt to a local antiques centre.  I managed to find a couple of things to bring home with me. First was this, which I saw a few weeks ago when I didn't have a few coins in my pocket with which to pay for it...

If you've read this blog before you may know that I'm partial to a bit of Johnson Brothers' 'Rosedawn', so this had a ready companion at home and they look very sweet together...

Then I spotted this young lady...

She's not usually my kind of thing, but her £3 price tag was kind of irresistible! 
She does look rather sweet on Uncle Harold's sideboard 
(Mr U-t-B's Uncle Harold, who made the sideboard and a matching table, chairs and desk
 as a wedding present for his wife!) 
but she may come along with me to the next Maltings Market.

All too quickly, it was time for the visitors to head back up to Liverpool.  I tried to convince Ralph to stay with us a while longer, but he was looking forward to the journey too much  
(something to do with a pump-action water pistol, he said).  

Thought I'd finish with these lovely photos taken by my visiting sister-in-law, on one of her many recent bike rides.

  

She's been training hard for a London to Paris ride at the end of July.  
She's raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, in memory of her Mum 
(my lovely mother-in-law, who I knew for too little time.)

If you want to donate to this worthwhile cause, do visit her Just Giving page!