the best weekend

Last weekend still lingers in my memory because of its absolute and utter loveliness. There was a camping trip with our lovely crescent friends and neighbours who are really the living personification of everything a good neighbour should be. There were starry skies that did not begin or end, so many stars that I almost believed the old adage about there being more stars in the sky than grains of sand on every beach in this world. It was genuinely breathtaking. And also included were roasted marshmallows, Barca's homemade apple pie and homebaked bread (truly delicious!), wonderful company, a trip to Wilton House (which I will write about soon. Go! Please go! It is also breathtaking and idyllic in every sense.) There were spiders too and a chicken named Campo who followed everybody around, whom I fed aforementioned apple pie and who made Ciara and Helena shriek when he lurched towards them which was quite hysterical. And there were lots of other lovely and camping-appropriate things which should be mentioned but I really do not have the time! The other amazing thing, beyond words really, was meeting our long lost Canadian cousins, their parents (dance teachers) and three members of their dance troupe too. It is an awfully long story; suffice to say, in my twenty years, I have never met them despite having visited Canada but they are here with the dancing school (how very Ballet Shoes!) on a field trip and we hosted a little tea party and got to meet all four of them and everyone else too. They were so sweet, hilarious and absolutely exquisite dancers. It makes me so inspired to see young people dedicate their lives to an art form in such a way. I can't really put into words how wonderful it was, so here is a picture (or several.) I really must sleep now, as I am going to Germany tomorrow with my mother for a student house hunting adventure (wish me luck!), but camping pictures will follow and more stories too. Sorry for rambling.

It really was one of the most beautiful weekends in existence.