Mum is a prodigious reader, card player and word puzzle solver(as per The Times daily newspaper).  Not only that but she follows football closely and is quite a critic of her team, Chelsea.

As she reads I prepare the salads and desserts for our expected lunchtime guests –  one of whom wants to drive the tractor. I want them to help pick cherry plums and raspberries and to take courgettes and rhubarb back to London before the quantity of produce overwhelms the kitchen and its cook.