AFTERNOON TEA

Today is very warm and spring-like, so once the engine had been cleaned up a bit Wilson converted it to a (slightly wobbly) coffee table and invited everyone to afternoon tea.

I've made it clear that it must never come into the house, but told him I was happy for it to remain in the garden as a picnic table.

W put a brave face on things, but I think he was disappointed that his Formula 1 Racing Car Coffee Table bore so little resemblance to the sparkling and pristine chrome-plated one in the picture, but he cheered up once he saw the raspberry and cream sponge Uncle Zoltan had baked in honour of the occasion.

'Nobody wants to buy a Formula 1 Racing Car Engine and find it's really a 1950s lorry engine,' Uncle Z whispered to me, 'so I thought this might cheer him up.'

Over tea, W explained that it was much harder than I might imagine finding Marigolds that would fit an anteater's paws, and he was wondering whether to develop a line of anteater-friendly rubber gloves. 

I tried to dissuade him, saying I just didn't believe there'd be much demand — he's the only anteater in this village, after all!