Sunday 15th March

Janis Ian sung those words on her 1973 album “Between the Lines”, a gorgeously sad reflection on the vicissitudes of life. She also sung “ Let’s drink a toast to those who most believe in what they’ve won – it’s a long long time till morning, tears wasted on the dawn, I’ll not write another line for my true love is gone.”  The mood is of course sadness.  And we all feel a little sad when the party is over and we retrieve glasses from behind chairs and the final bit of washing up is done and you look around and where a few short hours ago there were happy smiling faces and children playing there are now just empty spaces.  But oh, the luxury of being alone again, of hearing oneself speak, of grabbing a quiet moment, of sipping that self-indulgent cup of coffee all to oneself.

There used to be a song in the fifties, something along the lines of it’s so much fun to go travelling, to New York, Paris or Rome, but it’s so much nicer to come home.  And so it with parties, all the planning, the cooking, the getting in of every possible comestible your guests might want, the moving of furniture, the final touches to the dining table, the carefully composed scene which descends in minutes into chaos despite your best efforts.  The clink of glasses, the shyness evaporates, everyone talks across the room to each other, As the Beatles sung “A splendid time is guaranteed for all.” The cake, the candles – all the little ones helping you to blow them out.  And then one by one they leave, coats are gathered, tired children placed in their car seats and eventually you are left alone.  It is so lovely to see everyone, everyone loves a party, but it is really quite nice too when they have all departed, and you can reflect and remember a few moments, the children’s faces, your Mum and Dad, your own children, now all grown up and their children in their places.  That coffee tastes so lovely as your feet up you finally can relax, now that the party is over.