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It was a birthday (not mine), furnished with books and malt whisky, almost frozen Prosecco, some (good) hospital news, chaffinches, children competitive at Scrabble with some imaginative spelling (!), conversations about Alice Oswald and James Kelman and spalted cherry wood, the British Lions and Leeds’ new manager (who?), more chaffinches, pasta and cheesecake and the wish to do it again next year.