But even granted another two months' grace after that they are now at the kitchen table, backs to each other, arms folded, only turning around to shout the occasional insult, apparently not over-worried by the fate of their children.

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Here is the very picture of warm-season bliss: a group of friends around a garden table cluttered with food and drink, those on the near side turning in their chairs to face the camera, their faces sunlit.

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