Empty chairs at empty tables always remind me of the song of that name from the musical Les Miserables. So much so that I’m afraid I often end up humming that tune as I take pictures of the scene (much to my wife’s despair). Some of the pictures in this collection have the poignant sense of absence from the song, others have a more hopeful anticipation of who is going to be sitting down to enjoy food, wine and (hopefully) good conversation.