Countdown To Grape Lunch

[Hazel at the Hill]

should we take doggie bags?

Only if you want some celery. Or should I leave that at home?

[scarey55]

oh! don't be nervous, Shirley - I'm not, but then I have met Wellie and Trousers and they are truely sweetie hunniebuns....

I can vouch for them too, well, Wellie's a bit mad and don't look at Trousers for too long or his nervous tic 'l start up again but other than that they are truly lovely peeps and I know you'll have the best time with them.

Have fun tomorrow everyone and don't forget the pics.

[JanieB]

After my experience in Spain I'm absolutely petrified. But I will be there, with wine (and lumpa cheese) (is there a nervous smiley?).

See you all in about 12.5 hrs.

Janie

[wellie]

Well, licking out the bowl of the first chocolate cheesecake, I decided that it was so good, perhaps I ought to make another one, so just to be on the safe side.....

And the missing cocktail sausages haven't turned up yet?

Trousers has banked up the Wood-Burning Stove and (sensibly) went to bed hours ago and is snoring beautifully as I type.

BC got up for a nibble just now, had a quick splash'n'dash in the garden, watched me repair Snowman for her (she plays rough Aunty Hazel, so watch out!) and has just gone to bed as well now.

Fert'n'Liza Flobalob came shopping with me this afternoon, and have spent their pocketmoney on a Party Banner and a Balloon each, in anticipation of getting their photo taken today by at least ONE daft Grape!

SO! Today it IS then!
X

[trousers]

just came down stairs to give the place a bit of a spruce up and low and behold the little house fairy has done it for me ,i must tell wellie!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Right - map printed out, phone charged (just in case they have to 'talk me in...', cats fed & told to Be Good.

Here I come!

[trousers]

can i say grape lunch has been and gone, what lovely people,shirley and mad max your boys are a credit to you, janieb, piskie and snowdrop it was a real pleasure to meet. hazel darling wellie has rumbled the hommer cookies,your a star

[Hazel at the Hill]

Fab day all round - full report and piccies later, assuming that janieb (sparkly shoes right on!), shirley max and boys (hear hear, trousers), piskie and snowdrop (welcome to the good ship Vine, you fit in rather well...!) all agree that our super day can be shared...?

Clever girl, Wellie - ace homer biscuit finder!

THANK YOU to all concerned.......

[piskieinboots]

twas a truly lovely day, Snowdrop drove, Piskie drank - that's right tho innit

Wellie you're gorgeous, Paul you are a true host, Max and Shirley great pair and your boys are superb and that's from a serial kid mover-awayer-from JanieB can't wait for lunch and as for that Hazel over the hill bird - she gave oi friendship AND beetroot chutney

Happy tired Piskie

PS - glad to see you are home safe Hazel x

[Hazel at the Hill]

Thanks for the lead back to the civilised lands, piskie - good job I was awake or I would have followed you all the way home....

(*gatekeeper at Benson 'Halt! who goes there?'
Haze: oops - was following that mini in front.....?)

[piskieinboots]

(*gatekeeper at Benson 'Halt! who goes there?'
Haze: oops - was following that mini in front.....?)

hahaha
Flight Sarg Snowdrop to guard: put your weapon down she is carrying beetroot chutney

[shirlthegirl43]

Us lot arrived home safely about a quarter hour ago.

Thank you so very much to Wellie and Trousers for the invite. What great people we met!!!

Piskie, you are just how I imagined you!! so are Wellie and Trousers and Hazel and I am sure JanieB has a huge store of interesting tales to share

Max here - eh, Trousers, if I had known about the tic earlier, I would have made a point of staring to see how long it takes to have an effect

Me again - thanks Hazel for the chutney - can't wait for some nice cold roast butties on Monday to try it alongside!

Totally pooped so off to bed.

Thank you again everyone - what a fab day!

[wellie]

Oh, how kind! Well now! For a totally 'off-the-cuff' get together, that went rather well I thought?

Although it was a bit embarassing to be late for my own party! (on account of my noo hairdresser discovering that I'd got rather more hair for her to highlight than she'd anticipated.....!) Thankfully, I'd taken the March issue of GYO to read, which WAS a jolly good read, if you've not bought it yet?
Trousers was doing a magnificent job as 'Host With The Most' to my lovely friend Hazel at The Hill, along with Madmax, Shirley and The Boys, and the lovely JanieB, but thankfully, Piskie & Snowdrop saved my blushes by arriving at Holly Cottage very shortly after my good self (phew!).

So, Hugs All Round, and a glass of Pink Bubbles for us Girls (and Madmax - good on'yer mate!), Becks Bubbles for Trousers and Snowdrop, Coke & Chocky Milk for The Boys, and then a teeny weeny bit of the nerves melted, for us to start getting to know each other proply. And I think we can all be proud of ourselves, to have never met before, and got on SO WELL?

Photos WERE taken, you may or may not be glad to hear !!!
(and our permission certainly granted to post any up if you'd like to later on this thread?) but we largely chatted and giggled our way through the party, as ya do!

A small game of 'Sardines' being played here and there in our small cottage, but with Fert'n'Liza Flobalob supporting their Party Banner and burst balloons in The Potager Garden outside, The Boys in the Sitting Room, The Men in the Kitchen and The Girls in the Conservatory, BC finally won the game by finding The Catmint Chocky Drops in Hazel's pocket. Needless to say, they are the firmest of friends now!

I managed to locate 32 (!) sticky-marinated cocktail sausages, some Cheddar & Damson Chutney Bickies, and Stilton ones to get washed down with the Bubbles, and then (after Hazel and I managed to eat nearly all of them I seem to recall?!) it was Wellie's turn to win at Hide & Seek, finally locating the Buffet Lunch crammed into all corners of the fridge, which she did whilst negotiating The Men, moving them from one quarry tile to another, and back again.
(See Wellie and The Men play The Okey Kokey children!)

So, Lunch went something like this:
Honeyed Lemon & Thyme Chicken
A Cooked Glazed Ham
Leek & Stilton Quiche &
Mini Pork Pies

With: Celeriac & Carrot Remoulade, Wild Rice Mushroom & Bored Bean Salad,
New Potato Salad, Mixed Bean Salad, Pesto Pasta Salad,
and the usual Bunny Grub Salads to boot...

(I was delighted to witness peeps helping themselves to 'seconds', which is always taken as a huge compliment in this house - you know who you are - so thanks!)

All leisurely followed by Double Chocolate Cheesecake,
A Treacle Tart which had way too much Coconut in it - disaster sadly!
and A Veritable Cheese Mountain......!

BC had half a Felix Pussycat Pouch of the Rabbit & Liver variety, followed by half a Chicken one some hours later for pudding. She then retired to Big Bed for a snooze, so didn't get to play the promised game of Snowman with her favourite Aunty Hazel after all.

Still - Piskie,(beginning to lose her voice again!) The Boys and The Men then initiated a game of 'Spot the Ball' in the Sitting Room for an hour or two, only breaking for Refreshments at Half Time, and whenever they took their eye off the ball long enough to fill their glasses?!

By which time, dark outside, it was time for all good children to leave the party and wend their way home, without any cake, hat or party balloons, because Wellie had sadly blown the budget on Lunch and Pop.....!

And thanks for generously bringing (and leaving) the Wines and Cheeses peeps - VERY much appreciated, (I did urgently offer them back, didn't I peeps) and therefore I'm not in the least surprised that Holly Cottage smells much like I imagine a French Fromagerie en France would smell this very fine morning!

And may I say: "Trousers me and The Cat so thoroughly enjoyed meeting you all yesterday. You are a LOVELY Bunch of Grapes, and I am SO pleased that I had the courage to invite you all. So much so, that we hope you'll all come back to Holly Cottage again before we move to France".

Oh, and thank you all for not writing in the dust!

The End.
And Thank You for Listening!
X

[piskieinboots]

So much so, that we hope you'll all come back to Holly Cottage

on way .....

[wellie]

Ooh Goody! No prizes for guessing what's for Lunch today...!
X