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I decided at the appropriate moments that I'd disappear to the loo. Then my mum came back all red faced and said there was no lock on it so best to go in pairs in future so one could be doorman.
Scoobered my chances of hiding out in there.
Okay have only one embarrassing moment to report.
When we found the place it was this massive house set up on a hillside, with trees and gardens surrounding it. Beautiful.
Trouble was the 'parkers' were directing us to park up a grassy hillside. It was like a sheer incline.
Well I knew the 'drat-mobile' wasn't going to like that. She wouldn't have taken kindly to it when she was 5 years old but now she's an elderly 10 years.
Fearing the worst I got the family to pile out and left DH to get her up there alone.
Poor lad, the embarrassment. She huffed, puffed, kicked up half their immaculate lawn.
Huge ruts in it after.
Then smelt this burning smell. Over-revving.
We drew a crowd. Someone kindly suggested a push. The shame.
Another friend sailed past up the hill in his Alfa Romeo grinning. Poser!
We had the last laugh tho when cos his handbrake must have been dodgy and it wouldn't hold. :Na_Na_Na_Na:
He had to reverse it slowly towards a tree and let it 'lean' against that to stop it going back down the slop.
Anyway, after leaving ruts in the lawn and creating a terrible burning smell, plus attracting a crowd who finally and I might add rather sportingly, all cheered when DH managed to finally get it to the top,
we ended up having a lovely, embarrassment free day.
And you know the games..it RAINED. :banana dancer:
We had time for a gymnastics type display from the littlies. The a 'Cheryl Cole' type dance troop thing from the older ones.
Then it RAINED. Thank you, thank you!
:talk017:
And everyone was like :bliss::bliss::bliss::bliss:
All the men ran to the Beer Tent. All the teenagers ran to the Snooker room.
All us women thoughtfully held back and either helped the elderly out of their chairs and to the main house or ran round like loonies turning the chairs over, optimistically saying 'its only a shower, it'll pass in a minute. We don't want wet bums.'
Now I'd been told originally that we were having 2 marques (can't spell it!) Nope, they went with one massive beer tent. Bit snug for the 70 odd present but they'd counted on better weather. ( In September??
)
So the idea behind the 'garden party' was that we were never meant to go in the big house. Not owned by friend but by her son and daughter-in-law, who I instantly loved. So much money but she was fab. So meek, if thats a word people use these days.
Seemed so shy and yet my friend had told me she's a big wig in her career, extremely clever and the one that makes all the money, but she was so sweet and quiet. Never stopped working throughout the day and kept saying how excited she was, it was so lovely to fill the house with people.
The house was more like a country hotel. A catacombe of rooms. Who has 5 lounges? 2 dining rooms. Massive conservatory. No end of terraced areas with garden furniture.
Oh and at night all the gardens were lit up with loads of fairy lights. My favourite bit of it all.
You followed little stone pathways for what seem miles with walled areas, can't see whats round the next till there, and some were bees that twinkled, some changed colour, some 'danced' etc. Mainly white, blue but a few other colours. It was magical.
The kiddies loved it. Every tree and all the box hedging had something going on or each bed had something in it that twinkled and moved.
Sigh, how the other half..etc etc.
Wanted to see the upstairs but there was a constant queue for the loo up there, all the women going up for a gander I expect.
I can't tell you what fun I had. It was amazing. But the strangest thing was I didn't panic.
I was sitting in the walled garden we started out in, had 'special' seats saved for me as friend knows I'm a bit quiet.
Suddenly dawned on me, another night sat with just my posse, talking among ourselves.
Not fair to DH who is much more outgoing. He says hes not bothered that I beg him not to leave my side but I'm sure he misses chatting with everyone.
So shocked him when I got out my corner and haired across to the far side of the garden to see an old friend I'd spyed.
No one that I was ever really close to but one that I knows not having a great time and was minus her hubby.
Sat chatting with her for about 20 mins. Had a real laugh.
You know the shared comradship you get when you're both going through it. You mock you younger selves that were so naive and thought life would turn out so different. Well we knew each other in our 20s when we thought we knew it all.
Then we went onto our kids, same ages. Giggling secretly when I whispered about me becoming a
grandma. She thought it hysterical. 'You? Grandma?' Snort!
Cheered her up, anyway.
Then I got a compliment.
Okay he'd just come from the beer tent and was holding a bottle of hooch?? eh? whats that?
By now I was so proud of me that I was on a roll. I'd circulated round the tables, chatting willy nilly to all. Killig myself laughing with everyone.
Was so heady and yet hadn't touched a drop. It was so liberating and I wasn't a bit tongue tied.
Got back to my table and DH was just grinning at me with a 'whats with this then?' look on his face.
Anyway, a friend of his came across and sat next to me. A couple more friends had joined DH while I was away 'circulating' and they'd got on the subject of call-centres and what a best the cold callers were.
Then DH's friend said, 'mind, if they sounded like her,' giving me a nudge. ' I'd buy anything they wanted.'
Then he goes on to give an impression of 'me' talking to all these people.
He was doing this right sexy, husky voice.
'what? foghorn here?' says DH chuckling. 'Shall we loan her to India and up their sales?'
DS2 was peeing himself and my mum was nattering about, 'she gets it from me, one of my relatives was a Duke.'
She'd had a white wine. Nuff said.
(our claim to fame is that a duke knocked off one of his maid. My nan's mum. Only my mum would think that worth boasting about)
Even when we went into the house 'our' lounge became the IN lounge.
And you know what, I was right in the middle of it. Not cowering at the edge watching the clock. I was loving it and enjoying being right in the middle of every conversation.
We had a ball.
Some more of DH's mates came in. They were playing me up over the voice thing, too.
One was saying he loved my voice because I talked so 'posh.'
I don't.
The other was saying he could listen to it for hours. DH told him to be glad he didn't have to.
I ate sherry trifle, real glitter buns (like kirsties homemade
) posh sandwiches, stuff I've no idea what it was, cake, cake and a bit more cake.
BBQ meats and hot dogs. Sausage rolls, sausages on sticks, crisps, crackers, cheese, pork scratchings
, them pancake thingies, oooh loads.
And I LOST 1/2lb this morning.
Now where is the justice in that? Mad.
Wow I've waffled. But I guess this diary is just that. My life on record including the all important emotions that tend to impact so much on my weight.
Least today was a good day.
Ooh and the sun has just started shining brilliantly. Could it be a good week? I hope so.
Now to see how you're all doing on your diaries.
what a star you are, belle of the ball...glad you had an amazing time...gosh don't we worry for nothing lol but I am in your shoes this week, got an unexpected and unavoidable invite to a 21st this week (my nieces fiancée, oh no kids party geez), I hope to fair as well as you did, but have a very strong feeling I won't darn it..
