Thursday 7 January 2016

New Year's Eve...

This year we were not spending New Year's Eve with Mum and Dad - we have done so for many years but this time they had wanted a bit of a change and to spend it nearer home and then sleep in their own beds.  Unfortunately Dad had not recovered sufficiently to enjoy the festivities so they were home alone, hot toddies and early bed I reckon.  We had made no plans really until we were asked by Mina and Claire if we would like to go to theirs along with Lou and H and have a bit of a 'do'.  That sounded like a great idea to me - I am no lover of New Year's Eve at the best of times so spending time with a few friends with some nice food was very appealing, more appealing than being shoehorned into some establishment unable to mass cater and being schmoozed by some old crooner or another that's for sure!

The day started fine and bright - so much so that I put on two loads of washing and got them hung out under the watchful eye of Chivvy-Pops and managed to get them dry before the clouds began to gather and the temperature drop.

The weather forecasters appear to have got it right unfortunately - they were predicting a cold snap and possibly some snow by the end of this week.

As I was getting myself sorted John took a trip down to Miss Millie to check she was still around.  John and  Susan return tomorrow and we will be so glad that Millie will have their company once again.  Something has really spooked her because today she would not come out through the catflap for a cuddle or to eat her food despite John trying to encourage her.  Still at least we know she is at home and is safe and warm should the temperatures fall tonight.


We had agreed that we would all contribute towards the food this evening - it seemed only fair that the onus did not fall on the hosts so we had all been given our list of things to bring - I was making coleslaw and John his scrummy nutella no-bake cheesecake plus we were taking a box of Kolios Wine to help the evening go with a swing.

I also started to put together some bean cassoulet for Saturday when we are hoping to entertain Elena, Bassam, Elena's mum and the three children.  The plan is to go for a walk along the coast first and then pile back to ours for something to eat and as Elena's mum is vegetarian it seemed easier to make one dish that everyone could eat.

We also thought it would be fun to make it fancy dress for a laugh so I dusted off my flapper outfit that I wore to Mark Kirby's 50th Birthday party (or should that say slapper outfit!!!) and John went as Sheik Yabooty but had his Madchester outfit underneath because we were going to be entertained by our very own Ministry of Sound DJ who had been mixing and mashing up the 'sounds' this week in readiness.  We were going to be hit with mixes from the 70s, 80, 90s and present day and we had all chipped it with suggestions well at least those of us who were actually there in the 70s did for that era - not sure that DJ Claire was even born then!


The temperature had really begun to drop this evening when we left so we were pleased that it was bouncing warm when we arrived.  The food was fabulous, there was a beautiful ham joint that I what back for seconds of which is amazing as my Mum will tell you I don't overly much care for gammon.  As you can see Lou, Mina and Claire were now dressed in their 'mad for it' clothes.



Our New Year's Eve party kit included confetti bombs from Jumbos and some celebrity masks and glowsticks and finger lights which were all put to good use during the course of the evening.  The finger lights from Tiger were a huge success!!  We had our very own rave in deepest darkest Giolou.

As a change from the 'sounds' Claire dug out the karaoke and we all took turns to absolutely massacre some song or another - thank goodness the microphone wasn't really working properly!!!

Why is it that in your head you think you sound ok and then if someone records it you realise how deluded you have been!!!

There being no Jim Reeves for John to serenade us with he have us a rousing rendition of the Kings of Leon's Your Sex is on Fire looking like Bez from the Happy Mondays when he was dancing.


It was a brilliant evening and we all had great fun eating, drinking, singing and dancing - our New Year's Resolution to one another being that next year we will try and get together more than few times we have managed it this year - that and to keep our memory jars uptodate so we can sit down together and read them when 2016 draws to an end.


Happy New Year to my readers.  May it be a kind and peaceful one to you all.


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