Any Excuse for a Party.....

Hello, my dear Bloggeroos!

Thank you so much for your comments on my Conspiracy Theories posts.

My dear mate Penny at The Henhouse thinks I'll give her one of my free pens, just for leaving a comment.

Fat chance!

I'm not around in Blogland this evening...........

Why's that?................

You may well ask!.............

As you know, our Family loves to Party.

So there's things to do, beds to make up for visitors etc.

I don't just mean "Have a get-together."

After all, we do that most weeks when we all head up to Mum & Dad's for Saturday Lunch.

There's usually about 14 of us!

No......to us "having a Party" consists of a suitable venue, disco, and a buffet.

(Which Mum insists on pronouncing it BUFF-ETTE)

Any excuse will do...........

It's someone's birthday..........let's have a party.

A wedding?...........a party.

A Christening?..........a party. (We've had loads of those lately.)

We're a bit like the Waltons..............

Except there's more of us...........

.......and our clothes are posher!

Speaking of the Waltons, on New Year's Eve, I went out with my Ickle Ditder (Mandy) and her hubby David.

The three of us decided to join the throngs around Lincoln Cathedral welcoming in 2011 to the sound of the Cathedral bells.

A truly magical experience - bells ringing, chinese lanterns lit and sent aloft.

(A very magical experience for Mandy, as it happens.

She insisted on kissing all the policemen who were on duty!)

.

Both my sister and I live "downhill", the Cathedral is "uphill". (The posh bit of the City!)

Mum and Dad live "uphill", so we all stayed the night there.

This was rather a novelty for me. I've only stayed at their house a couple of times since I left home to get married in 1975 aged 19. But this was the first time that I'd slept in my old room.

Mum and Dad's a.k.a. HQ

My room is the one with the two little windows.

I bet you wonder how we all fit in this house on a Saturday! It's like a cross between

Pass the Parcel and

Musical Chairs; anyone holding one of the three smallest babies gets a seat!

After seeing the New Year in and singing "Auld Lang Syne",

we got to Mum and Dad's at around 12.45am, they were waiting up for us.

Of course, Dad couldn't resist...............

"What time do you call this?"

We sat around talking and laughing 'til 2.10am!

We all went upstairs together, in and out the bathroom, bumping into each other on the landing.

With loads of whisperings and giggling like little kids, tablets were taken, lights went off, and we all settled down.

"Goodnight, everyone." I shouted. Mum and Dad were still giggling.

I shouted to Mum "Is that your headboard I can hear rattling?"

(I was joking of course.)

in reply, Mumsie started singing.....................

"Memories, like the corners of my mind.

Misty water-coloured memories

of the way we were........"

Mum's no Barbara Streisand, but she raised a laugh!

Then all was quiet..................

...........until Daddio shouted....................

"Goodnight John Boy, goodnight Jim-Bob."

We all joined in calling goodnight to any other members of the

Walton's family whose names we could remember!

**************

The party we've got planned for this evening, Saturday is a really, really Special Day.

Mumsie and Daddio are celebrating their Diamond Wedding Anniversary........that's 60 years of marriage!

They have received a card from Her Majesty, The Queen.

(For any of my Bloggeroos outside UK, the Queen sends a special card for 60th Wedding Anniversaries and 100th Birthdays. I did have to request it via the Palace website.)

It's quite dog-eared already with Dad proudly showing it off to friends, neighbours and tradesmen!)

Mum & Dad with GGD Evie

Summer 2009

Everyone will be there, not just our immediate families, but cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.

As always Mum and Dad have also invited friends of mine, my sister's, and my brother's.

These are our oldest and closest friends, who still pop in to Mum and Dad's when they're passing.

There's over 80 of us, so far.

As well as the disco, we've also booked a singer who sings those great hits of the 1940's. (He's very talented and he sang at our previous family party last month for my brother's birthday.)

So, there will be four generations of us.

Our family realise how very, very lucky we are that Mum and Dad are still with us.

We would never take them for granted.

We know that one day, we will look back on this time as

"The Good Old Days."

The Good Old Days TV Show

*****************

My Dad's name is Charlie, so he calls all us girls "Charlie's Angels."

We're all getting our sashes ready that we had made for Dad's 80th birthday.

My sash

I'm 2nd Angel, Mumsie is 1st Angel, obviously.

Charlie's Angels at Dad's 80th

Mum, Me, Mandy, nieces Laura & Emily, DILs Annmarie & Claire, SIL Kath and GD Hollie

(2 more Angels have been born since this pic was taken.)

Mum & Dad

As well as family, there is one honorary angel, Janet.

Her and her husband, Jim are friends of Mum and Dad.

He calls her his "girlfriend." But she has to wait her turn!

Dad and Janet

I'm so looking forward to it, and hope to have some great pics to show you.

(I might even take one of Auntie Moo!)