Partieeee! ..... and a puppy.

Well after all the hard work the BBQ went off really well, despite the cold overcast day. We did have waaaaaay too much food though and the chocie fondue didn't work, but no one seemed to care.

Kelly actually arrived quite early so was around to give me a hand. I had been to Iceland on Thursday so only had to go get beer and salad stuff early Sat morning. Then it was simply a case of slicing, dicing and a little bit of cooking (I made a fabbie raspberry pavlova).

It was really great meeting up with people we hadnt seen for 16 years and finding we still had things in common. One couple have even invited us up to their son's birthday party this coming weekend so hey, things on the social side could be looking up.

One sad bit though was when Martin's brother and wife turned up and we discovered that in January their adopted son had come home to tell them he had testicle cancer. We found it hard to reason why it had taken them 5 months to tell us though, from a family that is supposed to be so close.

There were also about 6 people who said they were coming who didnt turn up which was a dissappointment, but apart from that it was a good day.

There was an awful lot to clear up afterwards though, made even harder by our surprise lodger. OK, yes I am a soft touch but the kids have been knocking themselves out this past week trying to get the house finished this weekend in order to provide a home for the puppy they had bought. BUT it just didnt happen. Hold ups with plumbers and electricians, kitchen units that were wrong or not delivered, all meant that there was just no way they could move in just yet. There is at least another two weeks work.

So a sheepish Laura came to us Friday night asking if she could keep the puppy shut in the dinning room/kitchen/conservatory while the cat has the run of the rest of the house. Which meant a total re-arrange of furniture, and cleaning all the floor, keeping the cat away at least until Wednesday when the puppy has his first injections and early mornings to give the little scrap his morning meal. But how could I say no to this? Meet our new family member .. Bailey the Golden Retriever.