Saturday, November 15, 2008

Sausage-Fest a success - we're Happy tired

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I can't let this official photograph of our future leader pass without comment. The snap was front page of yesterday's Telegraph.

Anyone who suggests he was fresh from auditioning for the role of Baron Bomburst in a remake of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is clearly mistaken. That chest-full of medals has been well earned and his uniform displays impeccable taste. Baron Bomburst's homeland, you may remember, is Vulgaria and Charles is to be congratulated on getting it off-to-a-T. As anonymousrob said, if the picture was of the jumped up dictator of a third-world African Country we would applaud the fellow's subdued and understated approach to his job.

The sausage-fest was a success. Everyone was pleased Bob and Sandra managed it, not without difficulty though because Sandra's carpel-tunnel arm is still in a sling. So Bungus (Bob) finally became an in-the-flesh person rather than an ephemeral 'blog-comment' author. If we do it again Jill, it would be lovely if you came up and stayed overnight. I'm sure we could find you a bed somewhere.

I'd better explain the "Sausage Fest" - I had been to the butcher, and the supermarket, and bought 4 links of this and 4 links of that etc., finishing up with 8 different sorts of sausage from plain, through to 'pork, apple and chili' plus some veggie ones - all served on platters from which folks made their own selection. At the side was a big breadboard with some interesting looking loaves and 2 bread-knives. People cut slices/chunks and buttered them to their liking. The cheese-board comprised mature-stilton, west-country brie, basic cheddar and a selection of individually wrapped mini-cheeses.

This was followed by 4 tick's tiramasu, and fresh fruit salad which were great. "Absent friends" were toasted, twice, because some people missed the first. I'm a little afraid some people missed both. Roy said a "Thank You" which was much appreciated as was the Lancashire Cheese Bomb (photo later) which he brought as a 'prezzie'. Once, when I was out in the kitchen, I could hear a reassuring background hubbub of happy conversation. All the sausages went bar two links and one of those vanished on the way to the bin.

We had worked well together - I did the cooking and Y masterminded things like crockery, cutlery, napkins, table layout and essential things like coats, welcoming guests, drinks ! Rob came early to help and did errands and general back-up.

So we were well pleased and Y enjoyed it so. She really loves a bit of social ....

Comments

Too tired to deal with comments this evening but I will return to them tomorrow. In passing though Jill, keyboards are easy to deal with. It is just a matter of plugging the new one into the same socket the old one came from. And they are surprisingly cheap. Find a cheap-ish Computer shop and there will be a range of different keyboards. Pick a colour you like, as simple a layout as you can find, keys that suit you etc., and go for it.

Tomorrow I'll take a couple of pictures showing you plug-ends and where they go.

"Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow"



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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

DIARY
It really worked well. All Graham & Yvonne's hard work was not in vain.
Good company, very tasty sausages, excellent bread, perfect Stilton and superb tiramisu (because of which I had to severely limit my drinking-before-driving).
Yes, truly a most enjoyable outing for both Sandra and myself - although the effects of persistent pleurisy (not the carpal tunnels which I am assured are more a nuisance - through having to be kept on high to prevent the hand turning blue - than a pain) eventually forced us to leave before needing to call in the paramedics again (I exaggerate somewhat, and no lasting ill effects after a good lie down).
Having been a virtual recluse for over a year I am sure the occasion did ME good although I slept till 10.30 this morning. I hope the hosts feel not too battered today.
I am just sorry that I didn’t get to socialise with more of the bloggers and mythical WoW figures. But the image of Rob became reality and lived up to expectations, as did Elaine and Maureen and Reg (So many names beginning with R I’ll be forgetting my own in a minute).

BLOG COMMENT
To counter the caustic and treasonable comments about HRH’s Official Photo (which I am sure a lot of people, eg those who liked Annigoni’s painting of the Queen, will think is lovely) I feel that I should mention his welcome proletarian appearance, accompanied by wife and younger son, on-stage with the performers, at the end of a largely very entertaining Royal Variety Comedy Performance (although Rowan Atkinson provided a ‘beyond-Black-Adder’ shock which to me was more offensive than anything done or said by Brand and Ross – and I am an agnostic with a strong leaning towards atheism; something which caused considerable concern to a certain RE sergeant who wanted me to read the lesson in church).
Prince Charles also cheerfully absorbed the considerable micky taking with great good humour and apparent enjoyment.
But, although I disagree quite strongly with some of his views, esp those on architecture, I quite like him.

S * I were two who missed both the "Absent friends" toasts which I suppose means that, at the times of their calling, they were being drunk to us two too!
What a way to grab attention!

Pleased to hear that you ended up with only one surplus sausage. Sandra noticed that when the platters appeared there were 5 veggie sausages. She thought this strange and wondered if you, G, had sampled one of a half-dozen? – or do sausages, like screws and hinges, now come in decimalised packs of 5 ? S pronounced them ‘sossages’ and also ‘GOOD’, in fact better than any others she has tasted (like most imitative vegetarian products they are usually bland or have strongly artificial flavours) – Morrison’s Cumberland Vegetarian was the particular strain, I believe.

Jill:
Just a repeat on the matter of keyboards; some have a simple USB connection which may provide the easiest solution.

FINAL THOUGHT
re a new TV advert of the incomprehensible type (viz, ‘Other WIIs and NunChucks can be bought separately’).
“How many nuns could a nunchuck chuck, if a nunchuck could chuck nuns?”

Anonymous said...

Looking for something else (I now forget what) I discover that Graham's
'Moist Monday - Virgin sorted out',
referred to by Ron in his thankyou speech yesterday,
was preceded by
a 'Therapeutic Thursday'
a 'Free-wheeling Friday'
and, on Saturday,
a 'Late evening 'quickie''

Anonymous said...

It was a great afternoon at the sausage-fest and really good to meet Bungus and Sandra in person, and very smart Bungus looked too. Shame!!

It was also a great afternoon for the football with the important games both ending in home wins by 5-0 and 3-0. Even County won away 0-4. Meanwhile Panthers continue their slide to mid-table mediocrity. They scored 6 goals at home to Belfast and still lost.

Today we have been to a craft exhibition at the NEC. This one was aimed at people who indulge in crafting. Elaine wanted to go to see what there was in the way of card making and jewellery making stuff. I ended up spending more than she did, though, as one exhibitor was selling inkjet art papers quite cheaply. I got some sample packs of Hahnemuhle paper, A4 size, containing 10 sheets of paper for £5 each with a freepack of Lumijet paper thrown in. I also found some packs of the Daler-Rowney inkjet art paper that I prefer for my digital cyanotypes.

I did have a bit of a 'funny turn' though about 20 minutes after eating a lasagne in their 'restaurant'. My guess is it was something in the food rather than paying £3.50 for a bottle of Peroni beer. I was OK after 5 or 10 minutes and some water. Elaine wasn't affected, and we shared the food, so it may have been a mild allergic reaction to something. Probably the thought of going to work tomorrow.

Rob