Right, planning time for the party is here 🙂
Basically every one who reads this blog is invited so no coy ‘well I wasn’t sure if you meant me’ type nonsense from anyone 😉
I have had yeses from:
Alison;
Kirsty;
Layla;
Jax
all of whom have been invited to stay here too. If any of you are not intending to do so please let me know so I can start deciding where to put you all. Also please feel free to stay Friday night so you are here all day Saturday, Saturday night (we’re planning beef stew (with veggie option) all round for that evening). Depending on who is still around on Sunday and how long they are around for (staying Sunday night too is positively encouraged!) we’ll do something during the day locally.
Ros, Jenny, Ali – obviously all local enough to be working yourselves out but include yourselves invited to any additional stuff going on.
Joyce and Barbara – staying with Ros so as above 🙂
Sarah and poss the Beans – assuming you are serious about camping 😉 please also include yourselves in above as you are also staying nearby.
Heather, Merry you both mentioned being maybes – have you had any further thoughts?
And anyone else????
The plans for the actual party are as follows:
I have booked the same hall we have our Home Ed group at on Saturday 29th October from 12-6pm. I would say the actual party would start from 1pm, but I would welcome some help with setting up and decorating if anyone would like to (I’ll probably leave Ady at our house running a creche for children so I can do it unfettered!); laying out food and setting up games etc.
Party to start at 1pm. We’ve planned games such as apple bobbing, various spooky versions of party favourites (pass the parcel, musical statues and so on). There is a stage and we do have a karaoke machine so if anyone fancies singing a spooky themed song and has their own music on tape to bring along please feel free 😉
Food will be tradional party fayre with a spooky theme – any contributions to the food will be very gratefully received including non alcoholic beverages for adults and children. I will try and co-ordinate that nearer the time but please shout now if you are a willing volunteer 🙂 Also shout now if you are coming and have allergies or issues with any sort of foods.
Fancy dress is not optional and will be required and expected of both children and adults. Prizes will be awarded for best outfits in categories to be announced nearer the time 😉
When night falls (around 5pm ish usually) we will have a small firework display outside although for H&S reasons we may watch from inside and all parents are reminded that they are responsible for their childrens’ safety (and their spouses’ behaviour!) unless anyone has any bang phobias or similar!
I was asked whether any of the people who star in my blog from my real life will be putting in guest appearances. There will be invitations offered to my parents, Chris and Julie, all of the schooled children who I sometimes mention and a few people from local HE group. This is not an opportunity for anyone to attempt to blackmail me by threatening to tell anyone what I blog about them as a) it will be Halloween, your screams will go unheard in a sea of screams and I WILL hurt you! b) chances are you will agree with anything i have said about them anyway as I am very astute and a fantastic judge of character and c) I am Nic. People who spend any length of time around me know me well enough to already know what I think of them anyway because I tell them 😉
Ooh, I can’t wait 🙂
I hae eer wor fay dre i y ife o that i u out The keyoard i eary fuked
Comment by Chris — 21 September 2005 @ 8:13 pm
I’m excited. Still trying to decide if I should try to bring the van and assume I am welcome to stay in the environs for longer, sans Bob, but will depend on work. Otherwise, we plan to arrive on Ros’s doorstep on Friday evening (whenever we arrive basically – about 13 hours after we depart), and leave on Tuesday, I think. (is that wot I said, Ros?)
Comment by Joyce — 21 September 2005 @ 8:21 pm
Not us, but thanks for the invite. We don’t really do Hallowe’en, and also we will be down your way two weeks later. If we can escape from the demands of family we’d love to pop over and say hello then, if that would be OK.
Comment by Jan — 21 September 2005 @ 9:14 pm
no Chris, can’t decipher it 😉
Joyce – STAY! STAY! STAY! 🙂
Jan – that would be lovely, would love to see you when you are down this way 🙂
Comment by Nic — 21 September 2005 @ 9:42 pm
Apparently C said, “I have never worn fancy dress in my life so that is us out. The keyboard is clearly fucked.”
(Not sure why *him* not wearing fancy dress stops the rest of us from doing so, lol!)
Comment by Alison — 21 September 2005 @ 10:02 pm
Can’t wait. We are free agents again now that Chris has managed to postpone his Jury service so won’t be in mad rush down and up as we thought. Will still have to be home Sunday night though. At least Chris will have to…
Nic, feel free to put my name to anything and everything.
Comment by Barbara — 21 September 2005 @ 11:03 pm
Happy to bring food/drink but preferably something we can get once we’re there – I’m hoping we’ll do Thurs/Fri/Sat nights at a campsite that you’re going to recommend to me, Nic? Kids are wildly excited about dressing up, not sure Steve will be too impressed though … I might manage something … also very excited about it now that we can definitely come!
Comment by Sarah — 21 September 2005 @ 11:06 pm
I shall plan stuff with you innperson but more than happy to cook, bake decorate and titivate :-).
Those with fancy dress phobia wear black :-). I shall of course be pushing the boat out as I love dressing up (not that you guessed that of course)!
We don’t normally do Hallowe’en but we shall be this year :-).
Joyce- you are very welcome to stay as long or as shirt as you like 🙂 Always welcome here or elsewhere I’m sure.
Comment by Roslyn — 21 September 2005 @ 11:34 pm
We’d love a Joyce (well, Hannah, lol!) visit here – don’t want to get into a tug-of-love battle with the Screamteam though!
Comment by Alison — 21 September 2005 @ 11:56 pm
we won’t camp but will be coming.don’t actually know exactly where you live to look for cheap hotel though – LOL!!! [do you have a travleodge or equivalent??
oh god cosutmes!!! elinor will want to be a fairy or princess – will have to try v hard!!
Comment by chris F — 22 September 2005 @ 12:21 am
Fight fight fight! LOL!
Joyce stay anywhere my dear 🙂
Comment by Roslyn — 22 September 2005 @ 10:20 am
Chris, you guys are v welcome to stay with us – we can vacate our bedroom for you Helen and BB, SB can either go in with you as well or with the DD’s. Let me know.
Nic am happy to help however you want/need.
Comment by Jenny — 22 September 2005 @ 4:57 pm
Oh, and yes, of course, stick me on your list of people offering to bring stuff!
We were wondering today whether it is supposed to be Halloween-themed fancy dress, or a more North American trick-or-treat style dress up as anything you fancy?
Comment by Alison — 22 September 2005 @ 7:40 pm
And yes, while won;t be bringing stuff WITH me, or cooking it in Ros’s kitchen, am more than willing to dash to stop at that Tesco/M+S combo on the way past, and purchase whatever nec. Ros – very excited about staying with you (and that’s only Bob and Hannah!)
Comment by Joyce — 22 September 2005 @ 8:47 pm
Excellent 🙂 Sarah, will have a look at camping and get back to you – do you have any specific requirements?
Anyone else wanting my actual address email me or comment here and I’ll send it to you so you can find a hotel / plan your route, but we are near Worthing. The nearest Travelodges are Littlehampton and Brighton.
Will do a list of food suggestions and you can put your names against stuff.
Fancy dress? Well we are doing traditional scary halloween stuff – I’ll be a witch (I know!), Ady’s being Frankenstein’s Monster, currently Tarly wants to be a cat (like Dora in the Halloween episode) and Davies wants to be a pumpkin although the kids choices could change.
If you feel the need to be fairy girls, lumberjacks, vicars, a lollipop lady or in particularly adventurous cases a used car specialist or a father of four from Reading then please feel free 😉
Comment by Nic — 22 September 2005 @ 8:49 pm
i think we will take you up on your kind offer if it is no orblem. we usually end up all in the same bed Jenny, as long as you and RGB have actually somewhere to sleep!! [we are quite OK with blow up beds on the floor.]
looking forward to it
Comment by HelenJ — 22 September 2005 @ 9:03 pm
no specific requirements other than hookup so that we can plug heater in!
Comment by Sarah — 23 September 2005 @ 6:46 am
Helen, we have a sofa bed downstairs and will use that. The bed in our room is king size so should suit your needs better – just don’t let F in in the morning when he hammers on the door or you’ll be tandem feeding 🙂
Comment by Jenny — 23 September 2005 @ 9:03 am
we’re coming/staying – will come down on saturday morning if that’s okay
Comment by layla — 23 September 2005 @ 11:59 am
We’ll come – at least me, Tamsin and Isabelle will. Will need to ask DH – he hates parties but might be able to be persuaded…
Comment by Joanna — 23 September 2005 @ 7:52 pm
excellent Jo – will you do a day trip or stay somewhere?
Comment by Nic — 24 September 2005 @ 8:27 am
Don’t know yet – need to investigate. Don’t fancy all that driving in one day so will probably stay somewhere.
Comment by Joanna — 24 September 2005 @ 7:54 pm
argh, now how did I miss this? I did think it was odd that I came back from holiday and you still hadn’t blogged. *sigh* it was too odd to be true!
Anyway, we’re still hopefull to come but will let you know as soon as we can if not.
Can help out in any way, just shout what you want me to do 🙂
Comment by Kirsty — 27 September 2005 @ 11:07 pm