Monday, June 30, 2008
Oh What A Night
I’ve still got marks on my neck from carrying Leanne on my shoulders while she sang 99 Red Balloons. They’re my battle scars and I’ll be sentimental about them if I want to be.
Our housewarming bash went well, I think.
Friends from various incarnations of our lives and four corners of the north traversed psychological and administrative borders in order to drink on our sofa and drop crumbs. Many hadn’t previously met, some we’d not seen for, like, yonks. There seemed to be a pretty decent mingle rate.
Looby and top dadblogger Crinklybee represented the internetosphere with aplomb, working their magik and bringing joy to all, and were last seen stumbling into the darkness at 2.00am with cans of John Smiths in their pockets to see them right for the long walk home.
Girlfriend’s playlist, seven hours of handcrafted perfection, went round more than once, possibly even twice. At some point in the evening most people either danced or enjoyed themselves - we’ll know for certain when the Customer Satisfaction questionnaires start to come back - and it was observed that Charlie is very funny.
Nothing got broken, nobody cried, all the beer got drunk. But on the plus side, we’ve got much more vodka than we started off with, so a Vodka Night surely beckons.
The biggest hit of the evening though, the brightest stars by some margin, were my Chocolate Coated Strawberries. If you want people to think you’re a culinary genius, this is how you do it:
A Free Man In Preston’s Chocolate Coated Strawberries
(Preparation time: all day)
1. Melt lots of plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or beer.
2. Dip loads of strawberries into the chocolate, then place on grease proof paper for the chocolate to harden again.
3. If you can be bothered and there’s enough space, place in fridge for a while.
4. Go and have a bath to wash off excess chocolate. You look ridiculous.
5. Serve. Feel terrifically clever as your guests ignore all the other food and go straight for the chocolate strawberries, making “Oooh!” noises, and “These are lovely. How did you make them? Gosh, aren’t you clever / incredibly attractive / can I sit on your shoulders for a while / etc.”
Our housewarming bash went well, I think.
Friends from various incarnations of our lives and four corners of the north traversed psychological and administrative borders in order to drink on our sofa and drop crumbs. Many hadn’t previously met, some we’d not seen for, like, yonks. There seemed to be a pretty decent mingle rate.
Looby and top dadblogger Crinklybee represented the internetosphere with aplomb, working their magik and bringing joy to all, and were last seen stumbling into the darkness at 2.00am with cans of John Smiths in their pockets to see them right for the long walk home.
Girlfriend’s playlist, seven hours of handcrafted perfection, went round more than once, possibly even twice. At some point in the evening most people either danced or enjoyed themselves - we’ll know for certain when the Customer Satisfaction questionnaires start to come back - and it was observed that Charlie is very funny.
Nothing got broken, nobody cried, all the beer got drunk. But on the plus side, we’ve got much more vodka than we started off with, so a Vodka Night surely beckons.
The biggest hit of the evening though, the brightest stars by some margin, were my Chocolate Coated Strawberries. If you want people to think you’re a culinary genius, this is how you do it:
A Free Man In Preston’s Chocolate Coated Strawberries
(Preparation time: all day)
1. Melt lots of plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or beer.
2. Dip loads of strawberries into the chocolate, then place on grease proof paper for the chocolate to harden again.
3. If you can be bothered and there’s enough space, place in fridge for a while.
4. Go and have a bath to wash off excess chocolate. You look ridiculous.
5. Serve. Feel terrifically clever as your guests ignore all the other food and go straight for the chocolate strawberries, making “Oooh!” noises, and “These are lovely. How did you make them? Gosh, aren’t you clever / incredibly attractive / can I sit on your shoulders for a while / etc.”

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