Fire and a Party.... improvisation.

Bonfire night (this past Saturday - the 5th) went with a bang as usual. For the third year running our pals from far and wide packed up their families, fireworks and fantastic desserts and wheedled their way to Shropshire and The Larches. We were expecting almost sixty guests, more than twenty of them staying the night.

It was a miracle I made it to the Saturday, for starters my head cold seemed to have turned into a brain tumor, so magnificent was my headache. I can only assume this was a combination of stress and sinus strain. It also wasn't great that, on the Friday, we seemed to be experiencing the worst weather for months, with a ton of rain creating flooded roads further down in the valley towards school.

The rain was also turning our driveway into a quagmire and I worried that the farmer's low loader would sink low in the field, as he endeavoured to push the huge bonfire into a compact shape. We build the bonfire over a year and therefore it is generally monumental, but we regularly disturb it to ensure no creatures consider it home. This final shake of the bonfire is invaluable to ensure no animals remain before we light it.

Apart from the weather, all seemed well; the house was cleaned, bedrooms made ready, drinks chilling, the only thing that niggled me is that my caterers - a couple I've employed for the past two years who run a mobile burger van serving local sausages, burgers and hot crispy chips, hadn't returned my last two calls. We had agreed the date almost a month ago and had discussed the menu several times since then but now I needed to clarify numbers, always difficult to judge till the final few days when guests finally confirm or decline the invitation. I also needed to ensure timings for feeding everyone before the firework display.

At 3pm I tried the mobile number yet again, just before I had to leave for school pick up.

The caterer answered and I sighed with relief.

'Gosh,' I said. 'You're going to give me a heart attack, I've been trying and trying to contact you.'

'Oh yes, sorry about that I meant to call you back. We can't do your party now as we're booked somewhere else. I forgot to look in the diary and we were already booked to do this big thing in Ludlow. Sorry, should have told you.'

Bombshell.

***

Do you know what? It was fine. I phoned the local butcher Bowkett's of Tenbury and he made me 100 of the fattest and best tasting sausages ever.

On Saturday I awoke to bright sunshine which continued all through the weekend and there was not a murmur of a breeze.

We set up our barbecue, (previously packed away for the winter,) in the log shed and even employed Grandma's 1970's hostess trolley to keep the food warm.

We offered sausages in finger rolls and burgers in soft buns and our guests did us proud by bringing some truly stunning desserts (even though I'd specifically asked them to bring deserts in the invitation...... good lord, cardinal error!)

The children marauded in the dark, loving the wild freedom of our fields while the adults drank wine or sipped at hot cups of my home-made tomato soup, many did both. The fireworks were awesome - very professionally managed by Hubby. So all in all it was a great night, especially great to see old pals of course and local people who have become good friends.

We've cleaned up now - probably need to go and empty the cans and bottles tomorrow at the recycling bank and I definitely need to wash the floors, but other than that the house looks fine.

It was a super party again and a late'ish night but I think we'll have a year off next year. Catch our breath a bit and go to someone else's display..... look out Oxfordshire were coming to visit!!

Larchingham Palace....

Well, this morning the smell has abated. (If you're unsure of what I am talking about, take a peek at yesterday's post, I'm too annoyed to repeat the story...) I presume the reason for the smell dilution is because we live in a sizeable, draughty house where the sash windows are just about to fall out. This creates a weather system inside the house and allows troublesome odors to dissipate quickly. No need for fancy air fresheners here! Humph!

Last night, after the smokehouse cleared and I escorted, out of the doors and windows, every bit of heat from the house that we'd accumulated since early November, I began to worry about the hubby: (You can never worry enough really. As an aside, all the people I know who worry a lot are slim...... I am fat!) Anyhoo, the snow was getting pretty bad and he'd borrowed my sledge car for the day, leaving us with Dizzy.

The stink from the damp fire was still revolting so I stomped out into the black and white and returned with my wheelbarrow. (I love my wheelbarrow.... roll on Spring.) With Kevlar fire gloves I weight-lifted the entire wrought-iron log basket, still smoking, into the wheelbarrow and raced it out the front door and out into Home Field. The offending logs and coal are now a part of the prep for next year's Bonfire Night Party.

*

Hubby finally made it home. Shaking, he said hello and immediately fixed himself a drink. Bad journey home; it's the last 10 miles that really scuppers us.

He was so traumatised he didn't even register the smoke damage, except to tell me that that particular chimney doesn't have a cowl. The chimney was probably blocked with snow and ice.

After a bath I almost smelled human. I sat with hubby in the kitchen, the children safely tucked up in beds and bedrooms that smelled like lapsang souchong tea,.... but I was warm by the log burner (that doesn't smoke) and I was very comfy too, till my arse, 'scuse the French, fell through the ancient new thrones fireside chairs we've treated ourselves to as a Wedding Anniversary present. Anyhow, it appears that one of the struts holding the springs in place had pinged off. Hubby - mender of the universe - soon had it fixed and my bottom was soon safely on my rightful throne....... just the one cheese scone with a slice of cold ham and a glass of wine beside me. See I'm cutting back already.

So, this morning we just smell vaguely like we live on a charcoal farm..... Delightful.

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A Hot night.......

Bonfire was great...and we have one little black chick so far......

Tonight's the Night baby....

Big fire tonight: A brilliant social way to get rid of all the foliage we've cut from the garden during the year, the bonfire is approximately 25 ft high now. Plus, a kind farmer has a trailer-load of his rubbish that he will add to the pile before he helps us to push over countless tree stumps with his tractor or low-loader. They too can be dumped on top. He's going to shake the bonfire too, to scare any creatures out. I'm predicting a burn for a week!

I captured the bonfire a week ago, arced by a rainbow. Unfortunately the pot of gold was just out of our fields. Boo hiss.

Seasonal Change.....

Autumn has arrived for sure. We've already dipped into the 'below zero' temperatures overnight thanks to the cloudless, beautiful sunny days. The moons have been awesome; Harvest moons with twinkling stars. There's no street lighting around The Larches so on some nights the dark sky is alive with diamonds. I must get a book on the stars, check out where E.T. lives.

We've had some pretty interesting fungi in the garden. No revolting comments on the body part one, OK?

I took the cosmos plants out of my big pots outside the front door. It was getting pretty difficult to pass them as they barred your way with gorgeous colour. Although they weren't spent, they were looking tired but I didn't have the heart to put them on the bonfire so I planted them in the garden. They've had a second wind, bursting with buds. Clearly the pots were way too dry for them.

I've a new planting scheme in the pots now; 10ft pampas grasses, blue geranium and primula, all half-inched relocated from the garden.

It's been great having mini bonfires in the garden with the sproglets. Toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate is just what Autumn dictates.

Reflections on Mothers' Day...

I didn't have Mothering Sunday this year, instead I claimed my Mothers' Day on the Saturday. It was a fantastic day.

We awoke at 7am to see the sunlight peeping through the window that I've yet to get a curtain for and by 8am we were chomping into Ludlow sausages, bacon and our own delicious eggs with crusty bakery bread. My home-made cards were fantastic. Girl had made one in the shape of a tea pot which had a tea bag stapled inside, saying 'take a break today Mummy.' It was inspired. The 5yo's teacher had helped them make cards like little fish tanks with tie-dye material that looked like water. Teacher is beautiful and aged about 12 so I can only presume her grandparents were hippies passing on their tie-dye skills.

By now the sun was high in the sky and although the temperature was a little fresh, there was no breeze so I attacked the garden while husband ferried the kids around the site in Dizzy Disco picking up all discarded trash and rotten wood which they drove to the *new bonfire.

*Worryingly, husband has started building the bonfire for Bonfire Night!! You'll be able to see our celebration from space, I fear for the fence, house, animals!

Dizzy also managed to uproot several unwanted shrubs: We lashed a tow rope around them attached the rope to Dizzy and drove off. It was very satisfying, especially as it meant I didn't have to spend hours digging them out.

The 5yo and Daddy departed for the dump, some 25 miles away while the 7yo took photos of everything and I barrowed 2 ton of rotten cow poo to my raised vegetable beds. Almost heaven except for the fact that our wheelbarrow is absolute pants; with a hard fixed wheel and small capacity I was forced to 'borrow' the tenant's barrow from the stables.....I'm not sure they're happy about this as there are rumours about cows passing worms to horses. However I always wash it out afterwards but its a bit of a pain.

When the boys returned we had lunch in the walled garden in the sun. I couldn't find my gardening gloves and husband suggested they might be in the back of Dizzy. I pulled open the tailgate to find a wonderful, huge, shiny black wheelbarrow with a bouncy wheel. Wit-ta-woooooo. I nearly cried when I had to put the first forkful of poo in it but it's well and truly christened now!

Pizza for dinner was another surprise.....kinda surprised we ever got it! We ordered from a takeaway in a little town 5 miles away and explained carefully how rural we were. 'S'okay,' said the man with the cute Turkish accent 'We got Sat Nav...' I eventually had to run a mile down our lane and guide him in with a high beam torch!! We re-heated in the oven, and I'm pleased to say we have not contracted salmonella.

All in all possibly the best day ever. Thanks family and thanks God for the nice weather.