I went to a marvellous party
We played the most wonderful game
Maureen disappeared
And came back in a beard
And we all had to guess at her name
We talked about growing old gracefully
And Elsie who’s seventy-four
Said, “A, it’s a question of being sincere
And be, if you’re supple you’ve noting to fear
Then she swung upside down from a glass chandelier
I couldn’t have liked it more
We played the most wonderful game
Maureen disappeared
And came back in a beard
And we all had to guess at her name
We talked about growing old gracefully
And Elsie who’s seventy-four
Said, “A, it’s a question of being sincere
And be, if you’re supple you’ve noting to fear
Then she swung upside down from a glass chandelier
I couldn’t have liked it more
With thanks to the equally wonderful Noel Coward
As far as I recall everybody left in the same gender in which they arrived and the chandeliers are still intact. However it was a wonderful party and if I can hang upside down from a chandelier when I am seventy four I will be delighted (and eternally grateful to Noel and Laura my yoga teachers!)
The most wonderful thing about having a caterer (particularly one as supremely talented as Andy – really if you are looking for a caterer in the North East he is your go to man), is not only are you guaranteed fabulous food, but you don’t have the stress on the day of cooking it. I love to cook, I love to give parties, dinner parties, lunch parties, supper parties, I have even given breakfast parties, I adored giving children’s parties; but sometimes it’s nice to have the day off. As a result, instead of spending the day in the kitchen I could spend the day decorating and playing in the Barn.
Work in progress. Lavender and foliage from the garden. I keep vast quantities of tartan ribbon which is used time after time. My fingers were quite sore after winding wire round 16 mini bouquets and wrapping them in the ribbon.
Finished product. Worth the pain I think!
These were the only flowers I had to buy. One huge hydrangea head and one deep blue delphinium. Cost £5.50. I cut out a silver tag for the place name. By now my fingers were hardended and I had found some softer wire. I had also had a glass of wine which may have helped dull the pain….
Close up.
By now I was on a roll. Next up were table decorations and flowers. I had already decided on lots of little jars and pots. So it was back out into the garden to raid what was left. If you are lucky enough to live in a rural area or have plenty of weeds (!) don’t ignore them, some of them are very pretty and tree foliage is a wonderful filler at this time of year when the colours are so rich.
The candles are resting in black lentils. I did um and ah, as I won’t be able to cookwith them now! But they were just perfect and I had bought them ages ago on special offer so I didn’t feel quite as bad. Also I can reuse them again and again.
The finished product.
The fifty balloons were a present from the Singers. Unfortunately the five kept turning around and it looked as if I was twenty. One look at me would confirm that this was an error!
The only non-edible disposable purchases – two flowers – cost £5.50. And they will be composted.
one pair of shoes at a time 
How very, very nice. Your home is wonderful too! Love the stone walls and gorgeous floors. Hope you had a great time!
Lovely walls – but create so much dust!
It looks fabulous! I hope you had a wonderful day. Here’s to the next 50 years!
Thank you – we had a ball x
Thankyou x
Gorgeous party and so chock full of good ideas–I love the lentils particularly! We have a wooden table like yours, although smaller, and it really has such depth of character. I always love the combination of wood and stone–natural things that look wonderful together. I’m also in favor of the breakfast parties that you mention–they are so much easier than dinner parties for me–homemade muffins and breads, fruits, fresh juices–easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing your party with us!
I’m considering a regular breakfast party for my work at home and stay at home friends