November entailed yet a few more big parties...Mark’s work colleagues wedding which I mentioned in my last blog, as well as another big party... a hen party for Miss Janice Waters before she heads off to tie the knot in SA in January next year!
As most of you will know Grease is one of my all time favourite movies, so much so that when I was younger (I need to add...much much younger, junior school days), I used to go and ‘play’ at my friend Michelle Szabo’s house every Tuesday after school, where we proceeded to act out at least one of the scenes, usually the end scene of Grease. Me having the blonde hair (albeit short) thankfully always got to play the part of Sandy, whilst unlucky Michelle (who had long brown hair) got to play Danny Zuko. So the truth behind me knowing the entire script of the movie has been revealed...what now remains is the why? :) Ever since then, every dress up party I have been too, I have tried to find a way to work in a Sandra Dee and Danny Zuko outfit for Mark and I...but to no avail... until now! You guessed it... the theme was Grease and I for the first time ever I got to be a Pink Lady! We were kitted out with pink lady jackets, and even some beautiful shiny ‘leather’ pants were supplied (although I can’t quite say these made it out of the packet), and the outfits were finished off nicely with some period fit glasses.
Janice was dressed up as the ‘not so innocent’ Sandy, kitted out in some shiny tight ‘leather’ pants and off the shoulder top, with a beautiful blonde wig and of course some red shoes! Janice was a great sport, because let’s face it, not many can get away with wearing an outfit like that and yet somehow still look good.
I am pleased to report that I was not alone out there in my Grease obsessed world. I found out that another fellow ‘pink lady’ there that night, Nicky (another blondie) could also recite the entire Grease movie should the challenge ever arise...unfortunately as yet that challenge has yet to present itself to either of us! But I’m sure it will have its uses one day! :)
It was a great night out, firstly with some snacks and games at Ang’s house before we all headed out to Clapham, where we learnt how to make cocktails at the Peacock Burlesque bar, before heading on to another bar, where we could cut some shapes on the dance floor till the early hours of the morning....and where Vicki AKA Lindsey L kept us entertained!
The rest of the month continued at a rapid pace, with another girls night, this time a girls night in... catching up, watching X Factor and eating, eating and eating some more!
Mark was kept busy too with a bachelor party and boys night. This time it was Luke’s bachelors which started off rather early the one morning, with simulating golf session in central London, before heading back closer to home to watch the rugby, have a spit braai and get up close and personal with some kind of rubber pipe.
The weather decided to let us know winter was in full bloom, not to mention Christmas knocking at the door....which made travelling in to work entertaining as always with some big snow dumps! This too made our trip out to Bristol to see the Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and cousins quite a pretty one...where instead of the usual green fields signalling the way out of London, they were beautifully dusted in white coatings and some completely white!
We arrived in Bristol the last Saturday morning in November. The boys went off to watch the football, while Mark made himself comfortable watching the Rugby and I got to visit Santa’s Grotto with Aunty Angela, Zoe and Seren. Seren (who is just under 2 years) was ever so good listening to Santa tell his story (quite a different story from my day...modernisation of the times indeed), although when the time came to sit on his lap for a photo, she wasn’t quite so keen. We then looked around the Cadbury centre (no, not the chocolate factory) which is a huge shop with all sorts in, from animals, to clothes, to food, to plants and not to mention the most divinest Christmas displays and decorations.
We had a great take away dinner on the Saturday evening, with Grandma and Grandad Cooper, Angela and Phil, Paul, Zoe and Andrew, having a feast and a good old catch up, which we worked out was the first time since Mark and I have been married and even before...so very long overdue.
Sunday morning we headed off to Grant and Megan for a delicious country breakfast, which consisted of homemade muffins, freshly made croissants, yoghurt with warmed confit, which were all very yummy. Their little home is so lovely and you definitely feel like you in the country with their log fired oven in the middle of their lounge as their source of heat. It was great to have another family catch up, which again was way too long overdue! Before we knew it though, it was time to head back to the big smoke and get things ready for what was one of the busiest weeks of my life at work.
With the Christmas season almost upon us, I was given the task of organising the Tax Directors’ Academy Christmas lunch. We decided on the New Armouries room in the Tower of London as the venue and it was really fantastic to be involved in organising a function at such an iconic venue.
The irony of it all is that one of my last few days of my time left in London (before our move to Dubai) was spent across the river from where I started off 8 years before in London, working at City Hall, where the two sides of the river are divided by my most favourite of all London Landmarks, the beautiful Tower Bridge. Not to mention that it is almost a year after our wedding and I landed up organising an event almost as big as our wedding – with similar numbers of guests, invitations, flower arrangements, place settings, seating plans, menu tastings - the absolute works. Regardless of the snow causing havoc with transport, and some of our guests not being able to attend on the day, I am pleased to say the event went off very well and hitch free!
Next stop is Zanzibar and the much needed (and deserved) sunshine break!
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