it's my party

[pensnest]

Phew.

Beast and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday, by inviting around 60 people to have lunch with us. I'd been cooking and freezing desserts, shepherd's pies, and veggie pies, for some weeks, made fish pies on Friday, and added bean salad, garlic mushrooms, and sweetcorn over the weekend.

We hired a small marquee, which came with six tables and thirty chairs, and we put out another three tables, most of our dining chairs and a few garden chairs. Plus some people I'd warned to bring a garden chair if they had an easily portable one.

My sister and bro-in-law came up from Devon on Friday, and were very useful. Beast's brother was also here, so there were staff for the distributing of chairs and tablecloths, etc. Bun made us a splendid two tier cake (carrot cake/red velvet) and brought in her artistic friend to decorate it with icing flowers. *All* the desserts disappeared (two kinds of cheesecake, mini pavlovas with Kiwi fruit and blueberries, mixed berry crumble, and a vegan/GF chocolate/hazelnut/coconut tart that I missed out on tasting but am assured by the GF vegan was very good! Plus cheese and biscuits. But we did manage to save a little bit of cake to eat later.

People seemed generally inclined towards festivity. I don't think anyone played the giant game of Twister, but the boules were brought out and there was a small tournament. And of course representatives of all three choruses sang, even though the men lacked a director and the ladies lacked any official tenors! Sister was the furthest traveller, having come up from Devon, but there were guests from Hertfordshire, Essex and Bedfordshire as well. And we enjoyed it.

We spent much of Monday morning opening our loot. Eighteen bottles of something nice to drink, about a dozen plants, variously, some chocolates, and a few sundries like the lovely set of three red pottery vases from my sister.

Am now knackered.

Comments

[misbegotten]

Happy anniversary!

[dine]

wishing you both a very happy anniversary, and a terrific year together to come! that sounds like quite a bash - glad you had to many to celebrate you (gift you with neat stuff)

[pensnest]

Happily I had hired almost exactly the right number of plates—I think there were 64 people, as I did need to fish out a few plates and forks. And yes, loads of loot!

[watervole]

Sounds like it was day worth the exhaustion afterwards!

[pensnest]

It was, indeed. I have even been congratulated on my excellent organisation, which is not something that happens often!

[yarnofariadne]

Happy anniversary!

[spikedluv]

Happy Anniversary!

[corvidology]

Congratulations!

[jacieleigh]

Wishing you both a very happy anniversary!

[sperrywink]

Happy, happy anniversary!!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Congrats!

[manna]

Congratulations, and happy anniversary!

[turps]

That sounds like an amazing celebration.

Happy anniversary to you and Beast!

[pensnest]

It went very well. I even managed to talk to most of the guests, though I did try to spend more time with the ones I don't see regularly!

[iconis]

Happy anniversary, Pen and Ba'al! Your marriage is slightly older than I am and I love that so much <3

[pensnest]

It is so odd, considering I am only 23 in my head. Now that my kids are in their 30s it is getting difficult to maintain my assertion that I am 23, but I persist.

[minoanmiss]

Woot woot!

[chalcopyrite]

Congratulations! It sounds like a lovely day.

[turlough]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU BOTH!!! (Remember to give you extra anniversary hugs when we meet this summer!)

It sounds like you had a fabulous party! And all the gifts sound fabulous too!