I had a craving for Lauren’s Rocky Road and then Lori shared her recipe for Rocky Road cake, so it seemed meant to be. Time to melt some chocolate and stir in some marshmallows and chopped up brazil nuts. I decided to make a slab like Lauren did, so at the minute there’s a very questionable-looking lumpy brown pile on a baking tray in the kitchen.

My bros (I’m trying to resist writing “and their hos”) have been here this evening for another birthday tea and John and I have been playing Little Big Planet on his Playstation. My biggest challenge is sometimes getting my thumb onto the right buttons, so that I stop just changing my character’s expression into a grimace and actually move along the screen … often into deadly spikes or a pile of explosives.

06:37

beep beep - beep beep

My phone wakes me. I’ve been here before. A text from my dear cousin: “Happy birthday. Sorry so early, but some of us start work before 10am!”

Oh ha-di-ha.

09:50

John rings on the home line; I’ve turned the work phone over to the guys for the day. He wishes me a happy birthday and then says “that’s it”. “Oh, I wasn’t sure if you were about to say ‘can you just…?’”, I say. “No, I’m not going to make you do any work,” he replies. “It’s hard enough at the best of times.”

A little love and respect on one’s birthday is always nice. Or so I hear.

The leaves, they were raked. I filled a bin liner full of them and Mother Nature, upon seeing my work, today said, “Ok, well here, have some rain that makes more leaves fall off the trees and into your garden.” I’m going to need another bin liner.

Last night we went to a bonfire night celebration with John and Sam. A little early, as bonfire night is 5th November, but what the hell. There was a great bonfire with flames licking up into the sky and a pretty fireworks display that ended with a fantastic shower of golden sparks raining down across the sky. We were stood ankle-deep in the fallen yellow leaves from a sycamore tree and after all my raking earlier in the day I had a hard time not pulling them into little piles with my feet.

Afterwards we headed to John and Sam’s in their new car vehicle tank, a Chevrolet Suburban, mowing down cars and pedestrians alike as we went. Dinner was deliciously autumnal: carrot and coriander soup, followed by sausage casserole. Following that with a snooze in the car on the way home rounded off a pretty good evening.

By the way, I’m thinking of doing 30 Tiny Moments again - and therefore NaBloPoMo too - in November. Anyone care to take a leaf out of my book join me?

On Saturday 9th August Sam and John were married at Albury Park, Surrey. I have a very happy brother and a very happy sister-in-law (who are now in Hawaii, lucky dogs). Click the photo for the full set. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to Cologne.

Last Sunday we had our Summer Party, blogged live by me and Lauren before the immense quantities of food we’d made and then consumed finally overcame us and we no longer had the ability to type.

I’d rented a very shiny, very heavy, very beeeyootiful lens to try out that day: a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8. So I went around scaring impressing my relatives with a piece of kit twice my size, taking photos of them sitting at the tables outside while, yes, I ate guarded the food indoors. That lens was so good, with such a nice little swishy noise as it focussed, that all day I had an argument going on in my head about whether I should buy one of my own or not. Sure, I’m lucky enough to be able to afford one, but where the hell would I keep it? Yes, the photos are fabulous, but you’re going to need a wrist transplant, etc…

I’d rented the lens from an absolutely brilliant company called Hire A Camera, who saved the day when the first company I’d gone to, Camerent, eventually conceded after actually, no, they couldn’t supply the lens. Sorry about saying we could and all that - and sorry about having a caveman answering our phone. The lovely people at www.hireacamera.com liked my feedback on their service so much they put it on their customer comment page. The only thing is that they asterisked my mention of C*******, possibly leading readers to wonder just what new and exciting swear word I’d used that would fit that many asterisks.

Oh, and apropos the food, I didn’t get any photos of it. But Lauren did. She also took photos with her new wide angle lens. And it’s about time she put them on Flickr and sent them to me. Here’s what she probably says to that:

Click on the photo for the rest of the party set

8.30 - Get up, wander about in dressing gown and check Important Things online. Like, the counter.

9.10 - Have a shower, wash my hair and shave things that are wild and woolly. Cut myself about three times to celebrate. But at least I smell nice and citrusy.

9.40 - Time for a pop tart. Chocolate. There are no other flavours. I wonder what I’m going to wear today? And should I consider wearing something more than just two towels before Lauren gets here to help with the food?

10.08 - The towels are gone, clothes are on. Lauren’s 8 minutes late. And to think I got dressed for her.

10.30 - It’s Lauren here! only 30 mins late :§ a girl has to get her beauty sleep (and judging by the state of me this morning, i’ve not had nearly enough!). the kitchen smells amazing, and i think i’m going to find it hard not to sample all the dishes that are covered up for later! maybe inviting me to help wasn’t such a good idea…….;)

10.56 - back again, after kneading the dough for the yummy picnic bread. i’m hungry already! the kitchen is a hive of activity, with various quiches, flans and breads being prepared. yum!

11.28 - am getting the hang of this blogging lark - it’s jolly good fun. have even added my own category to Dreamdust (see below), although to be honest, i really don’t know why this hadn’t been added a long time ago…

13.06 - we’ve just finished all the making and shaping, and the guests are due to arrive any minute. hopefully time to get some make-up on and make myself look reasonably presentable before they do! Sarah is just putting the finishing touches to the vegetable balls, which need to be baked for a while, and i’ve just finished the goats cheese pate, which is chilling in the fridge. hopefully not long before we can tuck in! ;)

13.11 - I suppose I should write something here too, seeing as this was my idea! My hair needs straightening, it’s five feet wide at the minute. My T-shirt is covered in, well, everything and so are my jeans. A few guests are here, but I could do with making myself pretty before everyone else arrives. What else needs doing? Surely we can’t turn off the oven yet?

13.40 - Lauren again. think Sarah has gone to make herself look pretty (maybe i can pinch some food when she’s not looking ;). there are some guests here, and drinks are being served. weather is warm but cloudy, although the sun is trying her best. couldn’t expect blazing sunshine really, it is Wimbledon week after all…

15.30 - not much blogging in the last couple of hours, because the food was served! its gone down a storm, with many guests coming back to the house for seconds! John and Sam’s niece Darcie has had us in stitches by pulling faces up against the conservatory window, leaving a nice big wet face print (and some bread and crisp crumbs!).

15.33 - Uff, I always overestimate how much I can eat. Dave’s just put me in a headlock, so I shall have to go and give him a kick. I should also get some more use out of the big lens I rented for today. Maybe I can just clonk Dave over the head with it.

17.06 - ……too stuffed to write……..need a nap……

17.56 - Can’t keep my eyes open. Suzy will be here soon to help herself to the leftovers. Maybe I’ll have a little nap.

18.56 - Lauren here again. have had a fabulous day, the party was a great success as usual, and the food went down a treat. it’s been lovely to be involved in the preparation for the day, and to be a guest blogger on Dreamdust. looking forward to the next time aleady. i’m off now, going to sleep off the *huge* lunch that i ate. look out for Sarah’s pictures on flickr, especially those taken with the mammoth lense ;)