I can't believe it's been a Yurr

  Today marks the first anniversary of the original PuddleParty at our place to mark the farewell PuddleDiaspora to our respective schools, when we assumed we'd move on to new friends. I suspect this is just the beginning, there'll be many more and indeed, 2 weddings (one civil, one crass).

Let's hope this rain stops.

On the way to Gymnastics (used the giant trampoline for the first time, you know, the one with an X in the middle) we delivered beer, stickers, garlic bread, aircraft carriers, solar lights and wine to Erin. She was earning her pocket money by washing the car. How come I don't get pocket money?

After yet more TV I helped Jof make the piňata. I painted it in a mishmash of garish colours including a slice of pizza. Then we filled it with goodies and readied it for hanging.

Jof was battling with her makeup for ages so we went on our own. All the noise was upstairs so I got stuck into boxwork straight away. Then it was just another 8-hour blur of Puddling during which the following may or may not have happened:

• Piňata
• chasing each other round and round the rooms that open at both ends
• flashing of tummies etc
• the invention of purest green
• cheeses of all nations
• dancing to hits of the 80s

The piňata was very resilient and it took a lot of banging to open. We didn't have anywhere good to hang it so in the end BensDad had to stand outside the garden in the bins'n'foxes passageway and poke a broomstick in through the fence, even then the hangy bit broke twice and the assorted PuddleDaddies had to poke sticks through it to hold it up.....at last, it showered us with chocolate, starfish and party poppers. As a group, we can get through 100 party poppers in under 3 minutes, we may have to enter some kind of talent contest.

There were also at least 2 3D HDTV DVDs, we had to pay Erin for our tickets which caused nearly as much trouble as Johnny's spinning tweeting motorbike which he kept setting off.

Homegroan. Stronger than you expected

At one point ElisabethsDad invented Purest Green (in liquid form, unlike Lord Percy's crystals) by carefully blending Blue Bols with orange juice, making it bright green. This habit became widespread so whenever we went outside we were confronted by our parents drinking greens (it's not one of your 5 a day) or in some cases, purples (add cherry brandy here, still not one of your 5 a day). ErinsDad got stuck in the Krazy Kastle and pulled a muscle trying to reverse out again, making him the only casualty, even though it was in constant heavy use. Erin has been allowed to keep it for at least 3 more weeks.
The speech that should have been
Fourscore and 1 years ago, our four fathers gathered together to recite the parrot sketch.....

In the end some of us started to drop off but when we had to wake Erinsdad up to get him to bed, it was time to go. Jof said I had to walk home, Bud couldn't give me a safe piggyback because he had the Jollywobbles. We got home at half past midnight, then it suddenly rained heavily so thanks to ErinsMum for booking just the right slot of good weather.

We'll be doing a bonfire party round at ours, luckily the 5th is a Saturday.