Congratulations Ma'am - Diamond Jubilee

We visited the Fogg's new home in the wooded depths of the East Riding of Yorkshire, leafy, rural with wonderful birdsong all around.
We enjoyed a meat feast banquet at every meal, champagne and a jacuzzi in the garden. (There's nothing like a fizzy dip at 8.30am to get your blood moving!)
The Caddyfrog's (formerly known as the Cadwallader's. See meteor-hot-tub-bbq BLOG) and The Foggs really got into the spirit of the fancy dress with Mr Caddyfrog unable to tell the difference between his homemade sceptre and the real thing (cue discussion about which diamond is in the sceptre). The Caddyfrog's won the prize for best dressed, which was an 18" wide floating rubber duck that was duly knighted Dave the Duck by Mrs Caddyfrog.
Marsha and Nelly had a whale of a time, climbing trees, hot tubbin', film making, reading and having a wander round the village. We played, coits, golf, bartenga, tennis and swing-ball. We watched the flotilla on the TV and ignored the rain. We saw the villagers 'parade' to the local hall. (Actually the walked past the house in rain macs and umbrellas but the intent was there, the only fancy dress was worn by a wet weimeraner.)
I particularly enjoyed the very confusing 4 way conversations and Mrs Caddyfrog's trifle served from Aunty Gerty's crystal bowl!
As ever, a weekend of fun and frolic, wine and food, friends and family. Thank you all, xxxxx
Long Live the Queen!

Christmas Mark II

What a wonderful weekend.
We opened the back door to find this pair of loonies on the doorstep on Friday. They had parked up in a lay by just outside the town to get changed, only to attract the attention of a passing motorist who stopped to observe them dressing - weird. Imagine the motorist going home to his wife and telling her he has just seen 2 adults changing into Santa costumes at 10pm!
Anyway, we tucked into Shepherd's Pie, wine and Japanese beer, it wasn't long before we opened our Christmas presents, a couple of cuddly toys for Mr and Mrs Fogg, these toys, fart, giggle, burp and record your voice, very silly, very appropriate. I was given some lovely reminders of their trip to New Zealand and a pair of framed watercolour prints of hares (my favourite animal), Mr Fink received buckyballs (magnetic ball bearings to fiddle with), a guide to teenagers and a bell for his bike. Nelly was lucky enough to be given a fantastic camera - thank you so much, you couldn't have picked a better gift for her. We eventually went to bed about 2am.
Christmas Day was wonderful, bacon sarnies for brekky, lazy morning, Christmas dinner, very few of us managed pudding, we were that full! then a game of Guesstures (recommended) with the most entertaining mimes being Mr Fink's 'liontamer' and Mr Fogg's mime where he held up 10 fingers and then two....could Mr Fink get it? Nope. (it was supposed to be 'twelve'!) the girls' team swept the board with our feminine intuition to a massive victory (6 points). Mr and Mrs Fogg then produced another, very generous, gift, a telescope and showed me how to set it up. I managed to focus in on the moon straight away. I was so excited, it was amazing to see the golden lunar surface pockmarked with craters and contours. (I have a week off work next week and am seriously considering going nocturnal to get the best use out of the telescope!) We rounded off Christmas Day with a classic '80's horror film, "House".

A wonderful weekend with all the makings of a future tradition.
Merry Christmas to each and every one.

It's all happening

Well, well, well. What a couple of weeks we've had.
First a lovely holiday with my mucker and her family. Very relaxed and lazy - I was!
Then Little Fink returned from Denmark/Sweden, with many tales to tell of trips to Copenhagen, long boat racing, she was blown away by the jamboree and came home with lots of badges from around the world, Japan, USA, Sweden, Norway, Kowloon to name a few. Apparently the next one in 4 years is in Japan and she tells me, "I'll be old enough to go." Oh really?!
Little Fink has taken an interest in ice-skating so her and some pals went off to skim the ice at Wally World.
I bought an electric bike with the intention of cycling to and from work but have realised I am more unfit than I thought so, more work needed.
Mr Fink has been working hard and also enjoyed a couple of long weekends in the static with Mr Hammer playing "Twack"! (that's golf to you and me)
Last night I enjoyed the company of my bestest bud KT Wong, over from Oz, we chin wagged, put the world to rights and had a lovely evening - hopefully to be repeated before she goes home next month.
Tonight The Finks will be heading North to see The Foggs and The Cadwalladers for the annual Meteorite BBQ and outdoor hot tub experience in York. I hope the skies are clear to see the meteors - having said that, last year we got so drunk we were all in bed by 11pm! I will of course be providing some liquid refreshment made by my own fair hand.

York

Last weekend we (Mr Fink, Little Fink and I) went to visit The Foggs in sunny I mean snowy York.
The Foggs have settled (for the time being) in a beautiful house near a canal in the East Riding of Yorkshire, they have VERY quiet neighbours (the house is near a graveyard where you can sit and watch the sun go down.)
We have eaten and drunk an obscene amount, at least 7-8 bottles of red, 2 bottles of champagne (The Foggs fav. tipple) plus various beers (I'll come to the food in a mo. We've visited the town centre of York - which I love - I could spend days just in one shop (it's got antique jewellery and metal detecting artefacts in glass cases on two floors.) We went to Scarborough, with legendary fish and chips (baring in mind, the whole Fink family share a portion of fish and chips at home - here we were looking at 2 fish and an enormous portion of chips - per person!) Scarborough was clean, full of amusements and was (true to the advert) bracing!
We watched films, ate a vast amount of food, including a Chinese meal in a restaurant - I'l never seen so much grub, the Scarborough fish and chips (which deserve a second mention), killer shepherds pie and....haggis.
I love haggis.
All in all we had the most wonderful relaxing weekend, caught up with good friends and enjoyed top hospitality (must be quite disappointing when they stay with us?)
(Oh and the breakfast at The Balloon Tree is  the best. http://www.theballoontree.co.uk/the_cafe.html I would love to return and sample the Roulade - it looked magnificent.)
Anyhoo, a big thank you to The Foggs (named for their propensity for world travel) and hope to reciprocate soon. x (Follow The Foggs at http://blog.ouronebigadventure.com/ )

A Cracking Weekend

This weekend we were joined by Mr and Mr Fogg (they travel, A LOT). It was Mrs Fogg's birthday and Mr Fink and my wedding anniversary. On Friday night we chatted into the night about life, films and nonsense. On Saturday morning Mr Fink and The Fogg's went to the golf driving range while I took Little Fink horse riding. Everyone had a great time, despite Mrs Fogg ending up with 'wobbly hands'!
Saturday afternoon we went for a walk in the 'local' woods and enjoyed cakes and tea at the little cafe nearby, boy, it was hot! In the evening we took them to the restaurant where I proposed to Mr Fink 8 years ago, Alberto's. What a lovely place, beautiful food, wonderful staff (Alberto is a lot like Manuel from Fawlty Towers but with attitude!) and terrific company. We ate and drank our fill and mooched off into the night to enjoy drinks outside in the garden.
A thoroughly enjoyable, relaxing weekend with good friends. See you all in York, soon! xxx

That was the Weekend That Was!

Another whirlwind weekend/half term. The Fink's went 'oop North' to visit the Foggs and their cat Spike.

The food was fantastic, company brilliant and the wine flowing. A big 'Hello' to Mr and Mrs Cadwallader, who popped in for a quick visit and haven't changed a bit from when we met them at the Meteor BBQ!

We ate half a sheep and played Finkopoly, it's 'make your own' monopoly, given to us my The Foggs. Mr Fogg won and shall henceforth be known as D Trump the property tycoon (he is so ruthless, he drove Little Fink into a sulk because he wouldn't do a deal with her so she could own 'Portland Lighthouse'. I had to remind him she is only 9!

(He still didn't sell it!)

Roll on the Summer and BBQ's a go go.

You know you've had a party when...

...you're eating onion bahjiis and sausage rolls for breakfast!

The Buncefield Bash was a terrific success. Everyone brought a little bit of something to eat and drink (tea cake, chili, trifle, nibbles, booze). Everyone joined in with all the games, the cereal packet game is now considered 'old hat' by the children. The 'jelly baby in the flour game' claimed Marsha and Bambino as it's first two victims and the 'eat the chocolate with the gloves on game' was played fiercely by Bag Mac and Bambi - with MUCH cheating by both. Unfortunately we didn't get time to learn Big Mac's 'toilet roll game' perhaps next year. The children were well behaved and had great fun too, dressing up, karaokeing and playing buzz.

Mr Fink's legendary indoor fireworks were the stars of the show, we were all warned to stand well back and as ever, no one could believe their eyes at the roman candles firing out of the Buncefield cake!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and laughed all evening. Thank you all for taking the trouble to come (Mr & Mrs Fogg travelled down from York to be here) and making the evening what it was, another wonderful night of fun with the people I care most about. Thank you all. It would be nothing without all of you. xxx

What a Weekend!

This weekend Mr And Mrs Fogg came to stay prior to their USA road trip with their 'out-laws'.

We had a smashing time, watching films, sampling wine and local cider, walking in the park and feeding the ducks, playing on Mr Fogg's Wii Fit board (yes it was a must-have gadget - Mr Fink went out and bought one!) I have discovered i am good at tightrope walking and Mr Fink does a mean hula-hoop! Mrs Fogg is learning yoga and Mr Fogg ski-jumps!

The trampoline got some use as well with Little Fink and Mr Fogg having some sort of karate jump off - it'll all end in tears - and it did!

I know they will have a good time in the good ole USofA, safe journey guys.

Mr Fink and I are off to the local theatre tonight to see Jim Jeffries, the coarse Australian comic along with more of the Fink family.