Showing posts with label kateandfriends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kateandfriends. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 12

...and there's more....about the garden party!

One of the things that we, that is the potter and myself, really like about these days, is how they bring together all the different parts of the local community.


So the young sit with the old...


....potters chat with painters...



....old friends find time to share their news...



... other long unseen friends turn up out of the blue...



...while new friends find a place to get to know one another....!

The stalls fill up with punters and the selling gets going.


...books....


...plants...always looked after by George, who wins the medals in the local gardening competitions...


...and Isabelle on her tombola table....


...the John Lennon in the back row of the paintings was snapped up very quickly !....


....Shannon looks after Kate's paintings and sells them all...
.... which encouraged her lots....
...behind is great friend Joan who knits in front of the "box" all winter to provide a knitty stall...
...and make lots of money!....


...even the local cat gets in on the act!....


...queues form in an orderly british line for teas, coffees and cake!...


...and the "Abba Girls" wait for their cue in the back room...


...Esther and her best friend sing "Adele"...and I'm amazed at her confidence and thrilled at another singer in the family!....


...local poet, Pat recited two very moving works...that was a first for the garden bashes....


...and  an old friend waits his turn in the music tent....


...Helen is a local professional musician who very generously gave us two sessions during the afternoon...
...great voice and writes her own stuff...


.... people gathered around to hear her perform...




...well!    guess who won the siberian tiger and cub......
..yes...it's your's!....



Everywhere Kate and friends!
Of course.

The day ended at around 5 p.m. and we counted up our takings.
From mainly cake!.....
£700 or so!

Oh and two very tired legs on your's truly!

Monday, July 11

The Francis House Childrens' Hospice Bash!

Well what a day!
The weather changed overnight from monsoon...


.... to mediterranean.
                         
                   ...only joking!

Friday was all hands on deck


as the tents arrived to be raised in place.

this one close to an electric supply for the musicians...

..this in the first garden...just in case the weather turned...
...well it is the north of England after all!


The goods were brought in for the various stalls ...

..two super hanging baskets were donated to be raffled off throughout the afternoon...


and the toys...is that what they are?...
eventually on Saturday found a relaxing spot in the sun !


Cakes came in "bucketfuls"...well no,  really in tins... oh yes and a package of painted cookies for the pop up afternoon teas from the gloroius Amelies House and Neviepie Cakes!

BUT....  it rained all day Fiday, and got increasingly heavier until by midnight I hid my head under the bedclothes and informed the potter...that I would never allow myself to be in this situation again....
...he mumbled and fell asleep...and amazingly, so did I.
....to awake to glorious sunshine..
What's that song again?..
..oh yes....
 "What a difference a day makes,
twenty-four little hours,
brought the sun and the flowers,
where there used to be rain!"

I prepared the three areas for the pop-up afternoon teas.

...the summerhouse..

..the american swing...
..sounds like a 30s dance!

..and the Indian tent... this was my favourite area...loved it!

Helpers arrived to set up stalls....

Issy had thought long and hard about her table...guessing the teddy's name was fun! 

...others lugged heavy boxes of books...


...kept the kitchen organised...


..printed  up notices...
...techie son on the job!...

...manned the cake and drinks servery...


...and set up to give us some entertainment from the music tent.



The four friends were everywhere!


At two o'clock  the gate was starting to get busy...
     ....and we were off on the 2011 garden party bash!

...to be continued....