Summer BBQ 2008

An almost annual event in the social calendar, with the excuse of celebrating my (33rd) birthday. It poured down in the morning and I got soaked setting up the gazebo, but in the end the sun came out and it turned into a lovely evening. Thanks to all those who turned up and joined in the fun!

	I'm wearing a special "Birthday Boy" version of the "Order of the Thistle" that Jacinta kindly made for me...
	...she seems pleased with the result!
	Keeping a close eye on the burgers, mostly successfully athough Graeme's Photo Journal captured the one failure...
	Misty came out to see what was going on, and who all the people in her garden were.
	Emma and Clare were early gineau-pigs for the chef...
	The dining room becomes "ladies only" and unfeasible quantities of carrot and celery are consumed...
	...there are even allegations it is a coven!
	The ladies view.
	Singstar on playstation provided entertainment (and cringing) later in the evening. Don't Wortley and Jacinta look sweet together!
	Clare gets easily excited by such things.
	Ruth usually kicks everyone elses ass on this game, so looks happy!
	Clare and Rachel are both getting giddy with excitement now. Or maybe its a sugar high from all those alcopops.
	Spectators anxiously watch the points accumulate.
	Graeme smiles for the camera, but some people are camera-shy...
	Ruth trying to pursuade me that this is going to be fun.
	I'm trying to enter into the spirit of things...
	...and Ruth's enjoying herself, so that's the main thing!
	Mr McG mid-swig. Eminently blippable.
	I'm not sure what he's just said to Emma...
	The cooking and eating is now mostly over...
	... although I caught Linda having a sneaky toasted marshmallow.
	Keith looks like he's enjoying himself...
	...even though he's sitting next to a trained killer.
	The gazebo holds many more people than you'd think!
	Keith is trying to get Neil to join in...
	...but his mobile phone is more interesting than the conversation.
	Intruder! One of the huge white cats from next door comes to see what's going on.
	Rachel, borrowing Ruth's jumper to keep warm now the sun has gone down.
	John has other ideas, with his home-made chiminea. An innovative way of recycling an old gas canister...
	You can't say the man didn't come prepared. Chiminea, axe, saw, wood for fuel...
	It did give off a nice warm glow once it got going though.
	Becky was initially suspicious...
	...but the romantic prospect of cuddling up to her man in front of the fire won her over.
	I found some old sparklers and Ruth went wild with them...
	...finishing with a beautiful pirouette!
	Who knew that you could spell "PRAT" with the letters from "HAPPY BIRTHDAY". Thanks guys. Not.
	Ruth and Clare spent about 2 hours on YouTube checking out John Barrowman videos. How sad!
	Doesn't Emma look lovely? Another blip methinks.
	I think we might be boring Emma's friends.
	Steve and Clare are starting to zone out too.
	Clare notices her glasses are dirty and asks Steve for help.
	Clare forces Steve to look down her top. Steve is frightened.
	Why do drunk girls want to put flashy bunny ears on boys heads? Why do drunk boys then give a silly grin when someone points a camera at them?
	Oooh look Ruth, you wear them, they go with your top!
	Ruth models a slightly sinister glow-in-the-dark look! At this point the photographic record ends. At the time of going to press, no-one was available for comment on subsequent events.