Sunday, July 26, 2009

Now We Are Three (and on antibiotics)


Last Sunday. Birthday Party. Lots of Nigella led cooking. Cupcakes. Number 3 Biscuits.
Buttermilk birthday cake. Home made sausage rolls are to be made in morning.

Night before: Eat entire bodyweight in smarties, clinkers, jelly babies and chocolate logs in bid to decorate Train Cake To End All Train Cakes. 


Possibly all birthday cakes. 
Possibly, when we are 4, he will get a birthday pikelet.

Drink copious amounts of wine with parents in law, husband and sister in law, all of whom are working and drinking steadily in effort to get cake decently iced and decorated.
Mission accomplished before midnight.

Day of party. Festivities start at 11am. Panic starts earlier. Suddenly list of tasks for morning seems enormous. In good news, the celeriac has been grated. But in bad news the thawing mince is revealed to be TOTALLY STINKING. Husband despatched to buy more mince. Note that even at this late stage he is not despatched to buy FROZEN SAUSAGE ROLLS.  

Arriving guests. Luckily there are only a handful. Because this guest has gall to be on time she is given chores to do. Mince returns and through serious Kitchen Wizardry is mixed into puff pastry and tucked into oven. And we all know that if the sausage rolls are cooking then all will be right with the world. Sister in law whips out enormous platters of sandwiches all minus crusts.

Around this time things start getting slightly fuzzy for me. Yet I have not even cracked open one of the bottles of champagne. Hmmm.

Guests arrive. There seem to be hundreds of adults. There are 5 guest children. 

Pass The Parcel is played. I have bowed to pressure from every other parent on earth and slipped a chocolate frog between every layer of paper so all participants will, bah humbug, win a prize.

Much shrieking, laughter, screaming and running up and down stairs. Meanwhile, children play on trampoline and assorted pedal car things and trampoline.

Food eaten. Cupcakes have pink icing eaten off top. Number three biscuits seemingly inhaled. Sausage rolls proclaimed great success. Adults manage to fight off anyone under two feet and scoff lot.

Children are as angels and play so nicely parents end up staying. Brother in law makes loaves and fishes type pasta and manages to feed entire group, despite fact he has just come off 3 weeks of shooting still photographs on film set. 

Everyone collapses when last guest leaves at 8ish. I manage to finally recall that there are luckydips to go with the party bags as the last child leaves.

Think that he is three. Imagine many more birthdays to come. Imagine making number 4 biscuits and then number 5 etc etc. Remember woman in toyshop saying that we were "brave" having a birthday party at home. recall self scoffing at the very idea of having a party at a commercial venue. Feel very ordinary. Put self to bed.

Afterwards there is probably one or two day's grace before flu hits and what a corker it is too. Culminates with sad scene of Myself, Tricky and C at the local doctor's in "family" appointment. Not swine flu, something much less famous. We leave with various antibiotics for various secondary type lung and ear infections (having antibiotics for flu being, of course, pointless, as flu is a virus) and I get a delightfully quaint purple puffer to help knock over a horrible prolapse inducing (well that's what it feels like)spasmodic cough. 

Purple puffer will work in a week maybe but on the other hand, can also cause mouth thrush. Hoorah. Only good thing is that I have had my alcohol free 'dry july' after all. Well for a week at least.

And Tricky had a simply marvelous party.



14 comments:

Jess said...

Happy Birthday Master T!

Happy Recouping to you, V!

Maggie May said...

Happy Birthday 3 year old Mr tricky!

Hope you are over your virus very quickly!

Yo-yo Mama said...

Well...HAPPY Birthday to Tricky. Upon re-examination of your "3" cookies, they do resemble one of the viral strains under a microscope.And I mean that in a nice way because if it's got frosting and sprinkles on it, I'll eat it regardless of what it resembles.

Anonymous said...

I will not be nearly as brave as you... not with the baking, the sausage, and especially not with the party at home. Tricky has the coolest mom ever.

Nico said...

I'm so stealing the idea for the 3 cookies, I think those are great! You ARE a totally cool mom for doing all those things.

I cannot believe tricky is *THREE*! Holy smokes.

I do hope the icks leave your house soonest!

OvaGirl said...

hah, finally feeling better (that's 3 days of antibiotics in me plus of course, natural run of flu virus coming to end because antibiotics useless against blah blah blah)

I must hastily point out that sausage rolls are always made by sister in law (they are mandatory at all our kids parties) and the Number biscuits are a Family Tradition at party, SIL has cute tin set of number cookie cutters. Recipes are always Nigella and come out of her sexy Domestic Goddess cook book which is I think Essential esp for birthday parties.

i think I would have been a much cooler Mum/Mom if I hadn't been so knackered at the actual party but I am going to blame that on virus not cooking/baking etc. Also I'm very lucky, have bevy of live in family to assist and indeed mentor all aspects of partyism for kids. (And I should add I am very good useful aunty for all 3 nephew's parties...)

Rebecca said...

Congrats on the party and commiserations on the family virus. Don't be so self-deprecating you did an amazing job, I am TOTALLY in awe of that cake!

Mima said...

Sorry to hear that you have all been unwell, but glad that you are on the mend, and wow at the party. You did an amazing job, the cake is fabulous and I don't think I have ever had home made sausage rolls let alone ones made on the morning - serious wizardry!

Betty M said...

Happy Birthday Tricky!

I too am a devotee of Nigella's birthday parties. I have done cheese stars too. I drew the line at the mixing butter and marmite first marmite sandwiches. Will also admit that when it came to birthday 5 I went for the party in the woods compered by a South African goblin followed by tea in the cafe which was marginally less destructive than a party at home.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful train cake!!
William would love that. My next trip to the book store WILL include Nigella's Domestic Goddess.

Poor Will is getting a store-bought cake tonight. I haven't had time to make a cake for him.

Lin said...

Glad you're feeling better and that wee Tricky had such a memorable day.

But don't you think you're setting the bar kinda high. That party is going to take a lot of beating!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Tricky! The cake is wonderful. Congratulations on a party well done. Glad it wasn't the swine flu. I forget you're in the middle of your winter now. It's 114 here today. Hope you're all feeling better

guineapigmum said...

I love that cake!

N.D. said...

Just googled train cake and came up with this. My son is turning 2 and I'm trying a train cake - in a couple of weeks. What kind of recipe did you use?! Thanks, Natalie