It started overcast and chilly but it is warming up now. We have nearly finished setting up the food counters. They are in the centre where the temperature is about 23. Being virtual the next zone is 28 and the outer one 33 for people like Milkfairy who like it warm! Antonio from Antonio's Ices has come along with real Italian ice cream. Supplies are limited to what he could put in the freezer box on the front of his bicycle. There are two extra specials "strawberry jam and cream" and "Christmas pudding". See you at 2:00. I am just enjoying some of Heythrop51 's stilton with a pleasant claret!
Bank Holiday Tea Party/Barbeque - 2:00pm - British Heart Fou...
Bank Holiday Tea Party/Barbeque - 2:00pm
MichaelJHHeart Star
Written by
MichaelJH
Heart Star
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
149 Replies
•
I now have unexpected visitors at 3pm, though of course they are now expected as they've told us to expect them!😁 So frantically thinking of what to feed them 🤔 can I have any leftovers please? Assuming they'll be anything left over. Ps: Am I too early for an Antonio ice? 🤔😋😋
Oh, well that's typical! Lezzers has not only arrived early and snaffled some of the precious ice cream, but then she's going to leave early as well. I hope you're going to leave us some gin, Lezzers?
MichaelJHHeart Star
There is now a good selection on the BBQ including burgers, sausages and chicken breasts. There are also veggie options. Unfortunately the "cost of living" crisis means there are no salmon or beef steaks today! 🙁
Are the veggie burgers ready yet, Michael? How was your surprise visit yesterday?
I’ve made a tub of vegetable pasta: courgettes, baby leeks, red and yellow peppers and cannellini beans. Wholewheat fusilli (is that how you spell it?) and grated Parmesan. I’m afraid the sherry trifle isn’t vegetarian but I made some malted grain bread too. I love to cook and bake so this has been the perfect excuse. Pass the gin please I have my own tonic. Thanks.
I'm not sure we've got any gin. Lezzers claims to have left it at home! I can offer some nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc instead?
No thanks Alison. White wine is not my thing.
It's ok, Lezzers has found the gin. Panic over!May I try your pasta, please? I'll try to leave room for the trifle later 
Help yourself Alison I’m on my second gin so don’t trust myself. My balance is bad at the best of times lol
How about Mermaid gin from the Isle of Wight bottles are really lovely.
Sounds lovely but will it make me legless?
I hope so
I have the buns. That's not a euphemism (although I have those as well), but plenty for a bun fight later
I also have a batch of halloumi & chips in the fryer if anyone would like some.
Oh go on then, I'll give them go 😋
I’ll have some of those please without the sauce.
Certainly. Here you go 🧀🍟
As they are virtual buns could I have some too please cos I don’t need to worry about the gluten. Thanks
Due to unexpected visitors I've improvised and have a large bowl of spicy rice and & sausages if anyone wants any. And I've now got the gin but no ice!!
Thank goodness for that. I have some ice - I'll put another tray in the freezer now, it'll all help. Just a large one for me please. And I don't mind trying some of your sausage & rice
I’ll have a small gin please.
Here you are, help yourself to ice while I help myself to some of your pasta, do you have any without the smelly cheese?
Yes the cheese is in a dish on the side. Thanks for the gin.
Help yourself, here's your gin....on the rocks with ice?🤔
Afternoon all,
Sorry am a bit late got side tracked!
Have brought the Mimosas and trifle. Made some chicken kebabs for the barbecue.
Hello all, { hiding the Bombay sapphire from you know who } as you can see my sister put a dart panel in the back of my safari suit and it fits like it did in my teens ! Shame she couldn’t find the same colour for the dart panel, but I think the roses and leaf print is in at the moment !
Alison_L in reply to
It suits you. And will work well as camouflage in a desert oasis You should be ok with the BS - Lezzers has some unexpected visitors arriving at 3pm.
My 3pm visitors have messaged to say they're just leaving....they're an hr away! Think I've got time for more pasta, chips & maybe another gin?🤔
Lezzers in reply to
Roses & leaf print are very in vogue providing you don't have green fly 🪰😳
in reply to Lezzers
No I think thats more rust on the fly { been in storage a long time} and i know what your doing, I fell for the “ nice bonnet “ at Easter speech and the gin went……just saying
MichaelJHHeart Star
Just fetched another bottle of gas for the BBQ. We have added halloumi burgers to the menu now...
{ trying to sneak a bean burger onto the BBQ } us vegans have to fight fight fight our corner, there you go a minute with my back turned and the burger is gone! All this “ tut they never taste as good “ and it gets stolen ! Lest it ain’t the gin this time.
Plenty of cheese and wine on my stall. Only black grapes now as somebody ate the white ones when my back was turned. But I have had a donation of apricots and plumbs!
Could I have a piece of that stilton please? I want to add it to my beef burger!
{ looking around garden } not sure about all these gnomes, had to do a double take thinking my family had sneaked in
Maisie2014 in reply to
You can see them too? Thank goodness I was beginning to think The gin was too strong. Better put more tonic in the next one. You can’t be too careful.
in reply to Maisie2014
Oooh yes they are really here, that one in the corner looks like my great Auntie Bagwinkle { I kid you not } who was known for doing under arm pit noises to God Save The Queen while drinking Cherry brandy
GrannyE in reply to
She sounds fun
MilkfairyHeart Star
Am I too late to the party?
Has Lezzers drunk all gin?
My goodness where have all the cream teas gone?
Any sausages left?
Yes and veggie options!
in reply to Milkfairy
{ winking at Milkfairy and showing the corner of the Bombay Sapphire bottle hidden in my safari suit pocket }
Just got back. Phew! Sorry I'm laste. I nearly missed it! I popped into M&S and got a nice salad, some raspberries and a bottle of rose if anyone fancies a glass? Looking forward to grazing, boozing and mingling!
I hope you've been helping yourself to what's on the bbq. There were a couple of trifles floating around that the raspberries would go well with. Although there seems to be an empty bowl where the sherry trifle was...
I wouldn't mind some raspberries please. Just as they come with nothing on them!
Naked as the day they were picked🤪
Hello everyone, I am sorry I am late. I had to do some work this morning g and it took me longer than I thought. Anyway I have decided to treat myself to a smoke salmon sandwich, blow the cost of living crisis, I am also rewarding myself with some gin and tonic, pink gin is my favourite. Hope you are all well and having a lovely afternoon, Jude xx
in reply to Heyjude31
Thank you Jude, there has been problems but as I am not the host there isn’t a lot that I can do about it { think gin, sun and huge amounts of calories }
*hic* sorry I went missing. I found an opened bottle of Bombay Sapphire in a strange jacket someone had left lying around.
BUNFIGHT!!!! *throws first bun in Lezzers general direction* *at least, I thought it was Lezzers, but her guests might have arrived by now...*
I think Lezzers - emboldened by gin e - might have swiped the sherry trifle! I can't see it but there's plenty of fruit so I'll get my 5 a day!
Yep, that sounds like her...
in reply to Alison_L
looking around for his jacket and realising to his horror that his paisley shirt is tucked into his Y fronts, knowing that its time to go after seeing Alison finishing the gin and playing a bowling game using buns and the garden gnomes!
Alison_L in reply to
Fancy joining me in singing some old rugby songsh?
Thank you for a lovely afternoon everyone. After three gins I think I’ll have a strong coffee and a lie down. Good afternoon and thanks Michael.
See you later, Maisie
MichaelJHHeart Star
Can someone check on Beta70 she is in the wrong thread! healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...
Thanks everyone for some lovely posts and banter, you are all true hearties, the very best! Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday. Big hugs to everyone 🤗🤗🤗
Am I late? Been in the garden pruning and picking up vast quantities of apples both eaters and cookers. Must go and make holes in the cookers and bake a big batch. I put apricot. Almonds and sultans etc in them and serve them with Violite (lets pretend it’s cream but its not) or icecream. Anyone want some?
Just arrived, had got completely lost but luckily Michael sent me more directions. Thought I was going to have a personal picnic with myself on a picnic blanket on the car park ! Have a ton of cooked chicken legs in my hamper but unfortunately they are not vegan. But the two large carrot cakes I made this morning definitely are! You are all welcome to the gin, Bombay or otherwise, as I prefer Rose wine and Baileys and have brought a couple of bottles of them which I am prepared to share.
Oh wow, you are a saviour! The gin was running extremely low. I think there may still be some chicken legs on the bbq, but more are always welcome, and some of us are just moving on to pud (the sherry trifle vanished some time ago), so the carrot cakes are welcome
Anyone fancy a rugby song singalong?
You don’t want to hear my singing. It is not great. When I was a child our singing teacher (there were people like that way back when) used to say when I sang ‘there’s somebody a bit flat over there’ so i learned very early on to just open and shut my mouth and pretend to sing and then she said ‘it’s a bit thin over there’ and I though ‘a bit thin’ better than ‘a bit flat’ so I continued to mouth the words. Got not to sing in the Albert Hall in our choir like that.
LOL I have a friend like you. When we were in an amdram group, and singing was required, she was ordered to mime! I sang Messiah from scratch (along with about 3000 other choir singers) and a couple of other scratch shows at RAH.
Love christmas pudding. I presume it has been fed with lots of brandy. Would you like me to bring the brandy butter?
MichaelJHHeart Star
Antonio has to go at 5:00 but still has some ice cream left. The "strawberries and cream" has all gone but there is still vanilla, mint with chocolate chips, lemon 'n' lime and the Christmas pud one!
I can not only offer baked apples galore but also strawberries. Must make the most of them while in season.
OOOh yes please Christmas pudding ice cream, never tried it before and would love the recipe as just bought an ice cream maker in the Asda sale. Michael you have done us proud with this lovely spread and bar, I had anticipated cucumber sandwiches, lettuce leaves and apple and statin crumble with bottled water to wash it all down,
I will be shutting up shop at six as I can feel an autumnal nip. All the Stilton has gone but we still have some Brie and extra mature Cheddar left. There's a nice plum and pear chutney to go with the Cheddar.
Thank goodness the stilton has gone. I'll have some brie & chutney, please, Heythrop!
I fell asleep after being stung by mossies🙀 but I’m here now with gin and chocolate cake, is the BBQ still hot I’ve got some O’Haggans sausages and a few steaks and some sweetcorn wrapped in foil with butter🥳🕷
Excellent, more gin! We can finish off all the food now. Or did someone ask for a takeaway? Mmm, buttery sweetcorn
Oh no so sorry for you, I have an yellow anti bite pen in my handbag if you can find me, they really work! I smothered myself in Factor 50 day long sun cream and insect repellent before I came, which is why unfortunately my elbows keep sliding off the tressle table. Plastic tablecloths are dangerous regardless of how hygienic they are with constant sprays of anti bac mists!
I agree with you re plastic tabletcloths, so slippy. Thanks for the anti bite pen offer, my allergice reaction is getting worse despite smothering with Deet, think I must ask doc for an Epipen. Mind you don't know what it was that bit me, it was large and very painful, probably a tiger! I now need a large double gin to take my mind off of it please.
Hope everyeone has enjoyed this afternoon.
I bet it was that big spider!
Haven't you managed to BBQ those spiders yet? More Gin please, don't need to worry about spiders as well do I, although when I was on Avabradine I saw snakes all over the hallway. Mind you stopped the Avabradine and still occassionally saw the snakes, don't know what that says about it all. Have you got a campfire going to round off the evening, we could toast marshmallows.
MichaelJHHeart Star
Antonio's brother has turned up with his minute Fiat 500L people carrier. It has an Italian coffee machine in the back so just stroll over for an Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, etc. i think a few of you need a double Espresso!
vcgdn... I'll try that again. A wfh ameyf. No. *deep breath*. A white americano for me, plijj, Mikel. And than ks for organsing thishafternoooon
in reply to Alison_L
Your sounding better by the gin
Spoil alert ! Antonio the ice cream man is not Italian his real name is Bert Bunglewallow and he does a good side line in dodgy MOT s, anyone who was observant could see that he hadn’t got the engine oil or grease out from under his finger nails
Think you need a few Espressos if he will serve you after that rant!
Beta70 in reply to
Oh no, more cholesterol!
Thanks for the offer but I must go, thank you for your kind invite and hope that we can do it again soon, hell and freezing over rings a bell !Take care everyone, see you on the other side
Bye everyone, lovely to put faces to names, so pleased to meet you all, hope to catch up again soon. Thanks for a lovely afternoon Michael, must fly now in time to get home and watch Emmerdale. Safe journeys everyone.
MichaelJHHeart Star
There's a few uncooked burgers if anyone wants some for their tea. Only beef ones, some pork sausages and some Halloumi...
I'll be off now. Every morsel of the cheese went as did every drop of wine. My spider really enjoyed himself catching the odd fly here and there.
So I will just finish my American (Sergio's Italian roast really is excellent) and wander off home. I must say I am staggered how the ladies were mixing their drinks!
MichaelJHHeart Star
Time ladies (?) and gentleman please! Everyone seems to have gone on thgeir way although I can hear a few ladies singing rugby songs! 🎶🎶🎶 Shocking!
MilkfairyHeart Star
At least I don't need to check whether anybody's pinched the loo rolls.I feel we have moved on from the loo roll shortage 😂🤣
I'm back!! Anyone still here? May I say the sherry trifle was delicious 😋😋
Hope you all enjoyed yourselves yesterday and kept everything in moderation. Unfortunately I had a prior engagement.... family need to come first. 😀
Wow what a wonderful time you all had! I was so sorry to have missed you all. I went to pick the asparaus from my allotment (for the quiche), stepped on a garden fork and knocked myself out for a couple of hours 🤦🏽♀️🤭Loved reading the thread this morning you naughty lot 😂 bravo 👏🏽🧺
Ooh. Sounds like a great afternoon. Glad you all enjoyed yourselves!
I totally forgot about this and it seems like I missed a fantastic spread!! Should have put it on my calendar but I enjoyed reading your posts ...
Thank you Michael. You are fun and inspirational.
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Missed the Bank Holiday Tea Party
Cornwall so maybe I need double portions of cream and jam
Best wishes all
Carole
🎂
🍰🧁🍹
Virtual Tea Party/Barbeque
people have asked if I will be holding another virtual event. As I am now into \\"Learn to Walk...
Virtual Tea Party - 28 August, 2:00 pm
Bucks Fizz, gin (who said that?), jam over cream and cream over jam scones, etc.
Please could...
