Lewis's Stag

For occasions like this one, when a picture is worth more than a thousand words, I prefer to direct you to the images and let you draw your own conclusions. (WARNING: Some images NSFW)

I went to a party in a Mansion..

and all I got were these lousy photos. Not true, actually, it was amazing. I'm happy I could help say, "Happy Birthday Vinny!"

It's not a gym Clare.

Why are you doing press-ups here in the German Markets? You should take it easy on the training you know. Relax a little.

Dave O on the balcony

Beer o'clock at Ventenac.

Cambridge, with Whitehouse

It's that time of our lives. The thirtieth birthday parties are flowing thick and fast at the minute. We've had Dr Jim's, and now Big Chris's party in Cambridge. How does one get to Cambridge from MCR? Via Leeds and Peterborough, it seems. Four-and-a-half hours later, and I arrived.

Paul? Or Satan? Paul? Or Satan?

No genital contact, honest

ARF!!

Baby gallery

Life is not all cake and owl.

The pizza party wheel just keeps on turning, and the pizza party wagon rolls on and on and on. Building on the good work of the party with the Padmores and the one with Megan, the third shindig was AWESOME!

We had guests: Champ; Paulina; Laura; Rory; Laura; Pippa; Hannah.

We had games: Pass the Parcel; Talking Heads.

We had cake. Home-made, hand-decorated owl cake.

Pippa and Paulina took steps towards peace between each other (maybe via a two-state solution?) by finding common ground over Twin Peaks. Pass the Parcel went down very well – generosity won hearts and minds all around the room. And then Dunk unveiled the cake. Triumphant! Kate’s face said it all.

Paul plus lamppost equals FAIL

Fire drill

Jackpot!

Furious Five and Kurtis Blow, in conversation

Dunk gave me a heads up that the Furious Five and Kurtis Blow were doing an In Conversation at Contact Theatre last week, and I snapped up a couple of tickets for me and Lucian, and let Bronco and Steve know it was on too.

Steve and Bronco with Kurtis Blow

The show started with the Furious Five rapping, dancing, getting the crowd to wave their hands. It felt like a party. Lu was straight up on his feet, waving his hands around and dancing. He's been off booze for nearly seven weeks, but his party shoes still fit, it seems, and he was wearing them. Kurtis Blow came out, and the party kept on coming. The In Conversation section saw Kid Creole and Melle Mel talking about the early days of hip hop, about life in the Bronx in the 70s, about Afrika Bambatta's breaks. Then they finished off with The Breaks. Ninety minutes of fun and fascination.

Afterwards Lucian said two things. I agreed with one, and partly with the other.

"I thought that the host was a bit of a wiener."

Partly true, he was dorky. But in that earnest, American way where he'd underline the obvious to make sure that everybody got it, where a Brit would assume that to be the case. Highlighting the double meaning of The Breaks in The Breaks is unnecessary, sure, but harmless with it. Case thrown out for extenuating circumstances, I'd say.

"That was a perfect gig. They played all three of their songs that I knew, with no filler, and I didn't have to pay fifteen quid to get in, or queue at a bar, or stay out all night. Exactly how I'd want to see those artists."

For real Lu. Word.

Derek, patron saint of karaoke

Sorry, it's St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne really. He's not doing, "Come on Eileen." Honest.