Despite the fact that it was only the 3rd year I've spent the New Year with Kevin, Ray and Ken it feels so enshrined in tradition that I can't believe I ever spent a New Year's Eve anywhere else!
Kevin did a fantastic job of the table again, with full place settings, festive decorations and crackers, centrepiece, (made by my own fair hand last year!) menus, hats and fancily folded napkins!
And there was an extra surprise as we went to take our seats, Kevin had snuck in some festive treats for each place setting after I'd taken my photos!
The food was absolutely superb as usual, the gravy deserves a special mention in its own right (hours and hours and hours in the making - and worth it!) and I must remember to get Ray's pate recipe from him!
I was actually rather pleased that I couldn't get hold of the usual toppings to decorate the top of my Cointreau Layer Cake dessert - I used tiny soft orange flavoured balls and white chocolate shavings instead.
The Chef!
Dinner started with our little Royal challenge, we all got a prize for guessing our characters correctly (even Ray who actually got it wrong!), luckily there was also a prize for the runner up of the Christmas quiz later in the evening - I came a very close second!
Highlights of the quiz for me were...
Quizmaster Kevin - "What led the wise men to the stable?"
Ray - "Hunger"
Ken (almost simultaneously) - "The golden arches"
Quizmaster Kevin - "Which direction did the 3 wise men come from?"
Ray - "One Direction" (I think he's a secret fan)
And Ray's answer to which reindeer names were missing from the list Kevin read out...
"Knickers and Knackers"
I kid you not!
In addition to all these surprises Ken and I also recieved New Year's gifts, I was thrilled when I opened mine, I haven't introduced the cats to Sir Harvey yet as I've promised Ray that I'll wait til he's here on Saturday!
And Ken's gift?
Awesome! (although I don't think he was quite so thrilled!)
I did the reading of The Passing of the Year by Robert Service just before midnight and then we all linked hands and sang Auld Lang Syne (well Kevin and I sang it, Ray and Ken managed the first verse (I think) and then made the rest up!) after which Kevin and I proved exactly why intoxicated adults shouldn't attempt the Macarena!
A fantastic night and the perfect place to be and people to be with to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new!
(Thankfully the diary days this week are few and simple allowing for plenty of recovery time before launching into any strenuous activities)
Oh, and I forgot to include these in yesterday's year end blog facts...
Most Used Search Keywords
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