Every year since Eric was born we have had a party on the Saturday closest to his birthday. But to be honest it has also been an excuse to arrange a summer party for all our friends and come together, when it is warm and our garden is at its best (although Lewis does his best to make sure the garden is at its best nearly all year around!). And with Mikee now being a “permanent feature” of our family she has invited her friends as well to our party.
We had around 140 guests of which nearly half was children. We encourage the families to come together, parents and children and it is a wonderful occasion for us to see so many of our children’s friends and their parents and to meet children and grandchildren of our friends.
We start with a drink in the front gardens followed by a BBQ lunch served in the courtyard and then we have a traditional ice cream man (which this year was a young lady) with the ice cream on a bike. We have an inflatable 20 metres long assault course set up in the garden, ping pong table and trampoline and in the park we had arranged so the kids could play with laser guns and ride Segways along a slalom course.
A special feature this year was the antique fire engine that Robin Rea had restored with much love and passion. Robin, who also arranges the BBQ and all the good salads and desserts with his staff at the Rusty Pig, brought the fire engine to us in the morning, with Eric and his friends riding along. And like most years the weather gods blessed us with a wonderful sunshine.
We start the slide show with a few pictures of the setting, the gardens and park at Knightstone on the morning before the party. Then we continue with the fire engine being moved from “The Rusty Pig” to Knightstone and then the guests arrive and we see a few activities during the afternoon.
The courtyard prepared for "the invation"
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The Rose garden with the assault course set up for the children
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The stream going through tha garden
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The assault course and the wildflower meadow in the background
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Another part of the garden
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The breakfast area beside the stream
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The garden
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The patio with the wildflower meadow to the right
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The main entrance
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Eric with his friends Caleb and Joe before the party
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The tranpline in the palayground area
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Eric doing a saltomortal on the trampoline
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Robin (to the right) drove his antique fire engine to Knightstone for the party
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Eric , Joe and Mikee before departure
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Jen and I waited in the Park for the fire engine to show up and I took a couple of photos
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Our bronze pigs guarded Jennifer
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The fire engine arrives
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Robin, Caleb, Eric, Joe and Mikee
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Finley (Jen's godson) enjoying the sun
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Jennifer and Cleo
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Eric had met his friends Alex, Henry, Tom & Charlie
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Cleo and her mother, Louise & Olivia and her mum, Alex
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Steve (our vicar) to the left and to the right his wife Cathy and Jennifer. In between are two of their children, Will and Bryoni with their partners
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India & Mikee
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Mikee & Grendel
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Luca (former classmate of Mikee) sourrounded by Mikee's present classmates from Maynard: Hollie, Katie, Polly and India
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Eric
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The BBQ in the courtyard
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People sat down wherever they could find a seat. Around the pond are Helen (to the right) with her children Theodore and Octavia
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Michael Harris, and in the middle another Michael (Farley) with Ladda and Goy
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At the serving table
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Jennifer posing with Robin at the BBQ
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Queueing for the food
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The teenagers gathered at the old Fire Engine: Hollie, Polly, India, Katie, Mikee and Luca
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We had activities in the Park including laser guns and Segway. Mathilda is putting on the helmet for Segway driving
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Mathilda is trying a slalom course with the Segway
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Mikee got a chance to try it out in the morning, before our guests arrived
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Mikee aiming at the photographer (who ran away in time)
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Louise, Alex and Sarah are watching the activities of the children
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And so are Alison, Ruth, Steve & Gareth
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Some silly teenagers: Jen, Mikee, Katie, India, Lizzie, Hollie, Polly, Verity, Ruth & Alison
