Recipe For A Lovely Day

* A huge thankyou to Esmerelda and Ermintrude for allowing me to try this recipe. I think the flavours worked really well - I know I enjoyed making it!!!

Recipe For A Lovely Day:

Take one mild, sunny day (after a day of wind and rain and freeeeeeeeeezing temperatures), where the backyard is just the right mix of green grass and sunshiney shade.

Add one smallish two-bedroom unit, liberally furnished in Fisher Price.

To this, add three friends who have managed the enviable task of enjoying each others' company for 18 years, whilst maintaining only 21 candles on their respective birthday cakes (oh, ok, this might not be entirely true. But I can assure you that although our chronological ages may be closer to the middle of the 30's range, our mental ages are still most definitely closer to 17!!)

Stir in seven children, ranging in age from eight years to 15 months.

Sprinkle children with assorted sandwiches, cut-up fruit and (*gasp*) Smarties. Mop up ensuing mess from under the table.

Combine the mixture of children with an assortment of cats and dogs, and turn out on the grass to let the flavours develop. Don't worry if this causes lots of noise - this is expected in a recipe such as this.

Rest the grown up ladies at the kitchen table with a platter of assorted goodies. Take care at this point to keep the children separate from the grown-ups - this is essential if you don't want the taste of the day to be tainted. It's important to keep the flavours balanced!

Allow the children to fling themselves into a huge helping of Thomas tracks and hide-and-seek, topped off with a garnish of Lego. Stir wildly until the effects of tiredness begin to be evident.

Finally, savour the taste of a day spent at hard play. At this point in the recipe, you should have exhausted kids and pets, which only augers well for a good nights' sleep.

Note: This type of recipe can only be attempted with friends who have known you for a rather long time. It is also advantageous to have exceptionally well-behaved kids. Which, thankfully, we did!! So I would like to dediate this concoction to Esmerelda, Ermintrude, Grown-Up-Josh, Nosey, Kelan-the Train-Driver, Quiet-and-Smiley-Hamish, and Team O'Toole. I think we made a good mix, kids! I know I enjoyed it!!!