Event 2: Kiddies party, the giant jelly and follow my leader

What better way to lighten the mood mid-term than a kiddies party?! It would have been a birthday party if it had been someone's birthday, but it wasn't. The invite asked everyone to bring some food and some entertainment. You know, share the work of organising out a bit. It was a good idea. John brought some cheese and pineapple on sticks, louise brought party sausages and david brought a cake. Mr Drake brought a jelly. It was to be expected really as he likes making jelly, and after the practise with Nick's birthday present jelly had been added to the small range of foods that the master-chef could make incredibly well. What wasn't quite so expected was the size... a full 30 pints. That's quite a lot of jelly. But it was strawberry flavour so it was ok, and everyone tucked in. Although there weren't any bowls or spoons (don't blame the organisers, guests should have brought all the impliments needed for appropriate consumption of their donated party food) so we had the added entertainment of watching people eat it with plastic cups and paper plates.

Several pints of jelly later and we decided it was time to play some party games. The animal game proved a little difficult for some people's concentration span (mentioning no names Richard "is it me again?!" Dawson...) so we moved onto pass the parcel. Dave brought a lovely wrapped parcel and round and round it was passed. But note, it is important not to throw the parcel, some people have a preference for it to be passed nicely. Mr Drake was in charge of music and managed to stop it at appropriate times so that no-one got to take off a layer of wrapping twice. This is incredibly important at kiddies parties because unfairness can lead to tantrums. The winner got a lovely nail brush. How exciting!

The next game was follow my leader. A classic party game, much loved by (nearly) all. Mr Drake took the lead and bounced round the party room and down the corridor. The sugar from the jelly kicked in and we all dutifully followed as he jumped up and down the stairs. Now it was a foggy november night outside, but that didn't stop us star jumping along behind Mr Drake as he headed off into the dark.









Ellie took the lead and marched us into Pav (that's where the drunk people pretend to be having fun) and it wasn't long before we were laid on the floor cycling our legs as the music boomed and the drunk pavers watched in amazement. After wobbling along the corridor and zooming like aeroplanes through the porters lodge we danced the conga back to the party room. A brief search for a black camera battery in the pitch black later and we arrived to find the door locked. A few miserable so-and-sos who had obviously not eaten enough jelly had decided not to join the follow my leader game and sought alternative fun in the party room, which apparently involved locking us out. But the organisers overruled and everyone was safely reunited.

Needless to say, the entire 30 pints of jelly did not get eaten and we were left with the confusing problem of what to do with a large plastic box half full of mushed up strawberry jelly.

Please note that we were all plain sober through all the above activities (it was a kiddies party so there was no consumption of alcohol). Any abnormal actions were due to the effects of large amounts of sugar from the strawberry jelly.