Fun is a Tonic.

Bimbo & 'Hippy Goth'

After a long week of trying to get back into homework and routine, I felt ready to resign as a mother. In fact I did, but since nobody was listening (for a change) I had to remain in the job. So I just sulked in my (air conditioned) bedroom, occasionally coming out to say some very un-PC things to my children, who had a bypassing interest in the fact that I wasn't the happiest mother on the planet. Also didn't help that I was reading Hilary Rodham Clinton’s autobiograghy, which unsurprisingly failed to cheer me up much.

Anyhow all of this was forgotten on Saturday night, as we went to one of the most enjoyable parties in a long time and had a huge amount of fun. It was an Eighties bash as both the husband & wife had recently turned 40 (40+ 40= 80, so any excuse, in other words). What I love about here is that everyone goes to a huge amount of trouble to dress up. It’s kind of the honourable and expected thing to do, way beyond 'singing for your supper'. What also helps is that most of the clothing shops here still stock a huge amount of 80’s type clothes (lacy, neon-y, flashy, animal printy etc) so there was no problem finding anything plus all the accessories (punky belts, wigs, crucifixes) to go with the 80's mash-up.

Ross & Rachel Munro

So we were joined by Wham, Boy George, multiple Madonna’s, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Axl Rose, Kraftwerk (eyeliner, white shirt & tie) Adam Ant, Super Mario, two Rubic cubes, Jane Fonda, Margaret Thatcher and as many 80’s characters as you could imagine. Very, very funny. Everyone danced for hours and we all knew all the words. Quite a bit of air guitar was also noted. Babysitters did really well that night.

It been here, we then had to get up at some ungodly hour on Sunday to go staggering off to mountain bike, but at least this time it wasn’t on another island, just Beef island. Even Rachel (one half of the party throwers) was there, admittedly looking a teensy bit blurry. Platinum Prize for Motherhood, Rach. Don't think I would have managed.

Ross & Rachel are an amazing couple (you can read more about them  here and pledge some money whilst you do so!). Ross was diagnosed 18 months ago with Non- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (as was my cousin Clare). With his family's support and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Ross has successfully fought it, and now he, Rachel and several others are running the Chicago Marathon in 3 weeks time, to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Hands on Volunteers, a local charity which is focused mainly on raising funds for Haiti. A group of teachers from Cedar is running for Haiti (this is their blog & also details for donations) and we are all very proud of them. When you watch the race and see Team BVI, give a big cheer as we will all be doing on our little green dot. Better still, please donate!

Sunday afternoon was spent collapsed in a heap, humming “Karma Cameleon” and letting the children 'get on with their own devices' in other words ignoring them. Not that they noticed.