Nottingham, Tadpoles & Jen's engagement party, during which I coated myself in chocolate

Yesterday was Jen & Paul's Engagement and house warming party.

I ended up being late as I had to post Ray's glasses back to her so that she can stop having to wear her prescription sunglasses at work.
I never really thought about how hard glasses would be to package up.

They've recently bought a house and moved in together in Nottingham- and their house is AWESOME!
Jen had already told me that they had a range cooker- because she'd initially bemoaned how difficult it was to get her head round- and then after a while decided it was awesome.
She didn't tell me that the house was still so 70s it hurt- I've never seen red plastic light switches before- and the kitchen is awesome.. in a red,cream and brown kind of way. it's so 70s I think it's actually fashionable again.
What she didn't tell me was that she has the most awesome garden.
A massive pond with fish and more tadpoles than is wise- and water boatmen and pond skaters and everything!
I could spend ages just looking at the things in the pond! Paul reckons it's deep enough to swim in. I think swimming in a pond is ill advised.

They also have a lovely selection of quite mature fruit bushes and trees.
I think Jen will be making lots of jam.
Especially raspberry and gooseberry.
And rhubarb everything. (Personally, I can't stand rhubarb, but I guess it's good for bartering with.. or hitting people you don't like?)

The party was really good fun- Jen and Paul had lots of relatives and family friends there- which was really lovely- Everyone was really friendly and funny.
:)

Jen also made awesome vegetarian BBQ food- She made pepper, onion an courgette kebabs with halumi cheese (squeaky cheese) which were delicious- I put mine in bread rolls like a super grilled cheese sandwich.
This is possibly my new favourite thing ever.

We were supposed to have a chocolate fountain for pudding, but it wouldn't work!
Paul tried to get it working but in the end we melted the chocolate in the microwave.
And the dipped fruit in the bowls of melty chocolate- I want further than that and put the fruit in a bowl and spooned the chocolate over it!
I'm normally very good and well behaved- so I figure I deserved a bowl of melty chocolate, right?
:D

At this point, I managed to spill melty chocolate all down my leg, front, and all over my foot.
for later. maybe?
I was too engaged in eating chocolately goodness to notice.

I ended up leaving really late- much leter than planned- initially I'd planned to leave at 5 but ended up leaving at 9- and I was surprised not to have had any texts from the wifely one...
I located him in the pub with the lads from footy when I rang him to tell him I was driving home about 9pm.
It's a 2 hour drive to Nottingham- which is easier than the 5 hours to wales to see Jen! yay!

I got in and had a text from Traff saying he'd left the pub a bit tiddley- and about midnight there was still no sign of him so I rang him and it turned out they'd gone for burgers (vegi burgers in his case), he came home and raided the fridge anyway.
They fell asleep on my feet where I was sat on the sofa with my computer.
he was quite happy until I accidentally ripped one of his earrings out and then he decamped to bed.