Winter Carnival

As soon as we got up this morning, it was All Go! We got ourselves kitted out in thermals and went to the local church for a Pancake Breakfast. Two pancakes, a sausage and lashings of hot maple syrup. A chat with some nice people and off we went again. Back home we got the costumes ready for the boys. They were on the Carnival Float for the Cubs and Beavers and had to wear 'Early Settlers' costumes. Smallest already had an Indian Costume (thanks Aunty Kat) so he put that on, on top of his thermals and other clothes. He must have had four layers on his bottom half and four or five on his top. I also sent a blanket each to wrap around them. Small had his thermals and proper clothes and a coat and then on top of all that a dress shirt of Huffle's, a waistcoat, a very small cowboy hat and a cowboy belt and gun.

Small complained that he looked like Henry VIII. Huffle started playing Pavarotti.

We warmed the soup and emptied it into the Crock Pot.

It was quite thick!

I dropped the boys off where the float was being made and they helped to get the float ready. They both had moustaches drawn on too. Meanwhile, Huffle and I ran about like a pair of mad people getting eggs together (that we boiled for far too long last night), pins, snowman, ping pong balls, prizes etc etc and packed the car up and made our way to the Community Centre. Our road is a bit bumpy and I was trying not to spill the soup? the police had blocked the road but told us to drive through the Petrol Station "and don't spill that Chilli" he shouted after us. It was all a bit mad, we had no idea where we were supposed to be but we got set up (thankfully inside because it was too blowy for the ping pong balls). We were right by the door. Jars were set up, sweets put inside the jars, snowman on his stand, signs put up.

NoCustard turned up to help us and her, Huffle, Mr Royal and I went and watched the parade. The boys float was by far the best (of course). Apparently the brownies normally win. The parade didn't seem as long as last year and there didn't seem as many watching either. We walked along with the parade towards the end so we could fetch the boys. They loved it but missed watching the whole thing.

Cubs/Beavers float.

Bee on a bike? Hillbillies? Town Crier and the start

Brownies. Rameses and DayCare.

Marching Band. Obligatory man on toilet! Bikers.

We collected them and finished off setting up the games. NoCustard was in charge of the snowman and she did a sterling job. I delivered my soup (Carrot and Tomato - I told them it WAS NOT TOMAYTO BUT TOMARTO). Mine was the only non-meat soup there. I was also told it was the best. The results are announced tonight at the trappers Ball but we are not going.

ClownRose doing her clowning

Huffle did the jars/ping pong game - he loved it (though he has a sore back from standing so long). He liked the fact that the older kids thought it would be easy but found it tough. It was a very popular game. No-one seemed to know anything about it. We told everyone it was a typically English game. One of the mums came up towards the end and said she was very impressed and could she steal the idea for the SpringFest. I said of course she could. She then asked if I would do it. NO I WON'T. I said I would give her all the jars and the ping pong balls but would not do the thing itself. She took my email address. (Hopefully so she can get the jars and balls!!). Huffle was pleased to be recycling a game from the old Narborough fete when he was a small.

The smaller kids loved the snowman game and the prizes all went. The scavenger hunt went well too. Some people said the questions were hard (they weren't, they just needed to look around the building). All the goody bags went though we did give a few away at the end. The boys put on the signs like a sandwich board and walked around the hall trying to get people to play. They were really good and very useful and I think they had a really good time.

We tried to get the egg and spoon race going but nothing really happened. Maybe it was too cold. Smallest's friends played but Huffle and I ended up eating a couple of the eggs in our sandwiches later. Huffle and I never got to eat or drink the whole time apart from a small cake at the end. The boys had a drink and a hotdog. We ended about 3pm, very tired and weary.

My new friend Pie who helped with the Scavenger Hunt was very helpful later with the snowman game once NoCustard had gone home.

Smallest won third prize in the colouring contest. I bought a lovely picture from Garfunkel (not the big $1,000 I wanted but a smaller version).

We came home and the boys played on the computer while Huffle and I had our egg sandwiches. He caught up with the football and then we cleared everything away. We all made pizza for dinner and watched a film. The spy next door, very cheesy but entertaining.

Then it was the boys bedtime. I had to scrub their moustaches off. I think they will sleep well tonight, I'm sure we all will.

It was a fun day, but very tiring. We don't want to do it next year as we missed everything. Huffle never moved from his spot all day and I only got to walk around the stalls towards the end. We never saw the photos (though Small did and he said I could have easily won. Love him) and didn't really see the colouring contest, except for Small and Smallest's. We missed all the announcements and awards so I didn't see Smallest get his prize money ($1). Also it was very very hard work getting it all sorted. Oh well, we have done it now. Time to let someone else do it next year. Keeps the ideas fresh.

 

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