For the end-of-season staff party at work, we decided to throw a little party! As always, we do something a little bit out of the ordinary, and this occasion was no different! We each chose a country to represent, created a costume and brought food from that country. My boss chose France, and I made her costume (a Mr Kipling's French Fancy!)...
I knocked it together in my lunch hours over the course of a week. The costume was made entirely from a cardboard box, pink wrapping paper and some white wool... it's amazing what can be achieved from such humble items!
I also made a headband to accompany the outfit... a Monsieur Kipling headband...
... including French translations (loosely translated!)
My boss representing France as a French Fancy (despite the fact that French Fancies are not actually French, but a British version of Petit Fours) and she brought baguettes and cheese.
I represented Spain, came as a flamenco dancer and brought: "Paella" (aka vegetable rice) "churros" (aka yumyums and chocolate sauce for dunking) and chicken+chorizo skewers.
My sister represented Greece, dressed as Medusa - I made the serpenty headdress! (on the night she changed into a toga with sandals) and she brought a bit of a meze platter including olives, koftas, hummous, tzatziki and more!
Joanne represented Italy, came as a pizza (including a pizza-cutter hat!) and brought yummy pasta and mini pizzas.
Fran represented Iceland and came as their, wholly unpronouncible volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, including ash cloud headpiece!
Every year on the Tuesday of Old Town Carnival Week, is the Crown Lane Bike Race. The premise of the race is that you must ride the "Butcher's" bicycle up the incredibly steep hill, from the bottom to the top, without lifting your bum off of the seat. To make sure those behinds are firmly on the seat the whole way, you have to sit on a 10 bob note and if it isn't there at the top then you are disqualified.
One of the best events of Old Town Week... in my opinion... is the pram race. The pubs enter a team into the pram race and they have to go around each of the 22 pubs in the route having a drink in each pub, answering questions and doing forfeits... all whilst dressed up and pushing around their themed "prams".
Bugsy Malone...
Alice in Wonderland...
Greek Gods...
Banana Splits...
Rubber Ducks...
Lego...
It gets a bit of a squeeze down George Street where easily thousands of people congregate to watch the procession of prams in the narrow Old Town streets...
