I will admit to not making the most effort to ever organise family get togethers or events of that nature, so it has pretty much come down to Chantelle sneaking around and doing it for me ;) – Which is probably a good thing because now I see my family for more often that what I ever used to.
So last night I found myself driving home from work, going to gym (where I broke a treadmill by running through the conveyor belt material – honestly, I started and it was fine but three quarters of the way though I had to stop because of a gaping hole in the belt. I just kind of sauntered away, hands in pocket and whistling away to divert attention from myself’) and then heading out straight back towards Rondebosch on our excursion to Claire and Riley’s new flat in Newlands, right across from Newlands Rugby stadium.
As always Chantelle thought of far more things that what I ever would have, so we had in tow with us two bottles of white wine and a gorgeous plant as a house gift. Miraculously I managed to impress Chantelle by remembering exactly where the flat is and driving straight to it, so I could afford a nice sigh of relief when we got there.
We caught Claire adding the finishing touches to her masterpiece for the night, a delicious chicken plait with mash and salad and I was rather surprised at just how well Claire cooks. Guess the domestic life has to teach a person some sort of skill or another ;) (Though I understand she still doesn’t quite grasp the concept of doing the dishes if Riley is to be believed).
Of course, one of the main topics on the agenda for the evening was their recent honeymoon in Mauritius and by the sound of it, it was quite an experience. From catamarans to snorkeling to a submarine trip, it sounds like they did it all! Claire kept us entertained with all the photos, which apart from bits of Mauritius in the background, generally featured either Claire or Riley in the foreground with a cocktail in hand. Looking past all the cocktails, it really does look as idyllic there as what it sounds and I certainly wouldn’t mind stepping out to see that part of the world myself some time in the future (and for some or other reason I am sure that I am not alone in that thing).
Claire and Riley’s flat is starting to grow on me now that they are more settled in and although the noisy trains that run next to it still needs some getting used to, the space they’ve got to work with isn’t half bad at all. My only gripe of course is those teeny little roads and almost non-existent parking, but that is mainly because of my notoriously bad driving and parking skills, so it is probably MY concern only!
Both Chantelle and I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening of wine, nonsical chatter, good food and snacks and I’m glad the girls went to the effort of organising the evening. The only loser for the evening would have to have been Riley because we cut into his World of Warcraft raid, but I’m pretty sure the opportunity to come up with witty puns all night long easily made up for it – or am I just putting my foot into my mouth again? ;)