Parties for Pinky (woman overboard): BIG FOUR

Four was indeed a big year for Pinky. She graduated from being a Pink underclassman at Eaton Square School, and became a full day Blue student. She loved it and so did I. This was not just babysitting, but a full curriculum of English, Math, Science, Art, Music (they played recorders so learned musical notation), Sports, Dance, and, I kid you not, silver polishing. She was already reading chapter books and showing early signs of her twisted sense of humor and writing skills.

We had attended many posh children's parties, but none compared to Boodle Lowe's. My best mom friend, Jane Massey, mother of Pinky's best friend, Eric, and I decided we would impose ourselves on the event as there seemed to be a select cadre of mothers drinking champagne. Usually you were dismissed at drop off and we ignored that. We wanted to be there in order to snoop on the house, a classical mansion on the outside converted to an Italian Villa on the inside complete with interior courtyard. Pretty amazing in a 90's excess way. We didn't know anyone else, so we stayed together and made envious and snide comments, hopefully unheard.
There were long tables in the courtyard set up with a fantastic feast, and the nannies stood behind their charge's chairs like footmen. Topiary were in limestone pots and saturated colors on the walls to evoke Tuscany.

An Important Piece of Information

Many Americans believe that the English do everything better than we do, are paragons of political correctness, and that we are ignorant peasants in their august presence. This is absolutely not true. We are way ahead of them in a multitude of ways. While we lived there only one beach in the British Isles was open for swimming, all the rest polluted and closed. Lead free gas wasn't introduced until the 90's, we had it in the 70's. Healthy eating was accidental; if possible the English would eat dessert for every meal.

Usually there would be a moderate and random amount of sweets at a birthday but Boodle's was fit for a prince and his court. Before we even saw the cake there were dishes of jello, little sausages, many flavors of potato chips, big candy bars, coca cola or Ribena, and fairy cakes, the Brit version of a cupcake. Then the ice cream arrived and on it's heels the splendid Cake Decorated in an Ornate Zoo Theme. Nannies kept order and the tiny gluttons feasted and feasted. Just before the sugar coma took effect children and nannies were ushered to one of the formal rooms where they watched a fantastic puppet show which included Punch & Judy.

We did not invent excess. My Puritan forefathers were screaming in my head,

What are they doing??? Unbelievable waste and indulgence!!! When you think of the children starving around the world!!! They will be sick, ruined forevermore....

And they LOVED IT!!! The party bag was equally extraordinary with a Liberty House beanie animal and even more candy.

Jane and I were fit to be tied. No moment of schadenfreude to make us feel better, just a new impossibly high bar to live up to. Dang.

A Pale Shadow of Boodle's

This is why I caved in and hired a much less grand and less expensive caterer to do the fourth birthday party. And I LOVED it!

I didn't have to be the police, Beano the Bear did that as well as lead the well behaved children in games and songs. The theme was Teddy Bear's Picnic and every child brought their favorite bear. The bears sat at their own tea table and looked on as Pinky and her gang sat down to their charming individual boxed meal. It was in a white pastry box tied with a red bow and when opened, in a checkered napkin nest, was an orange peel basket filled with raspberry jello, little tea sandwiches cut out in bear shapes, cookies and crisps. It may not have been a royal feast but it was an entrancing one. And the cake was wonderful. A square table with bears all around and tiny cups and saucers all made of marzipan. A really nice thing about England is the pride the artisans take in their products and they have an audience that recognizes quality. Consequently it's possible to have some pretty wonderful things without breaking the bank.

I learned from this party not to do everything myself and most of the time I follow that rule. In my case it has a habit of liberating me to be crazier and more complicated which might have backfired now and then.

Special note:

Childhood friends Isobel and Phoebe Waller-Bridge have distinguished themselves as young adults with their incredible talents.