Far Nearer

Far Nearer

I discovered the music of Jamie XX via his involvement with the late Gil Scott Heron which is interesting as I expect many people, younger than me, discovered Gil Scott Heron through his beautiful creations with the very talented Jamie XX.

Reacquainting myself with contempory music is a lovely part of my life at the moment but, ever with an eye on the retro, I adore the steel pan sound in this song. Steel pans are gorgeous, such is my passion for them that my parents arranged for a steel band to play in the back garden on my 21st birthday which, I would imagine, was something of a surprise in suburban Surrey nearly 20 years ago.

The Biggest Smalls are holding a Masquerade Ball for their friends next weekend. Big Small thrives when organising parties. She has already organised two Valentine's Day Balls and a Teddy Bear's Picnic for her friends. Baby Small helped out with the painting too. The idea for this particular party came from a book of Flower Fairy masks that my Mum gave her back last year. The flower fairies are special to S because she knows that their creator Cicely Mary Barker was home educated and that her ashes are scattered in the churchyard of the church in our neighbouring village.

The Smalls want to decorate the front room with mask themed bunting and, knowing that we are pretty busy next week, I thought we better make a start.

So that is how we spent an hour or so this morning, painting and decorating masks. I am pleased to have a daughter who wants regular parties at home without her constant inspiration who knows how much longer the heart bunting from her Valentines Day event would have stayed up! I am not sure we can run to a steel band for this party though but I have found a mask shaped cookie cutter. I hadn't read the book until today but it is full of ideas for your own masquerade ball including games, food and drinks. There is no way I could hope to match S's prolific reading so I trust in her to share the edited hilights. Middle Small would like a more knights and superheros theme of course. The wonderful thing about home ed parties is that the parents come too. There is none of the "drop and dash" we see at school events so I am looking forward to it too.