Nic's 30th birthday party

Timperley Sports Club, Timperley

13th September 2008

Nic made us all have a damn good think before this party as she declared it a fancy dress party.  Oh god.  After much debating, we (Paul & Lynne) settled on a doctor and a bee respectively, a classic combo if ever there was one.  Lynne the bee looked thusly..

...and here is I, aka Dr John Carter (we can all dream).

The girls (from left to right: Claire,Lynne, Suze and Nic) pose together, and what a right bunch they look like.

Sans Nic, I ask the remaining ladies to pose.  Obligingly, Claire and Lynne go for sultry pouts, but Suze can only offer a rabbit trapped in headlights.

Uh oh, another doctor, this time Dr Phil Davenport and his trapped-in-the-fifties wife, Jackie.

It's not often you get to see a Blues Brother and Timmy Mallett in the same photo but, well, here you do.  The outfits couldn't be more contrasting, from colours to eyewear.

Dr Phil prepares for a difficult operation...

...i.e. making a tit of himself dancing with a guy in a fat suit.  It was that kind of night.

The Band performed a medley of popular hits.  Note the presence of the Blues Brothers on lead and bass guitars, a 118 man on drums and, erm, a Christmas pudding on vocals.

Dr Phil found it hard to resist the charms of the guy in a fat woman suit and, frankly, who could blame him.

Back to the band, Nic the birthday girl, dressed as a flamingo (but with both legs touching the floor!), joins proceedings, adding additional vocals and some much needed tambourine action.

There should be public safety warning before viewing the following picture.  Paul Smith goes Wacaday as Timmy Mallett, with his trusty sidekick Pinky Punky (yep, had to look that up).  And, no, I've no idea what's on his chin either.  Oh hang on, is it one of those plasters they used to put on their chins?  (Look at the camera and go 'blerrr!')

 More to follow when I've recovered from viewing the above photograph.  Ok, two weeks later and I'm finally over it.  Time to get more photos on here.  First up, are Fred and Wilma having a barney?

The glasses worn by Timmy Mallett have evidently caused him injury - surely this is beyond the cause of duty.  In case you can't see it, it is helpfully pointed out by Lynne's, erm, bee wand.

Here are some fancy dress accompaniments adorning the obligatory pint of lager.

Claire does her best to be polite when faced with a surprise photo.

Another insect-clad lady gets a little over-elaborate with her anecdote to Jackie.

Freddie Krueger makes an appearance for a remake of Nightmare On Wood Lane, as the band's singer goes through the lyrics to the next song with a potential pretender to the throne (or not, as it turned out).

The girls - Claire and Lynne - show that they are on the best behaviour.  Always a surprise.

Frank Sidebottom, aka Darren, gives a stirring rendition of 'Born In TImperley'.

Once the band had finished playing, the sound system burst into life for the post-gig disco.  Almost immediately up onto the stage were a well-oiled Dr Phil, Batman and Fat Lady, betraying a clear desire to be in a band despite the complete lack of instruments or singing.  The next big boy band, perhaps.

Erm, cough, oh dear.  Dr Paul, aka Dame Edna Everage, takes an urgent mid-pint call. as always putting the patient if not quite above then about level with a good night out.

Wilma is gob-smacked by Lynne The Bee's hot-off-the-press gossip, as Fred tried unconvincingly to eavesdrop without being spotted.

The Blues Brothers off duty and post show.  They'd quickly hid their spliffs before the photo was taken.

It all kicks off on the dancefloor as Batman and Batgirl scrap over who should fight the evil Dr Phil.

Erm, it all gets a bit x-rated on the dancefloor.  Here is a rough approximation of how Pebbles came about.  Get a cave, you two!

The FLintstones, in a post-coital embrace, compete for the Biggest Grin 2008 competition.  Verdict; draw.

Meanwhile, Dr Phil single-handedly keeps the entertainment going.  Who knows what we would have done without him, or indeed what he was singing.  The lager must now have been transferred to the tambourine.

You can tell it's getting towards the end of the night when people start wearing other people's wigs or hats (no matter the size).  In fact, Jackie, daringly, goes double-wigged, a look which didn't hit the Milan catwalks until a couple of months later.

Ok, this is just getting silly now.  Wilma showcases the new stethoscope headphones.

lynne's storytelling gets Claire's attention.

Hmm, things seem to be calming down somewhat.  The intimidating Freddie Krueger has lost his mask, the insect girl is now without her big hat and Fifties Jackie has abandoned the ill-advised second wig, no doubt now looking to see where her errant husband has wandered off to.

Ah there he is, joining in with some rather low-key dancing.

Ah, the classic stand around the kneeling fairy routine that so often ends a night at a Timperley disco...

.,.which does not fit in well with the desires of young Dr Phil.  He wants to be a-singin' and a-tambourinin' again.  Those were the days.

One final party shot for the birthday girl.

Dr Paul's night has now come to an end, and an exhausting and blood-filled one it was too.  Actually, that's just ketchup, applied liberally in front of an aghast look from the barman.

And that was that...  the end.