The cat slaves' dinner

I had a great night's sleep last night and woke up at 7.30am feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead! Sophie went to the gym to do two yoga classes, and I made a start on preparations for tonight. I made the chocolate bread and butter pudding, tipping the rest of Sophie's rum into the chocolatey, creamy mixture and then pouring it over the slices of bread which I'd cut into little triangles. It sat on the worktop for a couple of hours before chilling in the fridge.

As well as making the dessert, I prepped all the ingredients for the casserole, and Keith peeled a load of vegetables. When Sophie returned, all she had to do was prepare the casserole and then leave it to cool before we re-heated it later.

I cleaned and hoovered the conservatory and set the table, helping Keith to extend it so all seven of us could fit. We even moved one of our armchairs into the room so our guests could sit and relax before dinner. It can stay in there as the space left will hold our Christmas tree from next week! Unbelievable! It only feels like a few weeks since we took it down!

Having people for dinner in the winter is much easier than in the summer when the sun shining through the windows highlights the dirt and bird poo! I also didn't have to worry about the garden looking a mess as it would be lovely and dark! While I was working away, I saw, to my dismay, a rat scuttle across the grass. No matter how many times we try and despatch them, they just keep on coming back!

Keith went to see Sileby play in the afternoon, Sophie painted my toenails and then I cleaned the rest of downstairs, giving the cloakroom a really good going over. The house did look lovely, and I put the main heating on, as well as the fire in the living room and the heater in the kitchen. The last thing I wanted was for people to be cold!

Sophie and I seemed to have more time today, and after I'd showered and dressed, we sat at the kitchen island with a glass of wine and some nibbles and had a chat. I lit all the candles and Sophie put her summer playlist onto her Echo to play while we were eating. All done! And the casseroles (Michelle had veggie sausages in hers) were cooking gently in the oven.

Richard and Michelle arrived first bearing wine and flowers, shortly followed by Paul and his new partner, Sharon. We gave them drinks and they went to sit in the conservatory while Sophie finished the preparations for dinner. We managed to get everything onto the table, and they all tucked in! I hadn't made a starter as I thought the meal was hearty enough - 18 sausages had gone into the casserole dish along with pancetta and two cans of butter beans.

It was a great evening, and everyone raved about the food, which was lovely. The conversation flowed and we even listened to some music that Richard had composed, which was very good indeed. Our friends left at about 12.30am, but Sophie had already gone to bed - she's going down to London tomorrow on another first date and is catching a train at 10.30am. Good ol' Mum is taking her so I didn't want too much of a late night either!