Mark's 40th at Dower House

Caroline sorted out a surprise birthday party for Mark's 40th by getting the crew together for a weekend away, hiring Dower House near Hitchin:

Was a fantastic, sunny weekend, filled up with some backyard cricket:

Some kiwi (and Auzzie) ingenuity for when the ball eventually got wacked in to the stinging nettles (you have no idea how hard it was not to push Matt right about now):

Getting ready to surprise Mark, mooning was of course required (see video):

Ian deciding that oiling himself up was required:

Relaxing out in the sun in between back yard games:

Time for some man lovin' with sunscreen applying:

Ahh, yeah, that's it:

Dennis making extra sure not to get burnt on any sensitive bits:

Craig smacking the ball in to the stinging nettles again:

Richard, not impressed that he was responsible for cooking all the meat on the BBQ, poor vego!

Shan, apparently not up for the idea of using Austin to replace the lost cricket ball:

Birthday boy Mark with his AWESOME birthday cake! Not only awesome because of the design, but it was one of the most delicious birthday cakes ever!

Ian teaching Austin how to look cool to make popular friends like his, later on in life:

We had a huge game of soccer (sorry football) as well:

GOAL!!!

That evening we had a mega game of Settlers of Catan, with Ian unexpectedly winning with a fantastic play at the end!

After much boozing there was the odd injury... check out the video for how Andrew did this to his foot and be amazed that this was the worst injury he got!

Everyone gathered around the table to hear Matt's famous tale and re-enactment of his time in prison:

Andrew not impressed that James needed to let one rip at this precise moment in time:

The state I managed to get Andrew, Lindsey, James and Dennis in when it was my turn to spin the wheel and promptly make up whatever move was going to cause the most amusement:

Richard leading a séance after finding a book on witchcraft:

Breakfast out in the sun the next day:

Enjoying the last of our time at Dower House:

And last, but by FAR, not the least, THE VIDEO (click here for youtube and to leave any comments):

Outside zone 6 of London, pretty damn cool! Thanks for organising such a fantastic weekend, Caroline!

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By Tony Baker: email