In case you're wondering, this is how this one goes down.
Those of you that know me, will be aware that my dad has been with us on a visit from Nigeria. It has been so much fun having him around, I literally hugged him all to myself for the duration of his visit.
'Anyways' about a month ago I got a call from a friend of mine, Clementina, (see previous post about her here) she tells me I should stop all my stinginess and share my dad around. I was kind of miffed and wondering where she was going with this one! She then goes ahead to give me a date and asks whether dad will be available on this day, being that she's given us a full month's notice nothing had been planned so I tell her 'yes'. She says that's fine and in that case she has only one favour to ask of me, Can I make my garden available to her on the day?
Now I'm getting a bit worried and ask her what is she planning, she tells me not to bother my pretty head (well she didn't actually refer to my head as being pretty, but I think it sounds nice written like that!). She tells me she will pop around on the day and have 'small' BBQ for dad and that I should invite my brothers and she has the 'girls' on board.
By the girls she's referring to our friends Uloma, 'Abeni' and Ada.
To be honest, on the surface this her plan sounded like a lovely gesture from a friend to arrange a small gathering but somehow within me I felt kind of unsettled, after all Clementina's nickname Minister Of Enjoyment (MOE) was given to her for a reason! I call her a few days later and tell her that I hope it's a small barbeque for us lot only as I don't have space, my garden is small blah di blah! Clementina cuts me short and tells me not to worry as she has it all sorted. I say okay but call Uloma and discuss my fears for the 'Small Barbeque' with her. Uloma does nothing to allay my fears by saying 'But Ola, you know Clementina now!'
Ada the Cake Maker with one of her creations!
'Anyways' over the following weeks I go about my business and anytime my mind wanders to Clementina's planned small BBQ I feel my stomach tighten but shake it off! It doesn't help either when during the week, Uloma starts talking about buying chicken and meat she needs to make suya (yes you read right, she makes a mean suya!!). Then Ada, queen of Cakes, phones asking whether dad likes carrot cake, Victoria sponge and brownies. Followed by me calling Clementina one afternoon and she tells me she can't speak as she is buying fish for the banga soup!! Alarm bells are ringing and I ask her "Clementina what business has banga soup got at a barbeque??" I get her usual Warri gal response "Nor worry yasef" she then quickly cuts the phone. By now I'm seriously panicked!! Why are these girls making these arrangements for casual visit to see dad?
I get really scared and tell my sister in law, Biola my fears, she too is like "it's no biggie, sebi Sister Clementina is arranging everything" and that reminds her she also needs to order a few meat pies for the day! She then casually slips that Uncle Gbenga from church would like to come and greet daddy on the same day (for the record Uncle Gbenga is also a DJ).
Anyway folk, I'm gonna fast forward to the day in question.
On this day, I'm chilled as pie, I wake up and make a large bowl of salad and batch of scotch eggs. Se fini! That's my sole contribution to this Clementina's barbeque. I sit tight, cross my legs and look forward to the arrival of Clementina, Uloma, Ada and Abeni and my brothers shikena! Nothing can beat close knit intimate family gatherings.
Gabie on suya watch!
Alarm bells however start to ring when at 2pm door bell goes off and I can hear a voice shouting at the door, "kilon shele, what's happening, sho wa pa?" and other 'incantations' in Yoruba!! Clemo has arrived (you usually tend to hear her before you see her). Her spoken Yoruba is quite appalling (she's an Urhobo girl, but for some crazy reason she insists on speaking Yoruba to me). I rush down stairs to meet her and her children. As she off loads her pot of banga, frozen fish, yellow gaari and drinks and I'm trying to process what's going on, she says 'Ola you need to follow me to the station to pick a few people I invited' I gulp and ask 'which people? She replies 'Nor worry, just my sister, kids and a few other people' Before I could digest this info Uloma and Ada also both pull up in their cars and start to unload their state of art barbeque barrels from the boot of their cars, next out comes the buckets of spiced up chicken followed by meat for suya and corn on cob. Clemo shouts out at Uloma 'Oya Uloma Make we face train station to pick up 'a few people'. At which point I ask Clemo 'oh does that mean you don't need me anymore then', she says no I should come along too. By now I'm breaking out in a sweat, 3 cars to pick up Clementina's guests from train station?!!!
Clemo, Ireti, my aunt, dad with Chimere, uncle, Amaka & Biola
We arrive at station and lo and behold we have a group of fine people waiting, holiday makers from both Naija and US, her sister Shirley with lovely kids and a few teenagers. A quick head count and I'd put the roll call at 20. In my head I'm doing mental calculation of how many garden chairs I have! We get home and drop the 1st group then return to pick the rest of the guests. My daughter's later confide in me that initially they were panicked when the group trooped into our garden. Until they greeted them and were so warm. In the interim 'Hurricane' Abeni had arrived and has set the 3 barbecues ablaze in our back yard. Ada is assembling her 'assorted' cream cakes in fridge then moves to man the BBQ with Uloma. Once Abeni ensures the BBQ's are properly lit, she excuses herself insisting that she needs a quick nap and goes upstairs to sleep. She never jokes with her beauty sleep but come to think of it with Abeni's beauty and my brains we do make such an awesome team!!
N.K. Sule, Dad
Everything is under control, I'm a guest in my own home, every angle has been covered. I literally sit back and watch 'the girls' do all the entertaining, i do not lift a finger! Dad is installed in the parlour with his cousin and family who just happened to visit on this same day. Then my cousin Princess and Labi turn up to see dad as well.
Good times!
At 3 pm prompt Uncle Gbenga pulls up and starts to off load a suitcase and box from his car, Yes you've guessed right, It's his DJ 'apparatus'. By now I'm thinking OMG what am I gonna tell the neighbours? I quickly send my daughter to pop around to make an apology for Clementina's no-notice -flash-mob-BBQ. You know what guys? By now the whole thing is out of my hands. I just had to take a chill pill, relax and enjoy the moment. I just flip out the selfie-stick and its click-click-click capturing every precious moment. Before you could call that Jack Robinson uncle, people were doing the Shakiti bobo, Skelewuing, Shokiing & Dorrobuccing (dancing) in the garden on that bright summer afternoon.
Anyways, morale of this short tale is at times it is ok to relax and allow other people to take control. We had a great day, well appreciated by my father. He says I have such a nice group of friends and really appreciated the effort made on his behalf.
A quick memo to Clemo: next time you have such plans hidden up your sleeve, kindly let us know the full score in advance so we can invite all and sundry as nobody should have been left out! I must admit though if I had known what you were planning I could possibly have had a nervous breakdown!
Blog readers 'should in case' you are planning an event and are worried you don't have enough guests to fill your seats, get your people to call my people and we shall hook you up with Clementina's-rent-a-crowd services. For cakes you can speak to Ada and to Uloma for suya, spiced chicken and corn-on-cob, for a DJ please feel free to contact 'Oshibay...The boom box' at djosibay@gmail.com and if you're looking for a Goldilocks or Sleeping Beauty to star in your Christmas pantomime feel free to contact Abeni via twitter, Facebook, Vine, snapchat or Instagram.
Thanks to everyone for all the love shown to dad during his stay Xxx
On that note it's a wrap....have a great weekend.
A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden ~ Unknown
15 comments:
Ok there is no broken fence. Just being my sarcastic self!
I'm just jealous really.
How dare people have fun on a hot summer day!!!!!!����
It was such a lovely afternoon; I also like the twist MOE added to the meaning of BBQ; banga soup and yellow Eba! With an efficient 'rent my crowd service' . How I wished you had taken those chill pills a lot earlier so we could have invited more of our own crowd( family and friends of the Sule's) though.
The day went so well and I really need some of sis Clementina's energy!
What a lovely, lovely do!!
See Daddy's face .... So much joy!
With friends like this ....,,
I love the pictures .... Fantastic!
Clementina ..,, please be my friend too. ( I'm on my 'kneels') please, please please!!!!
So typical of my mother, and I love that phrase "rent-a-crowd services", describes it perfectly!😂
It was a really fun afternoon, thank you for unwittingly playing host to all of us!
We girls all had a really good time, as we always do when we get together, and hopefully we'll do this again (with more planning next time!)
much love xxxxx
was a lovely, sunny and fun day, despite having to gut fish for the majority of the time! Doing the electric slide with Granddad was quite a memory also
The aptitude with which "the future" applied themselves to everything including gutting and cleaning smelly mackerel was something to behold. This is an excellent example of what the youth of today are capable of...... mucking in for the team with smiles ( I wouldn't have criticised any audible complaints as I for no like clean fish on parry day). Well done girls and good work to the mothers for raising such jewels to decorate our futures.
Iya Ibeji you be my friend you nor get choice as friends of Risi na my friend too. Ask Uloma I sabi steal friend.
Ola that was a very good and beautiful write up but like I said it is because of daddy we dey there if e nor born you I nor for know you and the wonderful person you bi but I now see were you get am from.
I enjoyed myself and am glad others did too we must do this again.
Love you all
MOE
About time to come in from the dark.
Yes I am Abeni calling for the first and repeated time,
Yes I need my beauty sleep, it takes a lot to look this good,
Yes I have diamonds on the soles of my shoes,
Yes the sun shines out of my backside!
All reality checks be frustrated IJN!
But enough about moi, afterall this is RBN's blog.
LMAO as I type.
We had a blast! Daddy was bursting his moves and cutting shapes.
rent-a-house + rent-a-crowd + food X Abeni's beauty and RBN's brains = FUN! FUN! FUN!
The end always justifies the means!
MOE.....you do well.
D J Ola on sound ��uncle looks so relaxed it must have been a great day for him. Well done my darling.
Fantastic
That was really good of you guys to have joyful and memorable day
God bless you all
Greetings to daddy from my end here
E maja o
Demola
Wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooohhhhhhh. That was a ball. That was a carnival in your garden. How did you manage it?. Thanks to your wonderful friends and all the children who made it a wonderful and a lovely day to remember. I am sure Dad had a good time too. The sun was out in Dad's favour on that day. I feel left out but never mind the photographs made me a part of the celebration. What a lovely day you all had. Hopefully the blog family will be invited to the next.
It seems you all had a great time and your children definitely gave it their all.
Kent calling RBN over!
@ Foluke, 28th August
.....Kent we have a problem, over!
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