The Kate Bit - that other party

Well, enjoying yourself is exhausting!

OK - I'll admit it - staying up till after 2 am for four nights in a row, talking with friends, laughing, partying, talking some more, laughing some more - is exhausting.

But I had a wonderful wonderful time and I have come home with some truly special memories that I will hold in my heart for ever.

It's the people that I remember most - lovely people who are all special friends and after this last weekend they are even more special. The best thing about celebrating 50 titles was sharing the occasion with some many wonderful people and I can't thank them enough.

I have been trying to catch up ever since I got back - and I know that you've been waiting for a report and some pictures but I've had little time to get to them yet. And I know that many of my lovely guests are politely waiting for me to post something before they put anything into their own blogs


So to give you a flavour of a very special weekend - here are just a few images of the party and the day before and I'll hope to actually write more later

FRIDAY NIGHT

The lovely Margaret who lead our Lincoln Ghost Walk - which was a lot of fun.

Abby Green on the Ghost Walk worrying that the hotel room she's been told is haunted might just be hers!

SATURDAY NIGHT

The restaurant at the White Hart Hotel (if it's good enough for Tom Hanks and the rest of the Da Vinci Code stars, it's good enough for me!) Before the party began

Table decorations - with book covers instead of table nunbers

Guests start to arrive in the Orangery


With the lovely Kate Hardy who organised some truly special surprises for me

from many of the Mills & Boon writers

(Anna Louise Lucia in the background)



With special friend Michelle Reid The Babe Magnet starts off a poetry reading

And guess who came too! (Or should that be Hugh came too?)

Well, it wouldn't have been my party without Hugh-in-a-towel! Here, he's being looked after by Julie Cohen (left) and Kate Hardy and India Grey (right)

The glorious golden roses - 50 of them! - that were part of those surprises

from the M&B authors

Yet more flowers from lovely friends

Keeping the flowers fresh in the hotel bedroom overnight