On 8 October I was invited to friend Susan Watts’ surprise birthday party (I won’t say which big birthday it was) which turned out to have an extra surprise thrown in. Susan thought she was going for a quiet meal with her partner Michael, so was very caught totally unawares when she arrived at Loudons to find family and friends waiting for her. But it didn’t stop there. The additional surprise was that Michael and her friends Sheena and Rucelle had decided she wouldn’t want any presents. Instead they asked for donations to Smalls for All. It was a great night out and Smalls received £200 thanks to the generosity of the guests at the party. – and a massive thanks to birthday girl Susan of course.