OK everyone; here's the reason parties sometimes are a dud; it's not because you're a bad host or…read moreyour friends are dull; it's because the lighting isn't right. Mostly, it's too bright, but occasionally it's too dim and nobody can see who they're talking to. Too bright and people will want to get away from it. If you want to sort your party lighting out, go to Party Direct, where you can hire everything you might need, including a LIGHT UP DANCE FLOOR. Yes. Pretty exciting right? These guys are also super helpful; I needed to hire some lights urgently, and they not only gave me a great price, they also pulled stuff out in the middle of moving warehouses. That's impressive; I can imagine most people would have just said it was too much trouble.

I've always been a fan of mobile farms. As a child the best birthday parties, in my opinion, were…read morealways those where Ronald MacDonald mobile farms and pony rides were the central focus. Even as an adult, my love of these mobile farms has remained intact. A few weeks ago there was a Market Day in Ponsonby, and in the front of the Pumpkin Patch store on Ponsonby Road was Farmer Paul and his mobile pets. I was ecstatic. An enclosure had been erected in the store and there was literally about 30 or 40 animals in it. Rabbits, guinea pigs and rat everywhere! And, one of the rabbits was enormous. Bonnie, the Flemish giant rabbit was super cuddly and you had to hold her like a baby she was so heavy! Farmer Paul himself was a classic 'kiwi bloke' - hat, singlet, stubbies and gumboots, and he and his partner Tracey were great with both the animals and the kids who happily crowded around the enclosure and petted the animals. I would recommend Farmer Paul and his Mobile Pets and Pony Rides not only for littlies birthday parties, but also school fairs and community markets. The whole experience was brilliant!