The Blog This challenge this week is to host a virtual dinner party:

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to plan a fabulous dinner party. You’ve been given a healthy budget, so don’t scrimp!
Guest list – 8 people, dead or alive, real or ficticious. The menu – will this be your very own masterchef moment, or is outsourcing more your style? Is there a theme? What will be the entertainment for the evening? What will you wear? What will you talk about? Don’t forget the wine!

Ive decided to have A Sunset Pool Party! Nothing too formal, just some mingling poolside, flitting from one conversation to another with a bubbly beverage in hand…

Santorini, in Greece is pure heaven for pool parties. All the little island resorts have their pools built into the cliffside so they jut out over the embankments and the blue of the pool merges with the blue of the ocean- horizon pools at their best. The summer time air is warm and smells of salt. The lights are low encouraging guests to lean in closer when they share a laugh or two.

The soft soulful acoustic sounds of India Arie would welcome guests as they have a drink placed in their hand. Her honeyed voice creats such beautiful ambience. Then later in the evening when the light cocktails have done their job making everyone feel warm and fuzzy, Groove Armada would pipe up with some dancey numbers to encourage a bit of shimmying.

We’d sip light icy cocktails and fresh spritzers, sparkling whites and fruit infused champagne and vanilla vodka infused granitas in a rainbow of colours.

Pool parties are certainly not the place to have a ’sit down’ dinner. Instead i’d have waiters circulationg with delicious canapes. Smoked salmon-creme fraiche-dill on blinis, fresh rice paper rolls, mini sushi, polenta rounds with diced roasted eggplant and aioli, salt and pepper squid on skewers, tiny caramel tartlets, one-bite berry meringues, gelati in a rainbow of colours… you get the idea. Little mouthfulls of flavour to soak up the alcohol and keep the bloated tummy at bay.

These kaftans by Camilla are just made for poolside lounging. Airy chiffon in a riot of colours and Yes, the heels too!

All of my chosen 8 have interesting lives and a billion stories to tell.

• Johnny Depp, actor- this ones pretty self explanatory!

• Anna Wintour, Editor-in-chief of Vouge- someone to talk fashion with

• Nigella Lawson, domestic goddess- she’d be a laugh and an excellent source of food advice

• JJ Abrams, creator/writer of LOST- so i could get inside his head about LOST (im a huge devoted fan)

• Bear Grylls, adventurer- this man has been on so many wild adventures, im sure he’d have many an interesting story

• Drew Barrymore, actor- i just love her down to earth nature and admire her as a keen business woman

• Seal, singer- another down to earth personality who’s life i’d like to know more about

• Patience from The Grates, singer- well she’s just a bundle of fun and energy!

Hope you liked my virtual party! Searching for the perfect pictures was a nice little holiday in itself!