A Christmas Party In Spirit

Shame About The Crackers!

We gathered as we have done over the years (apart from last year’s Covid-driven ban) for our Christmas Partners Lunch.  Venue – the Beauvoir Arms, now our spiritual home; the date – December 13, 2021. Present – members and partners or just members or even members and sweethearts – nobody ever asks; we are much too polite – and gentlemen!  Just great to meet - friendship and fellowship.

Usual pre-lunch hustle and muddle. Everyone came bringing Christmas cards to exchange. Break into conversation to try to hand each one out and get one back, Still chasing the last few as we have to go the length of the restaurant – we are sited at the very far end - to order drinks from the bar and carry them back to our beloved. Some will order more at the table when lunch gets under way.

No one questioned who was driving or who might have to drive home.  All had been decided in advance and needed no confirmation on the day.  A mêlée but it was ever thus.

Missing Members

We missed a few stalwarts due to Covid caution, or because of other commitments.  Apologies for absence totally understood and recognised.  Still enough to make a party – or was it?

Memory plays tricks.  Remember the old, even more recent days (even those just before Covid) when we gathered at Reids and, I suspect long before I became a member, at the Rose Hall and other venues.  Nostalgia would have flourished; memories exchanged; Christmas messages passed on and great friends and members remembered.

And we all wore party hats and pulled Christmas crackers and swapped the silly cracker jokes:  “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” Boom, boom!  (OK, that’s as old as the hills)!  It was fellowship and it was fun. The fun and fellowship have not changed. But perhaps the ambience has.

Talking Politics

Did we miss it this time out?  Our lively table started with the usual pleasantries then ended up discussing whether Boris was the right person to be PM and lead us in to the future.  Save that for another day, ...  
Laughter abounded, as it always does when Roger and Patrick are joined at the hip, and echoed across the room from their table.

President Les was succinct and correct as ever in asking members to recognise why were we all there – to say thank you to all our partners for their tolerance, patience and understanding as we go about our Rotary business year in and year out.

Of course asking us to raise glasses for the loyal toast and to Rotary and Peace the World Over and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Bert French, as always, preceded the meal with his usual relevant Grace - apposite and amusing as ever.   And Peter Greene made sure everyone was captured on camera for the newsletter and website.

Keith Wood who, as lunch organiser, set us all up for this special lunch, had hurried back from Spain with Gillian to be with us and worked the tables, making sure everyone was having a good time.  No problem, Keith. It all worked. Excellent choice of menu, good service apart from a wait for coffee and you should be highly delighted. Many thanks.

Letting Our Hair Down

Reids or Beauvoir Arms? Simple difference. In Reids we had our own room and could let our hair down, wear party hats and pull crackers. Not possible in a restaurant where there were other diners, despite how private we might feel in our end of the room, away from the rush.

100 Club

Roger Kettle hosted another 100 Club draw.  The first winner was drawn by President Les, and this £100 first prize went to Malcolm Acors, who in a Christmas display of generosity, immediately announced that he was donating it to our major Mary’s Meals charity. Thank you, Malcolm.

Malcolm drew the next winner and other members including Secretary Brian Wellman, drew the remaining 7 prizes.  The full list of winners is as follows:

• £80 - Shared jointly Georgina Moxham & Alison Wake
• £50 - Steve Dodge
• £50 - Brenda Spiers
• £30 - Julia Wellman
• £30 - Natalie Acors
• £20 Mike Redgewell

Another time, another place perhaps, but in this year of Covid, turmoil and caution and the wonderful desire to keep our club fellowship alive and kicking, it was a great success.