The annual Summer Event, this year a barbecue, took place on Saturday 29th June from 6:30 pm for 7 pm in the Rose Garden, King Charles I School, hosted by President Ann Mullard.
In my experience, it's been a much better summer for barbecuers this time around. Not that that it had much to beat in recent years, but the male population is largely delighted that it's been able to get its hands covered in charcoal again (I'm a traditionalist) and has been able to set fire to something. I digress in saying that it reminds me strangely of lessons spent with Mr Stephenson watching movies on the Bronze Age and Iron Age – strange how some memories stick. I don't suppose that I'll ever forget the films of men manipulating red-hot liquid in fiery 'furnaces' into solid metal. Not quite sure of the immediate relationship to barbecues, but, in my head at least, there is a link. In any event, the Association took advantage of a better summer with an excellent summer barbecue in the Rose Garden.
It was indeed a beautiful evening, with constant sunshine and a pleasant temperature. There was a decent, if not marvellous, turnout with background music that began too loudly and then calmed down following adjustment by Association Secretary Colin Lloyd. We took our own drinks this year and soon settled down to (largely) polite conversation. Reminiscence rules, OK!
There were some late-comers, of course, and I select a couple, Tony and Elaine Kidd, not in any way out of malice, but rather the opposite – he'd been umpiring a cricket match at Cookley and, therefore, has my blessing. The match, against Coombs Wood, ended in a draw. That, in a way, symbolised the entire event – a pleasant English summer's evening with nothing in particular to upset either the people or the animals. Some people went out of their way to photograph the event as a mini-reunion, which, of course, it always is.
We did eat some food, the anticipated collection of beef, chicken, sausages and so on, thanks to the efforts of Peter Picken and Dave Laverty. Salads were provided by the wives of Committee members and we were very grateful for that. Very well received it all was.
The raffle is worth a mention, with plenty of prizes, smoothly organised by Ann and Colin. I say that that with some enthusiasm, because I won one of the prizes (long since consumed!).
Norman Broadfield, News Editor-in-Chief & Sole Member of the Pyromania Sub-committee