Our penultimate dance event of the year was the traditional St. Thomas day dance out on Saturday 17 December, this year on a sunny and reasonably mild day. After assembling in the Red Lion, we had 2 energetic dance spots in the Market Place, just in front of the beautifully decorated Xmas tree and just behind the not so beautiful burger van. Thanks to Mal G’s generosity everyone’s hat was suitably tinselled – the extra weight being given as an unconvincing reason for not getting so far off the ground. Afterwards there was a late lunch at Malcolm and Bob’s, and a chance to review some footage of recent and not so recent events – an afternoon of alternately marvelling and cringing ……
Thursday 22nd saw 33 us at The Bull at Barkham for our Xmas meal, breaking a long run of Thai Xmas meals in recent years. An excellent evening, well managed by the staff at The Bull, and a well done to John and Alison for attending despite the very imminent arrival of their third child – at any moment, it appeared, though in fact it wouldn’t happen for another couple of weeks. As usual the evening was enlivened by the appearance of Father Christmas, once again just after Paul had popped out for a minute. He dispensed the usual array of his Secret Santa presents, which provided the appropriate mix of fun and bewilderment, (mainly along the lines of ‘what, exactly, am I supposed to do with this?…’).
There was still one event to come for the year – an appearance at the Hitchin New Year’s Eve ceilidh, with band Chalktown and caller Emma Wooders (never ‘eard of ‘er). We had 2 interval spots during the evening, and despite our relatively small numbers (just 7 of us) put on 2 good sets. Not sure we can ever forgive Emma though for introducing us before our second spot as ‘the second best team in Berkshire…’, a line which went over most of the audience’s head, as did our riposte as we exited ‘if you enjoyed us we have been Berkshire Bedlam – if you didn’t we have been Windsor Morris…’.
And so on to 2012 – a year in which amongst other things we are planning a celebratory 35th weekend, organised entirely by ourselves. Oo-er.