This year Gwyndaf took us to The Thames or more specifically to Little Marlow for our spring walk.
We all met at The Queen’s Head in Little Marlow at 10:00 for a 10:30 start. There were about 18 of us in all. We ordered our lunches before setting off.
We were very lucky, in that it was a warm bright day (for late March) and the forecast was good.
We started off by heading off to the parish church of St John the Baptist.
Little Marlow is quite an old settlement, and was once the site of a Benedictine convent attached to Bisham Abbey. It is thought that the church, parts of which date back to 
Norman times, was constructed from materials from the convent, one of the oldest parts is the font.
Gwyndaf had arranged to meet the Church Warden at the church, who told us about some of its history.
As we left the church, we passed the manor house gates and we learned that Mel B (‘Scary Spice’) had once lived there.
We continued past the slightly whiffy Little Marlow Water Treatment works (quite infamous for its spills into the Thames), and then on to the lake that forms Spade Oak Nature Reserve.
Like so many of the lakes in the region this used to be an old gravel quarry, but it is now home to all sorts of waterfowl.
We were able to spot swans, great crested grebes, tufted ducks, and various geese (greylag, bean or was it pink footed?).
We continued around the lake and branched off to cross the single track train line between Bourne End and Marlow and then followed the Thames round towards Bourne End.
As we went, Gwyndaf pointed out features of the flood plain, including the alder trees that grew along the river. Alders love moist or boggy ground, and Gwyndaf showed us the unusual female catkins, which look just like very small pine cones. It is the only deciduous tree which produces a cone.
We then recrossed the railway along the road to the Spade Oak Hotel, which you could see on its walls that it used to be called the ‘Ferry Hotel’.
We then continued around the lake, and back past the church. We were very happy to see the pub as we rounded the corner!
One or two others from the Society, who hadn’t taken part in the walk, joined us for lunch. Fish and Chips seemed to be the most popular choice, but all the food was very good.
David Powell led the thanks to Gwyndaf for arranging the walk, and we all made our way home benefitting from the fresh air, but feeling a little tired.
We gathered at 6:30 to be greeted with a glass of fizz or a soft drink, and this gave us the chance to catch up with old friends and to talk of anything except rugby.
This year we were particularly pleased to be joined by Bob Ford (who was chairman when I first joined in 2010) and Jayne Pegler as well as Peter & Pat Chapman, who had travelled from their home in Brecon to be with us. It was also good to see Ernest Morris back with us after his accident.
As usual with Gerrards Cross Golf Club, the food was very good, with the most popular choices being Beetroot and Orange Gravadlax and Lamb Tagine followed by Merlot poached Pears with Blackcurrant Sorbet.
After the meal, Gwyndaf introduced our speaker for the evening, Sarah Green, the MP for Chesham and Amersham.
Sarah was born and grew up in Corwen, Clwyd and speaks Welsh fluently.
John Breese then took to the piano and played the National Anthem, followed by a number of old favourites and everyone joined in using the song sheets provided.
The evening finished about 10:30pm, another successful St David’s Day celebration.
Colin Picton had created the quiz and was acting as question-master, assisted by his glamourous assistant Kate, though she introduced herself as ‘Samantha’ (after the fictional assistant on Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue).
Colin and Diane’s house was all ready for Christmas, with festive decorations in every direction and a large Welsh flag in the front window.
Diane and Colin greeted everyone as they started arriving from about 12:30 onwards, and people migrated first to the kitchen, where drinks were being served.
To our left, Ann Tenant was already there, preparing all the different canapes.
People drifted between the living room, where the canapes were served and the kitchen, where the drinks were laid out on the table. This year there was a good supply of Prosecco, as there had been comments that this was overlooked last year.
Towards four o’ clock, John Breese started playing a selection of Christmas carols, with everyone joining in.
Each team included a member of Oakland Golf Club, who would be familiar with the course. Rob Britton led the first team to tee off, accompanied by Rob Brett and Ray Brown. The latter was a last minute replacement for the injured Brian Evans, but was an eminently well-qualified substitute as his wife is Welsh. Despite sharing the same initials this team did not always share the same opinion when trying to choose their “best” shot. Perhaps a consequence of putting two retired legal eagles in the same team.
Whitworth, and the third saw Colin Thomas partnered by Pat Whitworth and Alun McCarthy.
The end result was very close indeed. Though there were no birdies recorded, there were plenty of pars recorded on all the scorecards. In the end Pam, John and Gwyndaf scraped home as the winners. They took 81 strokes, just one stroke less than the two Robs’ and Ray. Another three behind were Colin, Pat and Alun.
After the golf the players were joined by other members of the Society for a splendid two course lunch. Among those attending were Elan and Robin Preston-Whyte who had travelled over from Egham. A later than usual start to the golf meant a late sitting for the meal, so thanks are due to all the non-playing guests for their patience.
Prizes were awarded to the winning team, and Gwyndaf and Rob were thanked for arranging the event.
On Thursday 19th September, a group of 15 members met at10:00am on Windsor Bridge for a walk around Windsor and Eton.
David & Gwyndaf had done their homework and planned a walk that was to take in sights of Windsor that many of us had not seen before. The walk was loosely based on The Queen’s Walkway and a series of 63 of the town’s attractions, but we were to cover only the sights in the centre of the town.
There were many unusual attractions: the death warrant for Charles I, a game of hopscotch based on monarchs connected with Windsor and the parish church of St John the Baptist which held an 18th century picture of the last supper, a wonderful carved altar rail by Grinling Gibbons and the royal pew with two grand wooden thrones.
And so to the Sunday of the Lunch. At noon the elements decided to make their contribution – another downpour. Come one o’clock some 40 determined guests had arrived – looking dressed for a January walk in the Chilterns – vests included – so I was told by many of the ladies . However, then – the sun decided to shine on proceedings.
UK staff used to use Walther PPK pistols, but changed to bulkier Smith & Wesson revolvers after an incident when the automatic pistol jammed. Lloyd described the care and maintenance of the weapons and the firing practise that they undertook.