Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas Drinks 2025

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This year Ann Evans not only hosted our Summer Lunch, but our Christmas Drinks too!

Margaret Pip & Rose

On Sunday 7th December, 40 members turned up at her house to celebrate the festive season and this year it didn’t snow, but was rather drizzly. This didn’t stop us enjoying ourselves though.

Kay Day and Ann welcomed everyone in and gave them a name badge, which was useful as this year we had a few new members (and also handy if you couldn’t remember someone’s name).

Di & Jagger

Colin & Diane Thomas stood inside serving drinks (the prosecco was very popular) as guests moved into the conservatory, and Ann Tennant’s daughter-in-law, Jagger, was in the kitchen preparing canapes for everyone.

It was great to see so many old friends again, but I noticed that this year there were  fewer Christmas jumpers on display.

A number of volunteers, including Kay and David, acted as waitresses (and waiters) coming round with what seemed like an endless stream of food, ranging from cheese

Jean & John

puffs and prawns with mange-tout to the ever popular cocktail sausages.

Time seemed to whiz by and soon Ann and Gwyndaf John were handing out carol sheets while Michael Owen led us through a number of our favourites. As always, everyone joined in singing with gusto and we finished with the National Anthem.

 

Many thanks to Ann for being such a gracious and welcoming hostess.

More photos here

Christmas Drinks 2022

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Well, someone forgot to take the photos! (sorry)

Alan & Di Longshaw

Anyway, we had a lovely time at Alan & Di Longshaw’s home in Austenwood (Chalfont St Peter). They are wonderful hosts and have held our Christmas Drinks and the Summer Lunch at their home many times before. There is lots of room to circulate and try to get round to seeing everyone.

 

Kay DayKay Day had made the arrangements and asked Ann Tennant to do the catering. Ann worked on her own and was like a dervish – she was preparing the canapes and serving them and seemed to be everywhere at the same time offering a wide selection of different goodies, and even remembering people’s food requirements.

As Ann wasAnn Tennant working on her own, we were able to reduce the price of the event from £18 in 2021 to £14 this year.

Guests started arriving at around 12:30 and we had a very good turnout this year with 50 members in total, including many new faces, which is really nice, although illness prevented one or two from attending at the last moment.

Kay and Ann handed guests a drink as they arrived, but after that people served themselves from the well-stocked dining table.

The World Cup was a frequent topic of conversation, with most deciding that Wales had played bravely and that this was the best result for decades, but as they were no longer in the competition, then, under the circumstances, many felt that it was now permissible to support England.

Another topic was the sadness that a number of our most stalwart members had passed away this year. They will all be missed.

We had no piano or keyboard this year, but that did not deter us. Towards the end of the afternoon, Kay, Barrie Reece, Colin Thomas and Jean Owen formed the core of our cerddoriaeth and soon got everyone joining in in a succession of carol songs and Welsh favourites, culminating, of course, with the National Anthem.

Colin Picton thanked Alan and Di for their hospitality, and we all thought that Kay and Ann Tennant had done a splendid job in planning and delivering the food.

Our thanks go to all those who contributed to making this such a success.

 

Christmas Drinks 2021

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Christmas Drinks 12:30pm  12th December 2021

No-one was absolutely sure whether our 2021 drinks party would go ahead, due to rising numbers of Covid.

In the end after some careful thought about precautions the day went ahead. It was decided that we would have the windows open, have hand gel on hand, ask all the all guests to have taken lateral flow tests, and lastly that there would be no singing this year.

Ralph and Margaret Broomby were there to welcome us through the door, as people started arriving. The Broomby’s have hosted so many events in the past and we are very grateful to them.

In each room there was a welcoming fire, fueled by mulberry logs from a tree that used to grow in their back garden, a victim of honey fungus.

Numbers were down when compared with previous years with just under 30 people attending, but this gave us lots of room in which to meet and catch up with friends.

It was good to see many old friends again. We hadn’t seen Maldwyn Pugh for a while and it was nice to hear about how he is enjoying living in his new flat. Graham and Anthea Beavan came from Wokingham to catch up and tell us how their new house is going and it was good to see Graham Lewis and Anne Pierce Jones again.

Canapes were provided by ‘To Dine For’ who circulated with plates of interesting and tasty treats.

There were many examples of Ralph’s handiwork around the house.

Many of us looked out the window to admire Ralph’s new Summer House – he explained that not only had he designed it himself, but he had also built it during the summer lockdown. One would never have guessed – it looked so professional, large, sturdy and stylish.

The occasion wound down by late afternoon, with people leaving to get home before it got dark. Thanks to Ralph and Margaret for their hospitality, ‘To Dine For’ for the food, and to Kay Day for organizing the event.

Sorry for the lack of photographs!

Christmas Drinks 2017

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Everyone woke up on Sunday 10th December to find a thick layer of snow had fallen overnight and it was still snowing. It was unexpected, the roads had not been salted and the snow showed no sign of disappearing.

Luckily, we only live a few minutes away from Colin and Di Thomas’s house in Gerrards Cross, so we were able to make it, but many were not so lucky. We had expected a turnout of about 60, but only 20 people managed the journey, mostly from Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield, including new members Kate and Colin Picton.

We were uncertain how many people would be able to attend, and as the time went by emails and phones started to arrive with tales of impassable roads and AA weather warnings.

Thankfully, the caterers, ‘To Dine For’ made it through the snow and were all prepared.  The food was excellent and very plentiful.  We had not only the canapés we had ordered but about half of the canapés for Stephanie’s following event (for 100 people) which had been cancelled. She said that the canapés for the later event wouldn’t keep, and insisted they had to be eaten.

As numbers were reduced, it did mean that we had the opportunity to talk to everyone and it was a very friendly atmosphere.

Jonathan Pegler had brought a good supply of carol sheets, distributed them around the room and played the piano while everybody enthusiastically joined in the singing.


We all left in good time before dark, trudging through the snow, many with doggy-bags of surplus food, and there was quite a bit left for Colin and Di’s supper – they earned it!

It was a different sort of event, but very sociable, and a nice-sized gathering for the new members to meet people, but it was a shame that so many were not able to enjoy the afternoon.

Many thanks to Colin and Di for their hospitality.

More photographs (and videos) here.

David Powell & Jonathan Pegler.