Paddock Party 8

Never had the grass looked greener, or shorter with the lovely weather during the days running up to Saturday's event allowing us all to get the paddock looking its best, the ladies' raking being most noticeably effective. A new layout too, including a bigger and better blue tent to replace one casualty of wind after the last party. The sun shone and the wind died down as Saturday arrived. We still didn't risk attaching all the tent sides, though, but once it got a bit darker it didn't matter a great deal.

The main dish was, as always, a roast pig and the queues seemed to start almost as soon as people arrived. We'd not realised that a new supplier sent only a man to carve the enormous joint, not serve it which resulted in some people going off with huge piles of pork with non-existent portion control! Luckily there was still just about enough for everyone.

There were enough live acts this year to run from start to finish - no CDs required. No doubt everyone will have their own favourite but I was really impressed with two acts: a chap called Nelson who had a slot in between the big starts of the night, a local blues and rock band called Deep Blue. Or something like that. No, not Deep Blue Something - that was Breakfast at Tiffany's and this was Hogroast at Maggie's. They rattled through Jimi Hendrix, Cream and variations on the theme and had a good crowd prancing around, some attractively and others less so. The jazz band have been to every event now and still don't look any older which always strikes me as a little weird. They're good, though and proved very popular as did the opening act, Blue Velvet and Jenny, a talented singer and pianist. All the acts played for free - for that quality of performance we'd never have been able to afford to pay what they deserve! All are local so, if anyone musically talented moves into the village before next August we'll have a mini festival on our hands! All from a modest 'let's have a party in the paddock' idea from 9 years ago.

The Saladeers had excelled themselves with far more salad than even a week's worth of paddock partygoers could have consumed, of which I am advised that a concoction involving cashew nuts and beans and things was particularly good.

A perseid made a brief appearance and guests did spend quite a bit of time watching the sky and bumping into each other in the hope of seeing some more shooting stars. Attracting a great deal of attention on the ground was Adrian's copper-coated contraption. Looking like a cross between a large bullet and a kid's drawing of a rocket, he had prepared it for service just an hour or two beforehand. No-one was terribly sure quite what might happen when filled with fuel and ignited. As can be seen from the photos, though, it produced plenty of heat and some nice-looking flames and proved decidedly photogenic if you are looking for something to scare the children with next Hallowe'en.

Although the calculations are still being done, it does look as though a tidy sum will have been raised from the generosity of both guests buying raffle tickets and hosts and friends' efforts to make the event, once again, a roaring success, probably the best so far!

More about that soon. For now, enjoy the snaps.

Minutes of the 960th meeting of the Paddock Party Committee
Held at Primrose Cottage on Saturday 24 March 2012, allegedly at 7pm.
Present
Graeme in the chair
Maggie at the range
Penny
Richard
Sarah D
Stationmaster Steve
Sue
Adrian
Kathie
Minutes Secretary
Apologies
Sarah B was reported to be rather under the weather. Adrian advised that he had been provided with ample instructions however prior to departure as to what he should or should not agree to in her unfortunate absence. The word unfortunate was also referred to in Adrian’s indication that he didn’t seem able now to locate said instructions.	AP to send everyone’s best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Minutes of the previous meeting
The last meeting was so distant, being sometime in August 2010, that no-one could really recall whether what had been recorded as having been agreed bore any resemblance to what was actually agreed and for this reason, as well as there being none to refer to anyway, it was agreed that they may as well be approved, taken as read and all that jazz.	AH to see if there were any minutes in August 2010 and to invent them if necessary.
Which one is it?
There was some discussion as to whether this year’s event would be Paddock Party 8 or Paddock Party 9. the Minutes Secretary seemed to think that there had been a PP8 but no-one else did. That either meant that everyone had been so inebriated that no recollection of the day had been retained or the Minutes Secretary was talking nonsense again. A unanimous vote concluded that item.
A date
The Chairman asked the Committee for a date. It seemed like quite a sensible thing at the time – you know, we’re planning to have a big party, invite people, make food and the like, so it makes quite a lot of sense to agree a day when all this might take place.   “Agreeing just one day is also a good idea as having several days could be confusing,” said Richard, as he attempted to spear a baked potato skin. “Absolutely right!” announced Kathie, looking up for a moment to watch Richard’s baked potato skid across the plate and suspend itself momentarily in the air before descending in an arc of pre-mash towards the carpet. Stationmaster Steve shuffled in his seat to make room for Richard, who was now crawling between his legs to regain some degree of control over the destination of the now rolling baked potato. “I have always made a point,” he began, shuffling once more as if practising a particularly complex Square Dance step, “a point…” he reiterated, “of deciding a date at an early stage in the proceedings. Indeed, in ine Inchon Invasion in September 1950, the matter of fixing a date was crucial to the success of the US forces in isolating their North Korean opponents…” At this point he was somewhat unsettled by a movement beneath him as Richard, oblivious to the fact that a chair bearing the nether regions of the Stationmaster was immediately above his head, and having retrieved the baked potato duly stood up, or made an effort to. “So, how are we doing?” questioned the Chairman, twirling a shiny fork in his fingers most adeptly. “We’ve, er.. we’ve agreed that we should have a date for the event,” advised the Minutes Secretray, checking his notes and erasing the rude cartoon that Adrian had drawn on them. “Good!” boomed the Chairman. “What is it?” The fork glinted, now stationary. “Oh, nothing, Just some old sketches…” said the Minutes Secretary “No. I meant what is the date?!” “Ah. That must be, er.. let me see, yes, that’s the next item on the agenda…” “Have we got an agenda?” asked Maggie, “More raspberries, anyone?”

The date Stationmaster Steve announced that he and Sarah D had two weddings coming up. The Committee extended their congratulations and wondered why he was marrying Sarah D twice more but concluded that it was probably just an excuse for some honeymoons. August 11th was the preferred choice when it appeared that everyone would be available at least on the day itself and Sue was instructed to speak in her firmest tones to the Weather Department people to ensure that all would be fine on the day.
Numbers The Committee considered whether the event should be modest or along the lines of previous occasions. There was some feeling that the 2010 event had been a little less ‘friendly’ in that groups arrived and shot off to far corners of the tents where they often steadfastly refused to budge, even when they saw Sarah B approaching from the West with a bottle in one hand and clutching a book of raffle tickets with the other. Penny suggested that there probably wasn’t much one could do about that as people did like to sit down to eat and, whilst the youngsters were happy on hay bales, there was a natural tendency to ‘reserve’ tables as soon as the arrived. The Chairman said that we might try making things a touch more intimate by bringing in the tents a little closer, as they had spread rather over the years. Generally, though, it would remain an event for us, our friends and locals in and around Shoemaker Close who couldn’t really avoid it. Assuming similar sales to previous years, it was reckoned that we should work on 170 attending in total.
Music
The Chairman said he’d make enquiries about the guitarist’s availability – he had been very popular last year. The jazz band would be keen to be involved again, although there might be a case for slightly shorter sessions from them, there being some views that they had ‘gone on a bit’ at some points last time. The Committee were encouraged to enquire whether anyone else reasonably good might be interested in performing too. Music is an important part of the evening but careful selection is needed to keep the older people content whilst not alienating the youngsters. Later in the evening, of course, the selection of mp3s would be fine and no doubt Sarah B will ensure an adequate opportunity for renditions of Aretha. Adrian advised that it would probably now be Adele.	GF to get licence forms and confirm Jazz Band available
	All to advise if any other performers available
Food
The last hog had been delicious and there was agreement that the same supplier would be fine. The Chairman did say that they had an option whereby they delivered the thing and left us to carve it. It was a considerably less expensive option, the supplier saving several hours of staff costs and being able to get away to any other occasions planned for the same evening more quickly. The Committee would consider this at a future meeting in more depth. Whilst the cost saving had advantages, it would entail one or two people being fully occupied with the preparation and serving process  which could detract from their enjoyment of the event and the saladeers would already have put a lot of effort in during the preceding hours. This did remind Penny, in her role as Chief Saladeer, that salads do need to be made as close as feasible to the start and that, if anyone asked what they might contribute, then salads are what we should request.	GF to provide cost options
Drink
The Chairman seemed to think that the usual barrels of Frog Island specials would be in order.	GF to think about beer
Tents
The Chairman would check the availability of the Scout tent Richard, who had now completely recovered from his expedition in search of the baked potato, wondered whether the three large gazebos would actually survive another year. They had been quite tricky to put up last time and we had been fortunate in not being much affected by wind in 2010. The Committee reckoned that they ought to make it through another year but if anyone spotted some particular bargains they should let the Chairman know. Whilst we wouldn’t want to buy any more at full price there is a lot to be said for a couple of new ones if the price is right – and sometimes they can be on offer at very low prices and be worth getting.	GF to check scout tent
Raffle
No discussion took place about a hamper at this point but it was agreed that all profits would go to the Air Ambulance again. This was agreed by all to be a good cause and worth supporting and relevant to our area.
Any Other Business
The Chairman said that we should ensure there is good protection against people falling into the pond, there now being two, especially as The Oak Gazebo is likely to be a focus of the layout this year and is positioned right between them. The Committee also thanked Maggie and Graeme for the excellent food and refreshments during the evening, as well as Penny, Sue, Sarahs D and B for their contributions to the feast. The Committee were also reminded that Maggie has a Big Birthday approaching. Whilst she would be away from the village on the day itself, plans were afoot to ensure the occasion would be suitablymarked upon her return or shortly afterwards.
Date of next meeting
Saturday 14 April – a special venue to be announced to celebrate Maggie’s birthday in between agenda items. Or, probably, the other way round!

Bangers & Mash for Sarah B 50

Penny's place was packed a week or two ago. Wherever I stood, I was in the way as what seemed like most of the inhabitants of Astcote and Cold Higham had arrived to sample a whole load of variations on the theme of bangers and mash. Many had also arrived by invitation to wish Sarah B a slightly early happy 50th birthday. (The real occasion is tomorrow.)

Richard had the wood burner going in one room where the temperature was tropical and Penny's ovens were working at full steam so the kitchen was only marginally cooler. Wearing a shirt that I'd sprayed myself with blue and yellow stripes and some 1950s Polaroid sunglasses I felt appropriately dressed for the climate but, perhaps, not the occasion. The outfit had gone down well at Adrian's Half Century do just a week before so I thought an appearance, at least, was justified and a suitable nod in the direction of Sarah's penchant for the weird and wonderful providing it has something wackily artistic about it. The spray paint clogged up all the holes in the shirt fibre, though, so it was like wearing a cellulose mac and, especially in the vicinity of Richard's wood burner, the heat (and risk of explosion) necessitated a quick change to something more comfortable.

The food was, as always, brilliant and most of us had several helpings as well as indulging in the plentiful supply of alcoholic beverages available. For once, the Committee remained sober for long enough for me to read out one of my traditional birthday poems and that seemed to go down well. Here is is for anyone who missed it or fancies another chuckle.

Happy Birthday, Chairman

The Paddock Party Events Sub-Committee held an urgent meeting last night to consider the matter of singing Happy Birthday to the Chairman today. Although the Minutes Secretary did offer to type the words in very big letters on sheets of A4 which could be held up to help those who were unsure of the lyrics there was some concern that the wailing might disturb one or two new neighbours and there was also the lack of a Performing Rights Society licence which seemed to make one or two members wobbly.

Accordingly it was agreed to send him a card instead and various cakes, wine and models of cement lorries.

It didn't rain!

Just added a few more photos to the PP7 album, taken by Adrian, including this wonderful one of the sky as the sun was going down. You can just spot some patches of blue through the clouds still and it was such a relief that nothing fell out of the darker ones at all!
You can see all the photos so far at this link of click on the mini slideshow on the right or in an earlier post.

Paddock Party 7: first pictures