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Contribution from resident Geoffrey Morton
With no shortage of clubs and meetings taking place, just like the weather and Spring flowers, we have perked up and are putting on a good show here at Blagdon!
The Cheltenham Gold Cup provided a good excuse for a whole day of activities, based around our clubhouse. We watched the race itself on the television conveniently situated in the function room bar. There was a lot of cheering and friendly rivalry from those who’d risked a few pennies on the race.
Following the event itself we enjoyed afternoon tea.
That wasn’t the end of the day though. There followed a Magic Show by Christopher. He’s a GP, the son of a Blagdon Village couple and a member of the Magic Circle. He was heading off to a magicians’ convention in America after his performance at Blagdon Village so we were delighted he managed to squeeze us in. He put on a wonderful close up show of dexterity with playing cards and an egg!
Still there was more to come in the form of an art exhibition with wine and nibbles. The exhibition featured work created by those residents who attend the regular Art For Fun group. Donations were collected which resulted in £170 being handed over to the British Heart Foundation.
All in all a wonderfully packed day!
Contribution from resident Geoffrey Morton
A thoughtful Songs of Praise was led recently by residents and friends who
attend our parish church, St George's. The theme was 'In Praise of Creation' with the focus a presentation of photographs taken by Pam and Jim as a background to hymns, words and music - quite delightful.
Contribution from resident Geoffrey Morton
A big thank you must go to all who baked, bought and helped in making a successful Coffee and Home Bake Sale on Saturday morning. There was a galaxy of tempting delights and the sale, raffle and guess-the-weight competition raised £432 for Great Ormond Street Hospital, sufficient for three Flowmeters they require with a bit left over too. A great result.
Contributions from resident Geoffrey Morton
We were reminded of what a beautiful area we live in recently when residents went by coach to Snowdrop Valley in the Exmoor National Park to see the beautiful array of winter blooms.
It was a lovely day with clear skies yet the trees were clothed in frosty splendour, and the snowdrops in swathes alongside the wooded moorland stream made it a memorable visit.
Contributions from resident Geoffrey Morton
We know we are in a good place when Residents want to share their experiences here with family. One couple invited their son, a serving RAF officer, to give an illustrated talk to their friends and neighbours on life in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Last month another had her daughter and husband, both professional musicians, and grand-daughter who studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal Academy, give a violin and viola concert. The music swept along from Beethoven to Bartok, with jigs in between!
Next week we are looking forward to welcoming the son of another Blagdon Village couple. He’s a member of the Magic Circle and will be entertaining us and, no doubt, leaving us all wondering just how he does it!
(Contribution from resident Geoffrey Morton)
There have been many occasions to enjoy ourselves over the past couple of months. But, as Dudley, the editor of our monthly magazine The Blagdon Bugle, reminded us in his December editorial, let's not forget the real meaning of Christmas and the opportunity it gives us of remembering others who may be lonely, unhappy or in need.
There was certainly no reason to be lonely at Blagdon Village over the holiday season. Mike led us on a mammoth party with a five-hour onslaught to greet the New Year. The occasion included a bumper 50 question quiz on events of 2011, a picture board of 50 well-known (to some more than others!) faces to be identified, an amusing 'Albert and the Lion' monologue (done by two!), a comedian, and contributions by our home grown Singalong and Country Dancing Groups. The traditional sound of Big Ben and the singing of Auld Lang Syne rounded off the old year and led us into what we hope will be a another happy and successful year here at Blagdon Village.
The 'Ladies Who Lunch' Group had their own special celebration with a Luncheon Christmas Party in the Restaurant. Our Chef Andy produced one of the best meals of the year; even the sprouts took on a glamour that brought exclamations from the diners! As the photograph shows, the ladies dressed the tables elegantly and said thank you to the men for acting as furniture movers!
Every last Friday of the month Mike runs a trivia quiz which coincides with our fish and chip supper evening. At the end of October the occasion was invaded by witches and warlocks and created a spectacular vision of imaginative dress and war-paint.
We like any excuse for a party here and it has now become a tradition to hold one big event in celebration of those who have a birthday ending in a big '0' during the year.
2011 sees seven Blagdon Village residents hitting their next decade. We held a grand tea party in their honour early this month – with suitable liquid refreshment!
Patriotism was much in evidence on September 10 when many residents joined the last night of the Prom festivities. While we didn’t quite make it to the Albert Hall we did a good job of turning the function room here into a suitable party venue! Union hats and flags gave the place a bright look and some even brought picnics and bubbly.
We enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance and sang lustily Land of Hope and Glory and its encore – though our timing wasn’t always impeccable there was no doubting our enthusiasm!
(contribution from resident Geoffrey Morton)
We are not saying we are a very cerebral-minded lot here at Blagdon Village, but of the 21 Interest Groups now regularly meeting, several may point in that direction. And they are quite wide ranging in their topics - Poetry Reading, Investment Club with analysis of share movement, Current Affairs discussion, Family History group involving computers, and a Reading group. Then there are the mind-bending card groups for whist and bridge.
The Reading group, meeting on a Tuesday afternoon, borrows a number of copies of an agreed title from the local library and then discusses the merits or otherwise of that book.
This has proved so popular that the group has been recently split into two, because the library cannot supply sufficient copies of one title!
Now you wouldn't expect that to happen in the summer months. Or is it an indication that our summer weather isn't all it is meant to be?
(contribution from resident Geoffrey Morton)
Being able to go to the on-site restaurant is a welcome occasion for many at Blagdon Village, who make it a social event by enjoying a drink and chat in the bar before moving on to the meal in the next room.
Now that every home in the village is occupied, the restaurant is giving our chef the perfect opportunity to come up with some wonderfully imaginative monthly menus.
As well as breakfast or brunch on two mornings between 9am and 2pm, there is 'Mid-morning' Tuesday to Friday when residents – and their guests – are welcome to go for coffee and try chef Andy's home-made baking which includes delicious scones, flapjacks and cakes.
A full evening meal is available on Wednesday and Friday evenings and a roast lunch on Sunday.
When you add this onto the many interest groups meeting regularly, it’s easy to see why there are so many comments from residents about how fortunate we are to be living in such a lovely, friendly and enjoyable village community.
The Blagdon Village reading group has proved so popular it has now been expanded into two teams, each meeting monthly. The local library has been very obliging and supplies the books for the two groups to read and discuss. Because of the obvious serious and on-going interest shown, the library honoured us by asking the groups to be part of a survey about a recently published book on the American Civil War.
The group was delighted to help out and the readers quickly got stuck into World on Fire by Amanda Foreman.
It turned out, in our humble opinion, to be an extremely well written tome, dealing not only with the American warring factions but the political implications for the United States, Britain and France.
We were more than happy to recommend it and, if you have a particular interest in historical writings, we suggest you try and get hold of a copy!
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