Choice Cuts 03 

THE SUMMER BARBECUE. Newsletter No. 77, Aug 1979

A recent Saturday night saw what all present hope will be the first of many Association Barbecues, organized by the Roscoes and the MacLaughlins and accommodated generously, albeit unwittingly, by the Dothies.

The barometer, set well to fair, augured well for the event, and with the prospect of a lovely heated swimming pool to 'play' in, full attendance was soon reached.

The preliminaries were a fairly staid affair, sipping wine/ beer/softies and renewing old friendships - good to see Phil Murtagh arriving in fancy dress ... where does he buy those joke ears?

There was an excellent barbecue with enough food to fill even the largest of the 'growing lads', but pity no pies. However, it really was a superb spread, and all credit to whoever it was who prepared it, and not quite so much to Tom MacLaughlin who gave me a fairly rare hamburger, and a very rare stomach complaint.

Needless to say the focal point of the whole affair was the swimming pool, providing hours of enjoyment to both the gay party goers, and the next-door neighbour with the high powered binoculars.

First to take the plunge was Jes 'Save the Whales' Harvey, and he left just enough water for his wife to join him. (Luckily a winch was on hand for removing Jes from the water later in the evening, to make room for twenty other people).

Tom MacLaughlin, seeing the obvious pleasure of his chums, wasted little time in changing for a dip; in fact he wasted none at all, and with a friendly egging on from his pals took to the water, not even bothering to put his plate back on the table, bless him.

Not long after, with a whoop of delight, Alan Morrison was helped into the water and so, as darkness fell, the revelry got into full swing.

Unusual seeing Nicky Allen getting on so well with his new girlfriend - no Tom, she's not the one from Cambridge, and yes Will, she is a non-swimmer.

Mr. and Mrs. Banks seemed to be having a 'whale' of a time Moya showed herself to be a very capable swimmer, whilst Dave proved an excellent breast-stroker. Sympathy felt by all around for Mark Huddleston whose lecherous grin was quickly removed when the strap on his goggles snapped; and a special economy prize went to the designers of Sarah Dunlop's bikini for 'making such a little go such a long way'.

As regards Dick Pooley, it's not really necessary to dwell on his behaviour, suffice to say that there's a lot of truth in the saying: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and not just knowledge, I am reliably informed.

As the night wore on, the revellers gradually returned to the house to get stuck into a bit of 'Staying Alive' as the Bee Gees would have it, the noise from which amply drowned the splashing from the pool, where Johnny Clarke was still diving in search of his teeth.

A most enjoyable evening for everyone, and many thanks are due to Jennie and Ian Dothie for opening their house for an occasion which, in addition to providing great entertainment for the masses, also added a not insignificant amount to the Association funds.

N.B. The next fund raising event will be an auction of all the 'smalls' (and Paul Brown's larges) found strewn around the garden on Sunday morning.