Fifth
Col umn
A Birds Eye View of Mendip
One of the brighter aspects of fancy dress parties is that
we are sometimes treated to the response of the we-eg at the Hunters when odd
members turn up in unusual attire and on the 2nd of July, on the way to a
housewarming at Yarley, we were treated to some rare sights, such as Liz in a
mattress cover and fangs with Martin in soda sacks and more hair than
usual. Amazing! They must be saving up for a new car or something. Then there was Derek Targett, superbly
realistic as a werewolf, whilst Tom Gage was a rather black skeleton and
Colleen a very presentable ghost from BRI (chains and all - could be described
as looking flushed!). Graham W-J turned
up as some sort of extremely warm-blooded sea monster and John Dukes the usual
corpse. Graham, of course, we expect to
drape himself from head to foot at the drop of a beret, but it was quite warm
and with top coats on all the others looked rather limp when they left. The actual party, by the way, was a success.
The club has suffered recently from a lack of expeditionary
spirit, but cheer up; things are improving. There seems to be a move afoot to infiltrate the
Some things, never change, do they? One of our members passing through Sutton on
the way to Hunters decided to call in at the Collins residence only to find him
in a mildly inebriated state flat out on the kitchen floor with a young lady in
his arms (shocking). Sett was asleep in
another part of the cottage and the only survivors seemed to be Sally, Jan and
Graham. I comment on this only because
the visit was made in the evening - and it was at lunchtime that all the drinking
had been done. Shame of it was that Sett
was seen briefly at Hunters later that day getting carry-out lemonade. Talking about Hunters, one or two of our
older members have been dropping in recently and Maurice Iles has been seen
with either a recorder or a shillelagh stuffed into his hip pocket. Could it be that he is joining the M.C.G.
Penny Whistle and Squeezebox Band? The
same weekend saw Chris (Evening) Hall returning to wonder who everyone was, and
Sid Hobbs rabbitting on about what we need are very extreme right wingers to
resolve a certain industrial dispute. Another rare sight for Saturday night was a brief visit from Alan Thomas
but it seemed O.K. for he was chaperoned by Bob Cork.
The recent news of devaluation in
Finally, I must mention our Hon. Sec. - Mike W who is
reported to be going to an Open University Summer School with Maureen (thatll
cramp her style!) The subject is
drama. Think what an asset his dramatic
fits will be to future committee meetings! - enliven them no end!
Having a page of this B.B. to produce in time to get the
whole thing in print, it struck me that it has been some time since anyone
broke into verse in the B. B. Reading in 'Fifth Column' that our Hon. Sec. has
spent a week at Open University Summer School studying drama, one can perhaps
imagine what we may well be in for at the A.G.M. when the report of the Hon.
Secretary comes around.
According to the custom of the
years
I now must make report upon our club.
Friends! Romans!, Countrymen!, lend me your ears!
To sleep - perchance to dream - aye, there's the rub.
If music be the food of love, play on.
The quality of mercy is not strained
It falleth as the gentle
.. wait! tis gone!
That lately in my mem'ry was contained.
I have it -
as the gentle dew from heaven
But what comes now? I swear I lately knew.
(These one week courses should last six or seven)
What comes - no, 'cometh' after 'gentle dew'?
Upon the earth beneath. It is twice
bless'd.
(I wonder why? I'm beggared if I care
I reckon that I'll have to scrub the rest)
So thus I end. What say you from the
chair?
You ask me why no news of club I bring?
Like ruddy Shakespeare says - the play's the thing
(With suitable apologies to Mike Wheadon, Will Shakespeare
and all readers)