Bookham Flower Club

A reference to our October meeting squeezed in to the Autumn Bulletin, so for the benefit of our members who read this, I’ll just remind you how much we enjoyed Jacqui Arnold and her theme 'Dream On'.  

However, that wasn’t the only activity in October as on the 31st – Halloween – several of us joined members of clubs from all over Surrey at the Dorking Halls for President’s Day.  In the afternoon the Reverend Macmillan gave a most interesting illustrated talk entitled 'Gardens Where the Heart’s at Ease'.   This was followed by an excellent buffet making a relaxing social interlude before Dr Christina Curtis’s intriguing demonstration 'A Haunting Sense of Something Strange'.  With exotic flowers, music, lights and stage settings enhancing the imaginative (and sometimes a little creepy) displays, ‘demonstration’ is not really the right word – it was a tour de force.

So back to our own meetings.   The NAFAS motto is 'fun and friendship through flowers'.   In November we had all of that.   It is after all a flower arrangement club so that is what we did – we arranged flowers!   Or to put another way – we made our own raffle prizes.  Members were scattered randomly on ten tables of eight and each group created an arrangement with the materials provided.   It has to be said that as much talking went on as arranging but some lovely designs emerged.   In keeping with the ‘do it yourself’ spirit, the members were then told 'You Be the Judge' and invited to vote for the winning creation.    All that and the usual November array of sumptuous cakes made it a fun, social afternoon.

The Christmas meeting is always a delight.   The club competition 'It’s Magic' prompted some highly imaginative creations – we all like doing Christmassy things – and the demo while more restrained than some, kept us interested with new ideas.   

December’s highlight though was our visit to Leeds Castle on a really beautiful day.  The sun was shining, the waters in the moat and lakes were as blue as the picture postcards and ducks and geese were out in force.   Inside the castle many of the bedrooms had been given an added pantomime theme.  How did Prince Charming gain entry to the bedroom we wondered?   Was that really Sleeping Beauty tucked up in bed?   There was no doubt that the Gruffalo was peering in through a window.  Alongside the glitz and glitter of decorations and massive Christmas trees in the main areas many of us were struck by quieter flowers on the window ledges of the corridor leading from one part of the castle to another.   Lovely gentle eucalyptus and soft lilac and purple flowers blended so well with the stone walls.   All in all, a great day.

Looking back on 2011 it is hard to choose a favourite month or activity.   Village Day was fun.   Even providing refreshments on quiz night in retrospect seems not to have been so daunting as at first appeared, thanks to a very hard working sub-committee led by Sally Fulton and also the Bookham Afternoon Bridge Club.  It was much appreciated.  Then there was that demo…. or was it that one?   No, the Garden Party was the one …. or was it the visit to Salisbury, or to Leeds Castle?   I imagine it will be much like the 'You Be the Judge'.   There will be many different favourites.

Gillian Brand