Sausage Stats back to Pre-Covid Levels!

Another year, another AGM. The Treasurer’s Report included a resumption in our weekends away after the pandemic, with the resulting good news that our sausage consumption has returned to normal levels. I believe shares in Tesco went up by 6 points on the news. In 2021/22 we downed approx. 76 yards of sausages, or 70 metres if you’re a European in the market for emulsified high fat offal tubing.

All the committee members were re-elected. The meeting wound up with a vote of thanks to all the Committee for keeping our club going, and all the trip and walk leaders for giving us somewhere to go. For full minutes of the AGM, please contact our secretary, Dave J.

Ali

Those Blue Remembered Hills

Our trip to Shropshire was a fabulous weekend. It started a little damp (just to spoil things for those who took a day off work to get there), but Saturday and Sunday were both beautiful sunny days.

Our accommodation was in an old barn on the Dudmaston Estate, beautifully converted by the National Trust as a bunkhouse with luxury kitchen and lounging facilities. It was almost a pity to go out for a walk, but we did. Nigel led a walk into the forest where the path grew more and more indistinct until we were scrambling up the bank by our fingernails. In the meantime Dave P, side-lined by a knee injury, was forced to spend the day playing on the trains at the Severn Valley Railway. Ian bravely volunteered to keep him company & Ali just went along for the ride.

With the promise of another gorgeous day, we all headed over to Dudmaston Hall for the local craft fair. As well as the local goodies and an array of National Trust cakes and ice-creams, we had the opportunity to look around the gardens and take in the art.

Sir George and Lady Labouchere amassed a huge collection of modern art at Dudmaston, which is now managed by the National Trust. It includes the internationally renowned like Matisse, Moore and Hepworth, but also local artist Anthony Twentyman. Possibly not to everyone’s taste, but the sculptures were certainly striking

We finished the long weekend with a relaxing return home on the Monday, stopping en route at the fabulous rock houses houses of Kinver Edge. High above the village of Kinver, not only do you get huge panoramic views across Shropshire, but you get to see preserved houses cut into the rock which were lived in up to the 1960s.

A big thankyou to Debbie, Steve and John for splendid catering. With that and the plentiful tearooms, this was not a weightloss weekend!

Ali

A King on the Run

Whilst the others were scampering about on Kinver Edge, Dave and I decided to take in some Royal History with a trip to Boscobel House. For those not familiar with the story, Charles II lost the battle of Worcester in 1651 and had to hide from the Parliamentarians until he could get safely back to France. This involved stuffing his 6 foot 2 frame into a series of pokey priest holes and famously up a tree, the Boscobel Oak. This is the story behind all those pubs called the Royal Oak.

Sadly the original oak was long ago pulled apart by trophy hunters and the current oak is a descendent, probably at least 300 years old in its own right. In 2000 it got struck by lightning and had to be bolted back together, so the National Trust thought a spare was in order. In 2001 Prince Charles planted a grandson (grand-tree?) sapling of the original, which is now a fair size. Well, you never know when it might come in handy...

Ali