Sunshine, scenery and friendship is what motorhoming is about and all 3 were in abundance this weekend as happy Ramblers met up once again following our last adventure in Malahide. Keen to soak up the rays and enjoy the best of company we descended on Newtownards where under the shadow of Scrabo Tower the Dyer & Pareigis families were eager and more than ready to host us for the weekend. The chairs and tables were soon out as we took in the fine weather before heading into the hall for a real hoot as Lissa & Ramunas took us back to our youth with some party games. First up was Lissa who gave the usual game of Last Man Standing a neat twist and turned it into a keep-fit class. With members standing & sitting then standing & sitting over and over again it brought back memories of Lizzie Webb and Mr Motivator, only with a lot less lycra and a splash of alcohol thrown in! But in the end, it was Clare Cushenan who outlasted us all and won. That was only a warm-up exercise however as Ramunas hosted a game of musical chairs which could only be described as Sound of Music meets The Six Nations. Even Willie-John McBride would have had second thoughts as Pocket-Rocket Winnie Murphy took on all comers and ousted her own bestie Cynthia before proceeding push two burly Scotsmen around and give Davie his marching orders too. However, George proved longer legs were the key as he slipped into final chair like local Olympian Rhys McClenaghan and restore Scottish pride. Some light music soon lulled the crowd back to the usual conversation.
Saturday was another glorious day as members made their way down the town to see what the shops had to offer and some even decided to conquer Scrabo. With wonderful 360 degrees of views of Down and Strangford Lough it was worth every step of the climb. But all that sun makes Ramblers hungry and food just tastes nicer when you are able to eat outside. It was made even better however as our generous hosts had arranged for an ice-cream to visit and treated us all to a complementary cone. County Down hospitality at its finest. Glad rags on and best foot forward we headed back into the hall again on Saturday night but unlike Friday night the only exercise we had to worry about was the winners walking up to get their prizes from Split-The Pot raffle before hitting the dancefloor. It was great to have Norman back in the DJ booth again as he treated us to just about every genre of music available including a nice anniversary waltz for our very own Leonard & Marissa on the occasion of their Ruby Anniversary.
Sunday morning coffee was the usual mix of chat as Jack & Florence and the team provided the refreshment to round off an eventful weekend and some cake with the complements of our hosts again. With both David & Joe unavailable this weekend Enda stepped into the breach and reminded us of the great event we had just enjoyed as well as a quick preview of upcoming events along with a hearty laugh or too I might add! But most important was the sincere thanks and big round of applause for our hosts. William & Lissa and Megan & Melissa and Ramunas & Rita were on hand all weekend and worked tirelessly all event. Thank you. Let hope they get to our meet at Country Comes To Town in Portadown 20 to 22 September and get a weekend they really deserve.
Gary & Yvonne.