RIDE REPORT – Xmas in July - Bundanoon Hotel, 28/7/07

Since leaving the full time work force I have been working on and refining the art of ‘looking after myself, having fun and wasting time’. The Usual Suspects group has been a vital factor in this process. Having been bestowed with the title of ‘Special Events Coordinator’ has given me wonderful license to plan the ‘fun’ with great folk. Hence the fine weekend we have just had at the Bundanoon Hotel in the Southern Highlands, with 19 x Suspects, celebrating Xmas … in a proper winter climate.

Three suspects had fun taking the trip on two wheels while there were many four wheeled trips made with partners. The weather was wonderful on the way up with a cool day and occasional clouds making for an invigorating trip. Some folk arrived mid morning and looked after themselves by seeking out good coffee in the town and walking in Morton national park. There was some time wasting done in the bar in the afternoon doing bike talk and chatting to locals. There was some disgraceful time wasted by some, by having a ‘nanna nap’. Now we all know that we have a limited number of ‘wake ups’ in our lives and we should not waste them by having two in one day.

A theme of the event was to wear some ‘bling’ to the dinner. Now some thought bling meant ‘bloody lovely in nice gear’ … but it actually means something shiny and even gaudy. The sort of thing you really would need sunglasses to view in daylight. It was a close competition between the women who had done inventive things with stuff from the Op shops or just looked gorgeous in their own clobber. However Jack was a clear winner amongst the blokes as he sported a dinner jacket and bow tie made of multi coloured Ken Done sort of curtain material. It fitted him on his 40th birthday and still does a few years later ... a junior member of Ulysses? Denis had promised to wear his old dinner suit which still fits him but decided to come as a ‘wise man’, with his Egyptian headdress which was correctly arranged by Gerry.

After champagne and mulled wine in the main lounge, mixing with the locals again who are not normally allowed to mingle with house guests, we moved to a private room with open fire to enjoy a traditional Xmas dinner. 
Everyone had dutifully brought a wrapped gift to the value of $10 or so for our Kris Cringle game.  The gifts were numbered and each guest drew a number out of the hat. When you received a gift you were able to swap once only with someone who had a lower number than you. Derek drew out #1 and won gift #1, which was a plastic octopus body massager [manually operated]. Father Robert was about #7 and got a box of chocolates, which was swapped for hand spun and knitted woolen socks, then for licorice allsorts and a fly swat, followed by some wine. He finally ended up with a straw hat with a green feather bower. Nobody wanted to trade that away from him! The chocolates and allsorts were disgracefully gobbled by the assembled before the end of the night. Nobody ever sought Derek’s massager and he protested that he wanted to keep it anyway. The Appels went home with two chamois. All gifts were in good taste although the bottle containing the cumquat vodka was a little suspect. There was some story telling after dinner on such topics as ‘near misses’ in airplanes, ships at sea and crocodile infested waters. It was indeed a lot of fun due to the combined good nature of the revelers. 
Self service breakfast was comprehensive and ample and suspects headed south at their own pace via markets, back roads and coffee stops

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I shall search for another grand hotel within an easy rides distance for our 2008 Xmas event.        

Cheers!  Judy [SEC, OPQ]