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Arniston Over-Nighter       20 -21 July 2019                                                                  Enver Deedat

This year we went back to Arniston for our midyear  overnighter, and as with all things, you can’t please all of the people all of the time, and we had the usual complaints of why not somewhere else, as well as the usual crew who view the Arniston run as an institution.

I was tasked with putting the run together, so I needed to get there early to set things up. We braved the sometimes-stormy drive and got there early enough to get the essential background work done.

 Jane and Colin joined us, along with a few others, and we had a relaxed start to the weekend, in the fabulous setting of the Arniston Hotel, with the turbulent sea as a backdrop to our efforts, and a little red wine to warm us up.  Along with a few regulars, we went down on the Friday, and so we missed out on the group drive, which was a shame, but apparently the club members who did the group drive had a really good run.

For those of us who went down on the Friday, we had an early, casual dinner, and a pretty early night, ready for the Saturday arrival of the rest of the members. They were, I think, a bit luckier, in terms of the rain on the way across.

In stead of our usual games on the lawn, which were rained out, we set up a wine welcome station, and had a lazy afternoon in front of the fire, catching up with friends, and meeting new members. Some of us even kept an eye on the rugby.

Many members have commented that they really loved the event and enjoyed the fact that they were not exhausted by the Saturday afternoon lawn games, to the point that Saturday night became less than enjoyable.

Our theme this year was Flower Power, and a big shout out to our members, who did such a great job of bringing the theme to life. Special mentions to Gary and Michelle, Allan and Mariette, Glen and Stephanie, Jean and Carmen, to name some of the members who really looked the part. Thank you, Gary, for dressing your car up so beautifully for the event, and to Hennie, from Kontra Signs, who did the static vinyl flowers for us. They made the venue look fabulous! Thanks also to Xpel, we were so happy to have you with us, and thank you for the generous donation of a car protective wrap, to be auctioned off, in support of “Where Rainbows Meet” one of the charities we are involved with. That and the Voucher for a 4-day holiday, from Sun Vacation Club, were auctioned by Glen, who managed to raise a substantial amount for this very worthy cause.

At the last minute, and very much thanks to the persuasive efforts of Gary Kieswetter and Michelle, (who were supported by other club  members) we were entertained by Rock Steady. They lived up to their name, keeping us on the dance floor from first song till last. When the hotel staff came in to ask us to start winding up, we were nowhere near ready to stop the party.

Breakfast was, as always, both abundant and delicious. After a leisurely start to the day, most of us made our way back to Cape Town. Another great time at the Arniston Hotel, who are always so accommodating of us. Although we plan on visiting other places, like Prince Albert, coming up shortly, Arniston remains a firm favourite with enough people that I can’t see us abandoning this beautiful spot. We’ll be back!


20/07/2019