September 2022 Lunch Report

The September lunch started with two causes for a round of applause, in that we welcomed a new member and then marked the 80th birthday of an existing member with the traditional gift of a bottle of claret.

After Grace was said we sat down to a meal of traditional Cumberland sausages and mash, carrots, peas and onion gravy, followed by a dessert of tiramisu. The meal was concluded with a toast, never proposed before in this club of only 50 years’ standing, “The King”. After a break we were treated to a most informative and entertaining talk by Neil Sadler entitled “Gongoozling for Beginners”, gongoozling being the action of watching boats and activities on canals. Neil also made sure we knew the difference between long-boats (think Vikings) and narrow boats, which used to take cargoes along the 2,000 miles of canals and waterways in this country, but which now are mostly used for pleasure, such as the Ryebank, which he what he and his wife part-owned after his retirement.

It was his experiences on that boat which formed the basis for much of his talk, ranging from the hazard of hungry swans wishing to come aboard if they smell food, to wonders of engineering such as the flight of 29 locks on Caen Hill. His talk finished with the third round of applause by those present at this very enjoyable lunch.

John Gilbert