Sweet smell of success for flower festival

GRAAFF-REINET — Stunning displays of blooms welcomed visitors to the St James Spring Flower Festival last Friday.

Val Loock and her team certainly did not let the scarcity of flowers due to the drought hold them back, and these ten ladies produced a bunch of magnificent arrangements. Some groups brought their own flowers, and these were augmented by some others purchased locally.

The displays in the foyer gave a taste of what was to come in the church, with a predominance of pink and white roses set amongst the greenery. Inside the church, various areas were highlighted, with two particularly striking arrangements on the altar. At the back, a simple arrangement in shades of orange and yellow was based around a candle, above the words of Psalm 119.

The interior of the church looked beautiful, and Loock was thrilled with the abundance of flowers that were available.

Those involved in the arrangement were all “old hands”, and their experience and obvious love for their creations shone through the beauty of the display.

During the morning, Garth Hitge played a selection of pieces on the organ, which enhanced the atmosphere. CDS of recorded organ music were played during the afternoon.

The tea garden, appropriately served in the garden of the church, was a great success, and many enjoyed the freshly-baked scones served throughout the day, catching up with friends and relaxing in the tranquil garden. Throughout the day, hundreds of people enjoyed the tea and scones.

Pat Wallis, Jenny Rubidge and helpers were certainly kept busy! Lunch was also served in the garden, and the organisational (and cooking!) skills of Felicity Minnaar, Helen Harris and Evette Holmes resulted in a delicious lunch of quiche and salads, followed by coconut and ginger bar with coffee. Many lunches were sold, some as takeaways.

Although serving the food in the garden makes quite a lot of extra work for the organisers, it certainly adds to the atmosphere and general conviviality of the day.

The organisers would like to thank all who helped and so willingly gave of their time and expertise.

They were also very grateful to the large numbers of residents and visitors who came to the Festival, from whom many complimentary comments were received.