Garden club gathers for April meeting

Oruru Garden Club members were pleased there was no rain as they made their way along a very dry, dusty road at Fern Flat for their April meeting, hosted by Angela and Peter Short.

As it was near April Fool’s Day, members were encouraged to arrive with an appropriate joke or poem, which some did, and were rewarded with laughter.

The decorative competition, an autumn arrangement, did not attract a lot of entries, as some members were unable to be there, but roll call, donations of food for the SPCA, produced a variety of comestibles for less fortunate pets.

Auctioneer Yvonne Anderson was back in action, and had a great time wringing the last dollar out of members, with the help of her little elf, Pat Lendich. She was also the month’s birthday girl, receiving a set of placemats and fancy candles.

Pat Lendich won the raffle, a Cupido white peace plant, Margie Moore collecting another for winning the competition, naming a variety of green plant leaves.

Meanwhile, Lou Broadhead will host next month’s AGM. Roll call will be a Mother’s Day gift exchange, the decorative competition a corsage with a white flower. Subs and birthday gifts will also be due.

The club’s 60th birthday celebrations are also coming up fast, and members are looking forward to the celebratory luncheon.

Business over, it was time to have a chat over a cuppa and the usual delicacies, including Lyn Hill’s chocolate and caramel muffins, and Rosalie Hills’ superlative chocolate coconut cake. President Margaret Foster won the lucky cup and Pat Lendich the lucky mug, which scored her a Cupido peace lily.

After a stroll around their hosts’ garden before returning to the dusty road, which, with not a lot of traffic and sans school buses, could have been worse.