A good day to stay indoors
It was a dull day for the O¯ ruru Garden Club’s June meeting, hosted by Morrey and Rosalie Hills at Oruaiti. It was opened by Little Elf Pat Lendich, standing in for president Margaret Foster, who was delayed. Rosalie’s Aunty Alma was made welcome.
The decorative competition, in red, white and blue with a touch of rust, in honour of the Queen’s new great-grandson Archie, produced some creative results. The birthday girl, Lou Broadhead, was pleased with her set of blue towels, while roll call was donations of nonperishable food for the Doubtless Bay Christian Centre Food Basket.
Auctioneer Yvonne Anderson, with the help of the Little Elf, had fun extracting small change from members for the fruit and vegetables for sale.
Margaret had arrived by ‘show and tell’ time, displaying a tuber from a yacon plant from South America, which looked like a yam or ku¯ mara, and tasted a bit like a pear, albeit with no real flavour but good grated in a salad. A couple of the members knew the plant, and Rosalie had it growing in her garden.
Alma won the competition, guessing the weight of a pie melon, and was rewarded with a lavender-coloured plant called Erica — Show Time. Pat Lendich won the raffle, an anthurium flamingo pot plant.
Plans were made for a mid-winter lunch at the Marlin Hotel at Whangaroa after next month’s school holidays, while Margaret spent some time going back over club records, beginning in 1958, of particular interest to those who had been in the club for a number of years.
The meeting over, everyone enjoyed afternoon tea, featuring Lynn Hill’s flourfree carrot cake with cream cheese and lemon frosted icing, Val Folkard’s cream puffs and Rosalie’s feijoa and date cake. Val Folkard won the lucky cup, and became the owner of a large casserole dish to go with the cook book she received at the May meeting, and Norma Midgely the lucky mug, her prize being a set of plastic containers.
Unusually for a meeting at the Hills’ residence it didn’t rain, so everyone had the chance to admire and enjoy the vast gardens, including the vegetable garden, Morrey’s pride and joy.
Ruth Genet will host next month’s meeting, again at Oruaiti, roll call goods for the Kaitaia Hospice, decorative competition artificial flowers in a container of members’ choice.