Saturday night was an entirely different kettle of fish. The day was most unpleasant - 42.8 degrees or 109 degrees Fahrenheit is bloody hot in anyone's language. We had every fan and the air cooler cranking. The portable air conditioner was set up next to the wading pool in the Giftshop with chairs in a circle. In the end, we just ignored the temperature as best we could, paddled in the pool, sat next to the cooling devices or congregated outside when the day's fierceness eased after sunset.
In spite of the conditions, a glorious Sundowner was enjoyed by all. Guests brought food and drinks to share. The BBQ out front was a popular point for street drinking, as was the middle of the road later in the evening. Unfortunately, I forgot to defrost the rolls to go with the sausages, but nobody was upset.
The musos were a varied and joyous bunch. Thank you so very much to Jan, Guy, Red, Paddy, Michelle, Nick and Lawrence for providing the backbone of the band. Others took the microphone at different intervals and the dancing was reminiscent of a balmy spring night, rather than a roasting summer evening.
All sausages were consumed with gusto. Guests revelled as the air cooled ever so slightly with the darkness. Steve and I took the three dogs Brin, Stella and Pip on a moonlit walk to wear them out.
Santa made the briefest of appearances and departed before she melted. However, Stella was somewhat bemused as to the identity of the person in the jolly red suit. Once she realised Santa's true persona, Stella even posed for photos.
The coppers paid us a visit halfway through the evening but were quite genial about our gathering. We did announce to the assembled populace that their skipper should be driving home as the police van was clearly visible up the street, poking out of the supermarket carpark.
Lawrence, eminently reliable but notoriously unpunctual, arrived about nine o'clock. Paddy on the fiddle continued to rock on after some of the other musos had run out of oomph. Michelle and Muz, having provided us with a case of wine, helpfully in ice, were invited to stay in our airconditioned guest room, rather than the back of their car. As always, they were gone before we staggered out of bed the next morning.
Michael, once more, was led astray by Lawrence after the party. Or maybe it was Lawrence being led astray by Michael? Either way, they proved, again, that they are just boys in men's suits. After falling into bed next to me in the pre-dawn light, Michael took all day and an additional four-hour nanna nap to recover. When I asked him what he'd drunk, his slightly slurred response was "Everything..." I rest my case.
Now fully restored, we can both appreciate another wonderful sundowner and the last blast for 2019. All in all, a fabulous fifth birthday for our beloved Gallery. I don't use the term "blessed" very often, but we continue to be so blessed by our artists, our musicians, our friends and our supporters. Who would have thought, that from our extremely humble and haphazard beginnings in December 2014, we have grown to promote and exhibit the works of nearly one hundred artists?
How lucky are we?
Scenes from the Sundowner...
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