AGM and TWOTY - TWO

Plus - The Unexpected and Extremely Exciting Arrival of an Old Friend, with descriptions of a range of interesting and amusing reactions for your delectation...

Yes, well, yet again somewhat delayed though with good excuses this time. A very late return from Germany – they’ve changed the flight times for some reason and I didn’t get back here ‘til after midnight on Sunday; then work and a hard Pilates class on Monday so far too exhausted (!!) to type.

Anyway, the TWOTY was pretty well dealt with last time so on to the AGM; one evening a year (obviously) of huge excitement and absolutely no singing whatsoever; which, as there’s a concert peeking its scary head over the horizon (June 26th, btw, for those fans able to attend and swell audience numbers, Reid Concert Hall at the university, 7.30 p.m. – see you there xx), is/was rather a shame but duty must be done, Treasurer’s reports reported (yawn) (apologies to very useful, efficient and uncomplaining Dick) (Treasurer) (but ‘yawn’ all the same) and discussion had as to who, what, where and when. And why.

Why, indeed.

Alison takes the chair at these meetings and does a fine job keeping us up to the mark and preventing too much deviation from matters-in-hand - and we are an easily deviated no, no, no diverted bunch, I assure you. However, we listened quietly and with respect to the Treasurer’s report and I am pleased to tell you that Rudsambee has come through the last year or so of financial turmoil in fine shape and with money in the bank. How’s that then? Those city types need to have a word with us. There’s something to be said for singing for your supper, after all, eh? Ha!
We also have to go through the list of who-does-what-committee-and-board-members to see if everyone is happy with their lot and willing to continue for another year.

Usually this is very simple because everyone is, but this year, never so far having been allowed a position of responsibility, I decided to stage a coup and bag one. Waving an AK47 in one hand and a machete (brought back from a jungle trip last year by my niece) in the other with the pin of a hand-grenade clamped between my teeth, I demanded – OK, forget the hand-grenade – I demanded to be taken seriously and to be given POWER. POWER , I say. Proper power. None of this bloggy nonsense. What do they take me for? Don’t they know who I am????

What? Where was I? Oh, yes... but this year, Anne announced that she thinks it is time someone took over from her as extremely-useful-can’t-be-done-without-organiser-of-everything-and-everybody. What her real title is I have no idea. Administrator? That sounds about right. There were many gasps of horror and wails of disbelief and absolutely no offers whatsoever from potential successors. But what an act to follow. I, for one, have no intention of applying for the post – you see how I struggle to organise myself into blogging mode; imagine if I were responsible for the organisation of concerts and tours and money. Apparently we are likely to lose Dick as our Treasurer at the same time. Oh Lordy. The end is nigh! What will we do??? I’ll keep you posted. This much I can manage.

There was more, of course, but here you have the best of it.

So... onto the unexpected arrival... I turned up on Wednesday to find that Alison had decided to confound and confuse by taking a seat in the alto section for the purposes, above mentioned, of chairing our meeting. Why? I don’t know but she looked pretty amused with herself and one doesn’t argue with chairs. So, I made for the sopranos and while greeting Elaine did a really rather spiffing double-take with genuine grunt of surprise in the vocal department – nothing I could repeat if I ever find myself on stage and required to do a double take with a genuine grunt of surprise – on noticing our old friend and sometime diva, Claire 1, calmly seated as of old amongst the holy high ones. Well, how lovely. (She seemed very happy to be with us but must have been feeling a little disappointed not to be able to exercise her golden vocal chords. Bad timing, Diva dear. Ollie and I did our best to persuade her she should join us for our St Giles’ concert in the summer when she can warble Cloudburst with us once more. She appears keen!) Next came Anna-Lauren who squealed so loudly in delight when she saw Claire that it is just as well she wasn’t required to sing later for I think she’d have had no voice left to do it with. Claire was then engulfed in a hug of heroic proportions which confirmed, if anyone had been in doubt thus far, that A-L has missed C₁ hugely and was over the moon to have her back, even if for one night only. Natalie looked very pleasantly surprised if a little confused when she arrived and spotted our friend; Ollie, whose permission for the visit had been sought and won, not at all surprised but very smiley and then, then came Jenny.

Jenny was late – something to do with boys and babysitting – and crept in as Dick was giving the Treasurer’s Report, seating herself on the floor at Angus’s feet. She was pretty much opposite Claire but failed to see her even when Claire leaned right forward and waved a hand and pulled a face or two (sorry, Dick). I am still amazed at her self-control – not something for which our Jen is renowned - when she finally did realise who she was looking at; A huge intake of breath, hands clamped over wildly grinning mouth, eyes on stalks, eyebrows above hairline, face purple, shoulders shaking – but not one squeak or snort or chortle escaped . Not one. Not from her anyway, though others were less well-behaved. But then, we were watching her and rarely has a funnier sight been seen.

I missed the rest of the reactions as everyone else was there before me but here you have a small selection with my compliments.

The End.