Our Latest Event - The "Minutes"
The 2007 Dinner - Retirees Seek Medical Care |
Wines and Goodies |
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On this occasion, the Funis were missing Donald and Rachel, who were
called to more urgent business in Italy. Their places were filled by
Michelle Leclair and some guy named Kevin who put himself forward. * * * 25/26 August 2007 Hosts: Mr. & Mrs. GillisToastmaster: Mr. Lemon This year's event began with the usual gathering of the Funis at Burnbrae. In the absence of Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Martin who were suffering through a sojourn in Italy, Mr. Forward and Ms. Leclair were invited to participate in the evening's activities. The gathering of the Funis took place through the afternoon with the customary paddles in the pool and the occasional imbibing of alcoholic refreshments. Around 6:30, the Funis having changed into their usual splendid evening attire, poolside pictures were taken by Paul Jones, who was also able to join us for the evening. Following the pictures, the opening Hors d'oeuvres (by the pool, as has become customary) were prepared and served by Brother Macleod and Lady Linda, consisting of: wild mushroom and crab cheesecake; crostini with gorgonzola, pecans and arugula; curried shrimp with mango on both cucumbers and toast rounds; feta and olives; bocconcini with heirloom tomatoes in a balsamic reduction; and proscutto, arugula and fig rolls. Wines i), k) and m) were served with this course.
The participants then moved to the dining hall, where seats were allocated
by Brother Lemon. The more formal portion of the dinner began at
7:30. After soup had been served, Mr. Macleod made opening remarks welcoming our guests on this occasion, and thanking Bruce and Debbie for their outstanding hospitality. Mr. Forward gave a responding toast to Donald and Rachel for making the "ultimate sacrifice" of an Italian visit, thus freeing up space for him and Michelle. The Fish/Fowl course, served by Brother
Gillis and Lady Debbie was L'Acadie Lot (monkfish) Mavillette with a garnish of Burnbrae puffball, onions, carrots and fennel.
However, in the confusion of the moment, the Vegetables
prepared by Brother Flute and Lady Margaret were somehow omitted from the
serving, and had to be presented separately. They consisted of
green & yellow Burnbrae zucchini, pan fried and served with toasted garlic,
and grape tomatoes in lemon oil & butter with mint and basil.
Adding to the confusion, your Vice-Chairman for the Secretariat neglected
to note which wines were served with these courses. At this point Brother Wood made the shocking announcement that there was no more white wine to be had, and he was serving a red wine with the salad. The dismay and amazement resulting from this statement ran through the assembled Bretheren and Guests like a California wildfire, or a bit of aged sushi. As a result, yr. obdt. srvt. again failed to note the identity of the (red) wine served - perhaps understandable, under these circumstances. There were several comments regarding the remuneration that Brother Wood owes to the Funis in recompense for the inspiration that led to his weekly wine column and book. This carried on to the inevitable speculation regarding Brother Lemon's maintenance of the Treasury, and demands for the involvement of Dog, the Bounty Hunter (or maybe Bounty, the Hunting Dog?) Following this, Brother Wood and Lady Jody gave a report on their visit to the Castle of Ceský Krumlov, where Brother Perina is Chairman of the Baroque Theatre foundation. They enjoyed this visit immensely, and recommended that the Society should try to assemble in the castle for a dinner in 2008. After this had been discussed for a while, Brother Lemon and Lady Patricia served their meat course, Orange Beef with Grand Marinier, accompanied by Brother Flute and Lady Margaret's Burnbrae beans rolled in truffle oil and crushed nuts, and Pete Luckett's Gaspereau potatoes rolled in butter and mint. The wines with this course were c) and g). Following the meat course, we were alternately entertained and bored to tears by the traditional (as it has become) faux debate regarding the precedence of sweets versus savouries. On this occasion, the decision went toward savouries, and Brother Bagg and Lady Gay presented an assortment of cheeses, crackers and breads, including 2-year-old cheddar, spiced gouda, Guinness Irish cheddar (What else? Guinness Italian cheddar? Chianti Irish cheddar?), herb & garlic brie, oka, and a cheese spuriously identified by Brother Bagg as "toe jam" cheese. At this point, there was a toast made to the Retirees of 2007: Lady Debbie, Brother Mitchell and Brother Smith. The retirees made the usual responses: everyone is too loud, I can't stand the music you play, and things were a lot different when I was your age. Kevin took this opportunity to point out that his medical knowledge had nothing whatsoever to do with geriatric care, which resulted in the Retirees becoming more apprehensive and cranky than before. The evening was capped with dessert, served by Michelle and Kevin: a blueberry cheesecake and a lemon torte. These were accompanied by the usual wines and liqueurs, enriched by two donations: a bottle of port (n) donated by Brother Bagg and Lady Gay, and a bottle of Calvados (o) brought from Lisbon by Brother Smith and Lady Clare - who observed that, with the current restrictions on liquids in cabin baggage, this practice is fast becoming impossible. The following morning, the Funis and Friends assembled at various times
to produce and consume breakfast. This included pastries, muffins,
cheeses, cold cuts, cooked veggies, raspberries, blueberries, sausages
(courtesy of Bagg), melon, poached double-yolk eggs (courtesy of Debbie),
grapes, tomatoes, mushrooms, bagels, grapefruit, toast, condiments, juice
and coffee. For those who wished (and dared), there were two bottles
of bubbly (p) also available. If anyone went away hungry, they had
no excuse.
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Wines selected by Brother Wood.
a) 2006 Maurice Barnouin Rochaubry
Vin de Pays des Cévennes (France) x2
Images, etc. Images courtesy of David Smith, Clare MacIntosh. Group pictures taken by Paul Jones. Pictures will replace this page; press the "back" arrow to return to the Minutes.
Click to see a picture of the complete group of Funis beside the
pool
Funis gather for the evening Peter and Sean So I just told him to quit bothering me...
...where the rest of the white wine went
(Will open in a new window) Click here to read about viewing Funi photo albums
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