Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Xmas in July/August



The much awaited Xmas in July was finally here, and boy did it live up to and totally exceed expectations.

Thanks firstly must go out to our generous hosts, Vickie & Earle for the loan of their house for the bash.
A huge amount of work had been put in by them (and beautifully assisted by Kerry on Friday) moving furniture, putting up decorations to help create the most marvellous of Christmassy Themes.






And a big thanks to the two MasterChefs at work, looking stunning in their Xmas aprons!







I don't think we have enough gravy?????















For the 30 SOS members and partners that were there it was certainly appreciated!



















The entertainment started with a bevvy of wines, beers and fizzy,,,, as we all dug into the fantastic first courses.







We were even joined by a new born (ish) Xmas baby. 
















The Starters
Home Made Pate- Shelley
Array of dips- Steph


After much cajoling from Vickie, and after finding out that the Webber didn't want to play ball, the Xmas turkey was finally delivered to be carved.
And yes Vickie we did check the temperature in the thigh!!!!!


And what a cracking looking moist bird!
Though the picture doesn't really do it justice for size and juiciness,,,, 

DJ had a mischievous look in his eye as was given the envious responsibility of carving the birds.





The Main Feast
Turkey & Stuffing & Gravy- Earle & Vickie
Glazed Ham with Pineapple- Glenn & Linzi
Cauliflower Cheese- Avril
Brussel Sprouts with bacon & walnuts- Kerry
Selection of Roast Vegetables- Shelley


And then it was onto the main event, as the food was put out and we all formed a very disorderly queue and dug in!


and of course no Xmas dinner would be complete by the Pulling of Crackers, the wearing of silly paper hats, and the drone of ancient Dad Jokes.



The Deserts
Xmas Pudding- Kerry
Sticky Date Pudding- Brett
Brandy Sauce- Kerry
Caramel Sauce- Brett
Ice Cream Cake- Toni

Even the Xmas baby helped us to tidy up the debris,,,,,




And then there was the now infamous Kris Kringle hosted by our very own munchkin Elf.




There were a very interesting rule to this years' Kris Kringle as you were allowed to steal, yes STEAL someone else's gift, if you preferred theirs or just wanted to be bloody awkward.




the cries of:-

"Take the Wine"
"Take the Bird!"

will stay with us all for years,,,,,, it's gonna be a great event that beats this one! 







Xmas condoms for Linzi, you lucky, lucky lady!!!!!!!



My magnificent Green Lantern,,,,,, i really wanted the pink one but that bloody fiend Dave Williamson stole it from me!
Hehehehehe,,, only joking mate!




Peter's lucky Nappy Bags, that funnily enough nobody wanted to steal.
Even the Xmas baby said no thanks mate.












The Port


Just look at that little pinky on show as the port gets quoffed.
















The After-Port
To be honest it all got a little bit hazy after the port, thanks again Earle, as the the stories got louder, cruder and time just flew by.

Actually a couple of highlights have just flicked to the front of my brain:-

- Roland almost demolishing the bottle of Fine Port.

- Glen taking nearly 30mins to leave, insisting everybody needed to have 3 kisses each,,, adn i do mean everybody.

- Sandi threatening to leave Brett behind,,, yes the Elf was playful and wanted to stay, alas there was no room at the Inn as all the beds in the Stable were taken.

- My combination of the foul swill of my own homebrew,,,,,, followed by some fantastic wines,,,, then followed by the "Take the Wine" wine (pretty ordinary, but it was $2.50 a bottle!),,,,, followed by some beautiful port,,,, followed by more wine,,,,, etc, etc,,,,

followed by The Sleep of the Gods as everybody left sometime after the Witching Hour,,, or nearer 3am!!!!!! 


Other Random Pics






let the fight for the Bird begin,,, wwe want the Bird, we want the Bird!







Yep, that's definately a baby.







Absolutely no idea what's going on here???????????
Any ideas anybody????







Just look at that cheeky grin!







And this one too,,,,,







Now do i keep the wine or do i switch it for the Bird???
What a quandry.







Xmas cuteness,,,,, ahhhhhhh







No i will not swop the Xmas Baby for the Bird!!!!!!










Until next year people, thanks to all involved, to all that helped out, and for everyone that brought the humour and laughter.


PS- did anybody see the Golf Mags for Barry?????? 

PPS- Earle i have your Bob Rotella book "The Unstoppable Golfer"????

PPPS- Those that carried the festivities into Sunday morning can definately recommend Glen & Linzi's cafe LOT Six Zero for a great atmosphere and, superb food and strong coffee,,, bookings are recommended!

http://www.lotsixzero.com/







Monday, August 3, 2015

MatchPlay Final and Ambrose Pairs

Proudly sponsored by Frances & SOS.


At last the much-awaited SOS MatchPlay Final between  Phil 'McCloud' McKeague and Greg Bennett was here.
It was to be a battle between the two heavy weights on a bloody cold and blustery winters' day.
Who would be the victor, would 'The Short & Straight' defeat 'The Long & Wayward' we all asked ourselves whilst huddling together to keep warm.

The results to be shared later (for those that don't already know).

There was a little bit of time for those who wanted a little bit of last minute practice.

For the rest of us it was the discussion of tactics for the Ambrose Pairs which hosted some interesting groups.

My group was particularly eclectic and multi-national with a token Aussie (sorry Malcolm no offence meant!), Zer German, Ja Saffer and a Londoner.




Who knew that my magnificent command of the German Language would come in so useful to create a fantastical pairing,,,,

"Das ist gut, haben haussen, ya!"



The golf was indeed poetic at times, and The Hague would've been proud!


Even John Cleese would've had a smile on his face.

Our pairing started beautifully as i cracked open a beer on the 4th hole, with the intention of offering one to Ze German, only to find i had brought my foul swill that was a very old home-brew!

As my quote was to go:-

"Dieses Bier ist scheiße, Entschuldigungen und meine Flachmann ist leer, haben haussen!"

Anyway onto the more important things,,,,,,,,,,,,


Ashes Update
What a game at Edgbaston, The Home of Warwickshire cricket in the Heart of England, and what could've so easily have been a two-day Test.

The Aussies suffered on a helpful pitch to the seamers in ideal bowling conditions, as the groundsman came to his senses and provided a wicket to suit all aspects of the game, assuming you had some patience!

Their opening score was woefully short, and eventually cost them the game as England only had to chase down a small total in the four innings on only the 3rd day.

My Man-of-the-Match award goes to Stephen Finn,,,, mainly as i'd just acquired his England Cap which i faithfully wore on Saturday (as I couldn't find my own schoolboy one!)


So that makes it 2-1 in the series with 2 to play.

What will happen at Trent Bridge??????

Ahhh yes,,, i could go on, but this is supposed to be a Golf Blog,,, so on with the golf.


MatchPlay Result
Apparently it was a bit of an opening 'ding-dong' battle as the game ebbed and flowed between the two heavyweights.

Finally Phil took hold of the game and eventually won 4 & 3.

Well done to Phil who picked up his first Trophy for SOS.


And congrats to Greg for making it through to the Finals!



Ambrose Pairs Results
And in winning order, The Coach and Dean 'yes i can fooking putt' Palmer, who also won his first SOS event!


Dean 'I can fooking putt' Palmer


Gary Burgess    63
Dean Palmer

Kerry Gardner 65.75
Glen Pope
Paul  Gardner 66.25
Roland Stanger
Peter Baird 67.75
Graeme Powell
Shelley Yeo               68.5
Gordon Nielsen
Travis Barnes 68.75
Frances Longhurst
 
Steve Desantis 69.5
Rob Gray
Gim Ong 72.5
Richard Yeo
Ian   Holmes 74
Dave  Williamson
Charmaine Stanger 76
Malcolm Yeo            
Derek Longhurst 78
Nola  Desantis

So as you can see from the numbers above there was indeed some quality golf played in what was very trying conditions. 
Well done to everyone.


Novelties
NTP3   Richard Y
NTP9   Ian
NTP12  Phil
NTP15  Phil

Looks like we know why Phil won the MatchPlay then,,,, methinks he's being hitting the practice range pretty hard!


Money Hole
From the above you can see that the money hole went off! And lo and behold it went to Phil (again!) who tight-waddly pocketed the massive sum of $103,,, 

Charmaine 'Making it Rain' on Phil

Well done Phil! What a round!!!!


Fine of the Week
So many options as always with Frances trying to put forward a Best Dressed award for Glen whilst also suggesting a Worst Dressed for hubby Derek.


Unfortunately i missed the opportunity to get a photo of Derek, before he changed for the Post Game Presentations.



Or could it be for the Worst Raffle in the World Ever????
Oooops someone forgot the raffle kit,,,, no names mentioned here!

But for me there can be only one winner,,,,, Travis The Pole Dancer


plus for his Adam Goodes award for hitting 3 black-boys in one hole!!
Well done Trav, proud of ya mate



Random Pics

Look out for the PhotoBomber
Getting ready

It can only get better Ian

Damn i was good!

RGX is paying off, thanks Patches

Mmmm sausages

The Pres doing her stuff for the rabble

Pre-pole dance

Don't worry i'll get it!



Xmas in July/August
What a great evening, and many thanks to Vickie and Earle for hosting this cracking event.
Praise and thanks to all those who helped with the food and decorations,,,, and for the BRILLIANT kris kringle presents, presented excellently by our own little Elf Brett!!!


More pictures and stories will follow but i'll leave you all with the mind-worm that is Linzi with condoms, Peter and the Nappy Bags,,,,, and 

"Take the Bird!!!!!!!!!!!"



Birthdays
Many happy returns to Graeme for his birthday on Sunday (i think hehehehe),,,



Next Week
This blog has been an absolute epic, and again the Fixtures Book is in the other room, i'm tired and emotional, and to be honest i don't really care as i have to bloody work next week so i won't even be there to enjoy it!

But i think it's a round of the Club Championship...

Good Luck one and all and see ya when i return from our hols in Blighty!!!


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Winter Cup Round 2

Sponsored by the lovely and generous Toni Hodge.

For a change we didn't need to consult the WeatherMan, as the view out the front window, as I was chauffeur driven, showed us all we needed to know about what to expect for the days play.



However what it didn't show us was how playful Nola was feeling,,,, and it brought a big smile to many of us!!! 
You go girl.


Hey Steve good on ya mate,,, 
As expected of a man that had had an excitable morning, Steve soon lost controls of his balls as they fell out of his pocket and rolled into the building site.
It was indeed reminiscent of a scene from Bad Grampa, as he fought hard with his Ball Retrieving fishing rod to reclaim his lost pair.


And as usual we had a fine sight of many different styles and fashions as we headed into the second round of the Winter Cup:-

The Jeggings/Skins


The Spiv


The Playful


The Excitable & Coy

Gary was the clear leader but it was overheard that he was going to face some tough opposition for the day.

Brett's quotes for the day, prior to tee-off I hasten to add were:-



"My driving is SMOKING!"
"My chipping is HOT!!!"
"My putting is ON FIRE!!"

so to find out how true these self-proclaimed predictions were see below


Ashes Update
Since there was nothing going on the only thing to really report on was that Glenn McGrath's 5-0 prediction can once again be put to bed.
I know this is a bit late, but i only just thought of it,,,,,,


But more to the point, as the Ashes moves to the Midlands please, please, please English groundsman provide us with a pacey & bouncy wicket, as well all know the Aussies weakness is in their batting so give us one of these,,,,


Yes I know we'll face a barrage of FAST bowling, and yes the Aussies are far quicker, but it'll make for incredibly exciting (albeit short) game of cricket!

Enough of that, onto what you are looking to find out,,,,,,

The Results
Welcome back again to Dean for his 3rd round at the club, even though I said I wasn't going to quote it, your GolfLink handicap has expired so I'm actually looking after you pal for future comps,,,,,, 

luckily you ran away so you didn't have to award the fines (actually with your handicap of 19, by countback you'd have been 2nd to last!),,,,

Dean Palmer 109
Toni Hodge 90
Kerry Gardner 84
Vickie Scarff 82
Dave  Williamson 82
Charmaine Stanger 81
Nola  Desantis 81
Richard Yeo 79
Gim Ong 79
Graeme Powell 78
Shelley Yeo               78
Greg Bennett 77
Lynne Malone 77
Gordon Nielsen 77
Peter Baird 77
Steve Desantis 76
Roland Stanger 76
David Johnston 75
Glen Pope 73
Derek Longhurst 73
Brett Fordam 72
Ian   Holmes 71
Gary Burgess    70
Paul  Gardner 70
Earle   Scarff 70
Frances Longhurst 69
Colin  Kerr 67

A big CONGRATS to Colin for the win on the day, which unfortunately wasn't quite good enough overall but earn't a podium finish.


Overall Winter Cup Results
3rd Colin Kerr         144
2nd Paul Gardner    141 

1st Gary Burgess    132

Great golf Gaz,,, and a well deserved victory



Novelties
NTP2    Gary
NTP6    Earle
NTP13   Paul
NTP14  Gary

Looks like you had the game sown up Coach.


Golden Hole
Again no winner, and the massive jackpot moves to ~$50,,,,
Big Money Peeps!!!!


Fine of the Week
Not as many as expected but we had the Usual Suspects:-

Vickie- talking about Black Balls, though I believe this was in relation to potential new members.

Graeme- and his restraining order, for his lovely neighbours

Steve- for his out-of-control equipment

but the winner this week goes to Earle and his untimely proposition of an already married women, oh the bended knee will always get you into some trouble.
A picture tells a thousand words:-



Random Pictures
Let's start with some various putting styles, all comments are gratefully received:-





















She's mine Earle



 The sausage rolls were bloody fantastic!



Xmas in July
The address is:-
14 Wilton Place, Scarborough 6018

Will Vickie be dressing up as:-

a) Santa
b) The Queen
c) The Grinch








Next Week
I'm not entirely sure, but I reckon most of you aren't really that bothered either.

Put it simply, I'm a bit tired, i have a glass of wine in my hand, my dinner is ready and the Fixture Book is in the office on the other side of the house so we'll all find out what we're playing and what handicap we're on when The Fixture Secretary sends out the details later this week.

Bring on Xmas in July/August,,, let the festivities continue and may all your Kris Kringle pressies be awful.



See ya all next week my SOS compatriots.