Vultures Party Rocks The Elly

I had been looking forward to The Vultures Christmas Party for a while and the prospect of being entertained by The Flying Dutchman added intrigue to the anticipation.

It was a tight fit at The Elly and we certainly wouldn’t have wanted any more people squeezing in. It was in complete contrast to last year’s fiasco, where we all sat numb with the cold on a veranda with Calor heaters.

The food was fantastic, and the girls did well serving our unruly crowd. The red currant sorbet was so delicious several wanted it again as a pudding! A surprise Raffle was organised by the pub and the prizes were very generous. Sandwich toaster, food mixer and Stevie claimed to have won an MP3 player! How even his fertile mind could mistake Turkish Delight for an MP3 is beyond me. It was on his way up to collect a prize that Mick Clayton presented Arlene with a pack of condoms. Now this may have seemed odd to most people but it is an ongoing joke between us since the very first meeting at The Elly. Of course, Arlene being Arlene had to blow one up. This was followed by Roger blowing one up, which then got bounced around the pub, stuck to the ceiling with static electricity and finally I managed to knock over a full wine glass with it, straight into Ed’s lap. Sorry Ed! Another inflated zeppelin flew too close to Bob’s cigar and exploded, covering Julie in patches of rubber which clung to her hair and skin. Sorry Julie but that kept me giggling for ages!

Then as pudding was being polished off Roger introduced our International cabaret act for the night FRED The Flying Dutchman. Fred you were fantastic, and truly entertained us. The girls on our table sang the choruses and sounded like (and on occasion looked like) the three mice in the film Babe. Elvis was certainly alive and well in Hurst last night! I understand the pub has booked Fred for a party over the festive period.

All too soon last orders were called and taxis started to arrive to chauffer us home. Ours had left its suspension and anti-roll device at home and we pitched and bounced our way home. Who needs Thorpe Park?

I went to sleep with a huge smile on my face. A fantastic fun evening, tons (far too much) delicious food, several drinks, many laughs, and a warm glow of knowing we have so many fantastic friends in the VSOC.