A little Christmas cheer

Today was Christmas lunch day for our Friday hiking group, so a short, flat walk from Sunbird Centre at the Noordhoek/Ou Kaapse Weg junction along the track to Clovelly Country Club was on the calendar. A chilly breeze from the sea brought fingers of fog creeping inland, but they didn't quite reach the leeward slopes and so the sun shone brightly as we ambled along in stout shoes rather than heavy hiking boots, and slightly more socially acceptable attire than usually worn on a hike. I think we all have our favourite hiking outfits - I certainly do - and they are more or less on a par with gardening clothes, rather than figure-flattering blouses suited to dining out. Today we were a little more festive and bright, and one could tell that we were all looking forward to lunch, with few snacks and even less coffee to sustain us on the trail.
As we approached the golf course, we could see it was quite busy, with groups of ladies and men (obviously separately, still clinging to the original rule of Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden) and so we lingered at each tee so that they could tee off without fear of disabling an old hiker with an errant golf ball. We must have been putting them off their stroke, as we were waved on and a good few jokes were shared on the golfing theme. A couple of shouts were heard, but none of them sounded like 'Fore!' and I assume they were traditional golfing swear words to cover a multitude of poor drives and putts.
We stopped in the inadequate shade of a hedge for a short break before heading back to enjoy lunch at the nursery in Noordhoek. It was substantial, of a high standard, great serving staff and generally an exceptionally cheery occasion. Speeches were made, wine and beer imbibed and laughter rippled. A lovely day in great company, with a little exercise to boot.