On the 6th January 2007 12 Oakley members and two Oakley parents from in and around our nation’s capital city found time to take part in a fun-packed Oakley extravaganza organised by Alison and Mark Rowley. Somerset House, next to the Thames, was the chosen backdrop for our morning. There over the Christmas period a huge outdoor ice rink is set up in the courtyard, ideal for such prestigious occasions as an Oakley gathering.

The heavy rain could not dampen our enthusiasm and the majority of us duly donned highly fashionable ice skates and took to the glistening sheet of slippery white ice.

The morning gave us a good opportunity to catch up with, and learn a little more about each other. We learnt, for example, about Nina Walker’s geographical dyslexia as she tried to negotiate the London underground to no avail. We were reminded again about James Cousins’ idea of punctuality (arriving 45minutes late) and his 15 minutes on the ice only served to prove that he does not share his uncle Robin’s finesse for the sport.

We were treated to a display of flare from Sam and Josh Rowley and Ellie Summers and her dad Peter, all of whom were more than competent skaters. We learnt a lot about Emma Bailey’s patience as she supported Russel’s world record attempt for the slowest ever lap of an ice rink. Ali Rowley and Mrs Summers learnt the value of warm and dry conditions as they battled with a hot cup of coffee and I am afraid to report that Julian’s capabilities on the ice remain unknown as he pretended to busy himself with taking photographs.

Soaked to the skin but smiling from ear to ear we then made the short journey from Somerset House to Pizza Express to indulge in the finest Italian cuisine. Unsurprisingly Mark Rowley and Richard Heathcote excelled in this activity, but the unexpected star of the show was Jenny Thorne, who ate more dough balls than Pavarotti (not in the restaurant at the time). A very good time was had by all and everyone agreed that travelling up from St. Neots, Cheltenham, Oxfordshire and High Wycombe had been all part of the fun – so, if you live south of Birmingham, see you there next time!

Richard Heathcote