Our day started with us all congregating at the very conveniently located home of Rebecca’s, which is in the centre of the beautiful and historic town of Henley. We arrived all dressed in our finery – the ladies in an array of brightly coloured Maxi-dresses and sandals, as had been highly discussed and planned over the upcoming weeks in the office. The boys wore shirts, blazers and, due to a last minute email that declared it ‘acceptable’ to reveal their legs – tailored shorts, to their great relief, as we were blessed with one of the hottest days of the year so far!
Before setting off towards the river, we all gathered proudly around our newly purchased trolley and started piling it high with boxes and bags filled with treats and delights ready for our picnic. With our arms overflowing with even more indulgences, we began our journey, with Nick having the unenviable task of guiding the bulging, heavy trolley. In accordance with the crowds, the Scout Team happily trudged along the boutique-lined streets of Henley, making our way over the bridge and pass the enclosures, whereby we went in search of a perfect place to base ourselves for the rest of the day.
Due to Rebecca’s prior investigations, we triumphantly sought a spot further along the riverbank, and very quickly got ourselves established, with our branded rugs, parasols, crockery and cutlery – a plethora of lime green…you couldn’t miss us!!! Before anything else, we dug deep into the trolley to acquire the much deserved and longingly awaited golden Magnum of Prosecco. After a glass (or two), we started setting out the array of delicious foods from our trolley. Thankfully some more members of the team arrived to help us consume the many pies, tarts, sandwiches, rolls, quiches, salads, crisps etc. as the rowers glided past us as they practiced their rowing strokes in the cool river.
As the races began, we lazed happily chatting in our group, enjoying the wonderful and very British traditions and scenes of such an event as Henley Regatta. Along with the rowers, we too showed our sportiness with very competitive (and slightly tipsy) games of table tennis in the Champagne tent. Despite all the food that we brought along, Natalie and I sought out something else to munch on from the multitude of multinational food stalls – the choice and quality was very high, and as we sat on hay bails eating and putting the world to rights, we couldn’t have been happier! As the day drew on, other friends and acquaintances stopped by for a drink and a chat before moving on, and we also made new friends with some of the surrounding crowd.
We had had a wonderful day by the river, and when it was time to leave, we packed up a much lighter trolley and began the return journey home. That is with the exception of young George, who went on to experience the eventful ‘riverside club scene’… which concluded with a very soaked George awakening a very sleepy Rebecca, to explain that he had been thrown into the river and subsequently lost his shoes, and his phone no longer worked – something that he will be constantly reminded about in the office!!! A great day was had by all!!!
