Out with the Old and in with the New

New Year’s Eve was celebrated with a vengeance here in the hall at the Manawatu Caravan Club grounds last night.  The theme for the evening was “Flower Power – covering the 50s, 60s and 70s.”  Sounded just like our kind of music.

Local  band for New Year’s Eve, “RPM”

Tables in the hall soon filled up with interested party goers and in they came.  Flowing hippy wigs adorned previously balding heads, and a large assortment of Hawaiian shirts were resurrected from closets.  Some of the ladies were clad in long flowing dresses, while others wore trousers and brightly patterned tops.  Head bands were everywhere keeping all that long hair in place, as were “Ban the Bomb” pendants hanging around many a neck.  The pair of us decided to go with the Island theme, genuine Hawaiian we stress, brought on holiday there some years ago.   Robin wore a Hawaiian shirt, casually undone, while I dressed in my brightly patterned Hawaiian cotton skirt.

Ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve

We were joined at the table by a couple of strangers, an Afro haired fellow who had brought his blonde bimbo girlfriend along for a good time, it seemed.

Peter and Elaine in disguise

Geoff had a little trouble taking the top off his bottle of pink bubbly, but perseverance paid off, and the job was finally done.  I’m always a little concerned that the popping cork might hit me in the eye, one of these days, but luckily I came through unscathed.

You can do it, Geoff

As the music belted out, the party goers got up and danced along to the beat.  Spot prizes on the dance floor added to the interest.  We did our share of dancing too, and while sitting out some numbers, were kept amused by the antics of some on the dance floor.  We sung along to all those songs we remembered from our youth.

At a table behind us, one of the blokes had come with his portable bar.  It opened out to show an ice filled container for the drinks, and a table top.  Who needs a corner of that  table all taken up with your friends, when you can just wheel your own travelling bar into the hall?

He’s happy with his set up

The night wore on, and the songs kept pumping out.  When it was announced, “only 15 minutes to mid-night”, everyone jumped up for the last bracket of the evening.  Then the seconds were counted down, ten, nine, eight….until midnight erupted in a roar of “Happy New Years” around the hall, closely followed by a rollicking version of Auld Lange Syne.  But just what does this phrase mean?  Auld Lang Syne was a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song.  Its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight. The song has been translated into more than 40 languages.  The song's Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since",  "long long ago", or days gone by".

We had seen off the Old Year, and welcomed in the New Year, can we go to bed now, please?