There was a reduced attendance for the August lunch, with just over half the members there, but that did not affect the pleasure of the occasion. For the meal we were treated to breast of chicken with Parmesan crust, courgette ratatouille, and potato croquette, followed by millionaire’s cheesecake.
After a short break there followed this month’s talk, by Jonathan Jones entitled, “Rudyard Kipling – A little something of myself”. His presentation was more a bravura performance than a talk, as he immediately assumed the character of Kipling, giving a lively and informative account of his life and works. One fact which may have surprised some of those present is that although Kipling set so many of his best-known works in India, he lived there just for twelve years, the first six as a child there and then for another six as he started his career after an education in England.
Jonathan’s account of Kipling’s life was seamlessly interspersed with recitations of some of his poems, illustrating phases of his life, such as Kipling becoming a Freemason with the poem “The Mother Lodge”. At the end of his presentation Jonathan received a resounding round of applause – a lunch well worth attending.
John Gilbert
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