Club Day

Sunday, 1st June 2008

On a loverly sunny Sunday morning a coach full of club members left Laindon at 8.30am for Oxfordshire. The mood was good and there was much banter on the coach, this was the first club outing of the new season. We were heading for Cuttlebrook Koi Farm to see for ourselves the koi Mark and Lisa Davies are breeding in the Japanese style. Mark had been to visit the club in February so we had a good idea of what to expect.

We arrived early and the hungry had to wait for the bacon and sausage rolls! However it meant that we could have a good look at the koi in the poly tunnel sales area without being too packed. There were lots of loverly koi priced from £7 for babies born this year to several hundred pounds for bigger, older beauties. After about half an hour the breakfast rolls were ready an the ravenous tucked in, refreshments were available all day and there was a seating area could sit and eat their packed lunches.

It was fascinating to see the wide variety of koi being bred, including find out about the process of selection and growing on that was taking place. In the Tategoi House we viewed the koi that had been selected to grow on further which were waiting to be returned to their mud pond for the summer. There were also some for sale. Mark was on hand in the area to discuss the koi with his visitors.

Mark and Lisa had organised some activities for their visitors to participate in, a treasure hunt and judging competition. Several of our members joined forces for the treasure hunt which took them on an explorationof the koi farm. Other members tried their hand, or should that be eye, as judges. Five young Bekko koi had been selected by Mark, using the display tank with the koi in and photos the koi had to be placed in rank order, 1st - 5th place. At 2pm Mark explained to all the visitors the correct order and most important, why. One of our members, Charlie, proved his expert eye by selecting the correct order and winning the competition. The treasure hunt team had some hard clues to decypher and weren't quite so lucky but came close. Need to swot up on the Japanese for next time!

By 2.30pm we were back on the coach headiing for Waterperry Gardens........ where we spent seberal hours wandering around the beautiful gardens, buying some plants and needless to say some members enjoying the delights of the cafe, merengues in particular!