In a hectic Summer Season the BCSA Garden Party stands out as one of the main events and this year it more than lived up to expectations.It is held in the communal gardens of the Czech and Slovak Embassies in London which is well disposed to this with its courtyard layout and the large stepped paved area around the lawn.
It is here that Karpaty entertained us with their traditional Slovak folk music and dancing. This was much appreciated and some of the people who knew the songs added their own whoops at the appropriate moments.
The food was laid out inside the Czech Embassy. Also there was a tidy bar with a rather lively keg of Czech beer. Having to wait a while for each glass may not have been a bad thing!
Other attractions included a Romany band who played from the raised terrace by the Slovak Embassy and a raffle where I was persuaded to buy several tickets and got the expected no prizes.
But the main reason for being there is the people.Here the steps outside the Czech Embassy are packed with people eating, drinking and mostly talking.
Among them are Richard, who I've known for the best part of twenty years, and Pavel, who I met more recently at another of the BCSA socials.
Also here are people that I did not know before the day but got to know through mutual friends.
The party ended with a bang when the Romany band played their second set and easily persuaded people to dance along. Even me.
The mood was really high then and a group of us retired to the pub across the road to continue the conversations and the getting-to-know-yous until frantic looking at watches suggested that it was really time to go home or risk being stranded in Central London all night.
A really superb day in so many way. It's just a shame that it only happens once a year.
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