As well as your sandwiches, I will provide other, more Christmassy finger food. I see from the RSVPs that Rupert Bingham is coming. I suggest someone tell him he is unwelcome after his poor behaviour at the Christmas in July party.
Best, Miriam
From:Patty Prince
To:Garden Club Committee
Cc:Charlotte Peters-Banks
Subject:Re: Open Garden on the 20th at our place
Hello Miriam,
About the cost of the bubbles, we don’t have a treasurer at the moment due to Ian being on that seven-seas winter cruise through Europe (it looks extremely nice from the photo he sent to the bush regeneration WhatsApp group. There are chandeliers in the bathroom!).
Just to let you and Lottie know, we are praying for Phyllida.
I am not sure how we can tell Rupert not to come to your open garden. I know his behaviour at Christmas in July was politically incorrect, but there isn’t much we can do, is there? I was a bit offended, actually, that he only touches the skinny minnies with the nice bottoms! And telling him he couldn’t come would be offensive to poor Dervla. I would hate to upset her.
Love Patty xxx
From:Judy Dingle
To:Garden Club Committee
Cc:Charlotte Peters-Banks
Subject:Re: Open Garden on the 20th at our place
Patty,
Touching women’s bottoms is not ‘politically incorrect’. It’s sexual harassment. And you’re not meant to comment about someone’s bottom being nice. You can’t comment onbodies anymore. That’s politically incorrect. Even if it’s a nice comment, according to my granddaughters.
But yes, I agree banning Rupert would be tricky, given Dervla is in the garden club too.
I’ll add a vegan sandwich option for the new member, Freya, who apparently has a spectacular collection of orchids. I’ll probably do honey and margarine for her. I’ll put them in the same container as the ham and egg, but she’ll just have to cope. I am baking cupcakes to take into Phyllida when she wakes up. Any word from the doctors?
Regards, Judy
From:Mary Penhallidon
To:Garden Club Committee
Cc:Charlotte Peters-Banks
Subject:Re: Open Garden on the 20th at our place
We will know more about Phyllida from the doctor tomorrow.
Rupert has always been a handsy bugger. Not sure what good it does to start arcing up now.
From Mary
I sigh. Sometimes I think the social changes of the last two decades are treated like internet glitches around here; unfathomable annoyances, better left to the young. I want to shout at ex-captain of industry Mr Rupert Bingham, with his fancy blazers and open-necked linen shirts and his inappropriate habit of winking at all females: Rupert, men like you have ruined the world for too long and the patriarchy is unravelling! Your casual disrespect for women will no longer be tolerated!But I can’t put this in an email.
I think of his wife, Dervla, who jumps at shadows. Every Monday Phyllida slips a couple of second-hand romance novels into the street library that sits across the road.Take a book, leave a book.Monday is when Dervla checks. She never has money to spend, despite Rupert driving the latest model BMW. Dervla can never quite believe her luck at what appears in the street library. For Dervla’s sake, nobody takes her husband to task. I wonder what Phyllida would say about this issue, and something makes me stop and really think. If my mother copied me on this email, maybe she wants my input. I need to step up.
From:Charlotte Peters-Banks
