We had a great Skt Hans midsummer celebration on 21 June. Quite a good crowd turned up at Nordic House to enjoy the lovely hot dogs, gløgg and hot chocolate. The mini bonfire had a mini witch atop to burn, thanks to Lyn Dahl.

People had to duck in and out of the rain, but the children still managed to have fun cooking their marshmallows on the fire.

Unfortunately our usual musician Karen Margrethe was unable to attend, but the crowd sang the traditional songs to tunes we had found on itunes. Thank you to Neil and Rita and their helpers for making it a great evening. We are still hoping to find a bigger property to hold the bonfire, maybe next year.

At the July busy bee, eight people came to tidy up around the House, both in the garden and inside. We have removed the Bring and Buy stand. Even though some things had sold, it did not prove a great success as a fundraiser. We are always happy to see new faces so please consider offering your help at the next scheduled busy bee.

We are very grateful to Geraldine and Peter, and Geraldine’s sister Lauren for organising a great Christmas in July party on 26 July.

Twenty-five people were looked after very well with the best of Danish cooking, starting off with herrings, fish fillets, rullepølse med sky, followed by roast pork, medisterpolse and gravy, caramelised and white potatoes and red cabbage. The dessert was, of course, ris a la mande with cherry sauce and almond present.

After the dinner, there was a raffle and a parcel game followed by coffee, served with Henry’s home-made kransekage and Lauren’s home-made truffles.

Again a huge thank you to Geraldine, Lauren and Peter for ensuring a fabulous evening for all who attended.

The Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held this year on 6 September at Nordic House as many members are traditionally away on holidays in July and August and we want to encourage more people to come along and have their say about their Association. Documentation for the AGM has by now been either posted or emailed to financial members. Please read the documentation carefully, and consider the item that will be raised regarding the future of Nordic House. If you wish to contribute to this discussion, please ensure you attend or alternatively, provide another attending member with your opinion and proxy documentation.

The Committee will be in need of new members for 2014-2015, so please consider offering your assistance. If instead, you would prefer to be the coordinator of a particular social event, for example the Christmas church service, but do not want to be formally on the Committee, please let a committee member know of your intention. The organisation of the social events that everybody seems to enjoy so much is ultimately always left to just a few, and it would be a huge help to the Committee if groups of friends would take responsibility for organising just one social event each year. As always, the AGM will be followed by refreshments.

The AGM always provides a timely reminder that your annual membership fees are now due. If you have not already done so, please make arrangements to pay as soon as possible.

The Association provides members with the opportunity to pay in cash at Nordic House or directly to a committee member, by cheque, bank transfer or credit card. Please complete the membership renewal form, found on page 10 of the latest edition of Scanpost and forward it to our membership secretary, Rita Wilson, as soon as possible. Remember, it is not possible to Vote or enter discussions at the AGM if you are not a financial member of the Association. We look forward to as many members attending as possible as we discuss important aspects of the Association’s future.

With best regards
The Committee