Mrs. White, with the candlestick, in the parlour

August 20,  2011

It’s dress up time again. Tonight was the LTVs (long term volunteers) farewell party. After living here at Corrymeela for a year, they are moving on, each to the next phase of their life journey. They leave on Monday morning. It’s been an emotional week for them, and for those who have become close to them over the year. This week they have finished their official duties, begun to pack, evaluated, reflected and played together.

Tonight is the playing part. The theme for their party, which they have planned, is “Game On” ... the instructions were to come dressed as your favourite game, or game character. Not being a costume kind of gal, I was kind of stumped until one of the LTVs said “just come as one of the Clue characters ...” aha, I thought, that might be doable. Professor Plum? Colonel Mustard? Miss Scarlett? Mrs. White?

Yes, Mrs. White the maid will do ... when I googled “Mrs. White Clue character”, I found two pictures – one, a very matronly looking, much older woman, in her very matronly maid’s uniform ... and the other a rather scantily clad buxom young woman, in her not very matronly maid’s uniform ... perhaps I’d try something right in the middle?

I wasn’t really getting any ideas until this morning when I came out and Andre, one of the mid-termers, was making large paper flowers out of white napkins for the formal dinner planned for tomorrow night. “Hooray” I said ...”that will work nicely for my hat”. And I was off ... apron, feather duster (well actually, a Swiffer like thing from the Co-op store), and a candlestick made of poster board. Costume complete. Imagine my delight when Professor Plum (Shane O’Neill, House Manager) also showed up at the party!

It’s a great theme for a party, from minimalist (a T-shirt with a Sudoku puzzle on it, a scrabble square on a pizza box) to LTVs Jeni and Yael as an etch a sketch and twister board (picture below), or Roland, Frank and Valentin as rock, paper, scissors, (also pictured) it’s a great theme for a party. Beware fellow Haligonians – I might steal this idea!

Former LTV Eammon, who has just spent 2 weeks in the hospital, came with long time volunteer Anna as the Operation game. Even the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Inderjit, and his wife Kathy, came as a collective snakes and ladders game – he with ladders on his shirt, she with snake hand puppets.

I didn’t think I would feel up to partying, and silliness, but as it turns out, it felt ok. Sometimes, I guess we all need a little lightening up. Thanks to the LTVs for a great party.