There was considerable disappointment when it was learned that the planned guest speaker, Baroness Ruth Davidson, had to withdraw as a result of a 3 line whip being imposed to discuss important Government business. However, there was not one single cancellation as a result and an all time record number of GROGS attended the Festive Extravaganza. Any disappointment was considerably assuaged when the Committee announced that, once again, it had managed to save the day by persuading the popular BBC weather presenter, Judith Ralston, to step in at incredibly short notice. Judith had worked with the Baroness in their early days with BBC radio and considered it an honour to fill in for her. Because of work commitments, Judith was forced to arrive fashionably late, to a welcome which was as loud and cheerful as it was warm. Without intending to use a weather pun, it’s fair to say that she seemed completely blown away by it. Whether this was solely down to her own popularity or because it brought the Chairman’s warm up act to an end, we’ll never really know. Judith was a joy as a guest. She brought a lovely smile to the Top Table and participated fully in all the nonsense that has become a staple part of the GROGS Christmas Lunch. The only disappointment was that we didn’t get to hear her operatically trained voice rising above the cacophony of the efforts of the GROGs to sing both in tune and in unison. The anguished look on Judith’s face when we monumentally failed on both grounds was a sight to see. We were then treated to a cheerful account of Judith’s life and career. There were moments of sadness when she recounted how she had achieved her childhood dream of becoming an opera singer then to have it dashed when suffering from irreparable damage to her vocal chords. However, the voice fairy took pity on her and her speaking voice became the entrée to a career in radio from where she embarked on her current career as ‘Judith the Weather’ as the Chairman, Hugh Dan MacLennan, described her. She didn’t need to explain that she loved her work. This was evident. Her talk was peppered with nice little stories about her family, events in her career and the fun she has with her working colleagues, many of whom are well known celebrities in the broadcasting business. Although she had confessed to not being a fan of whisky, Judith accepted with alacrity the special bottle of GROGS whisky offered to her with our grateful thanks. This delightful lady will be welcome back to GROGS anytime!