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 Everyone has heard of Fran's legendary Strawberry Tea's. They're held in a kind of revered awe, and everyone who attends one has a whale of a time. In fact, you could almost say they're 'Frantastic'. Well, before the 17th of June, I had no personal experience of these events, but like many others, I'd heard lots of good reports, and was looking forward to attending my first Strawberry Tea, accompanied by my lovely wife, Janet.
 When we arrived at 5-pm (an hour late because we got lost), we were greeted by such a friendly group of people, in an absolutely idyllic setting that we were imediately put right at our ease. No sooner had we found ourselves a place to sit, than Janet had a lovely huge bowl of the ripest, juiciest strawberries placed in front of her.
The weather simply couldn't have been better. As the day proceeded, the drink flowed and the hospitality provided by Tom and Greta Duke and their family got warmer and warmer, seeming to match the weather. The Duke's worked tirelessly, attending to every last need of everyone present.
 When Tom lit the barbecue and the wonderful food was presented to us, the day was in full swing. Everyone had got to know each other and we were all starting to relax nicely in each others company. This was when Tracy Dibben from the Area 51 Ladies Circle presented the group with an extremely generous cheque for £623.06. Fran and Pauline accepted the cheque on behalf of the group. View the picture here.
 As the sun started to sink low on the horison, the garden was illuminated by candles and we all settled in to enjoy a pleasantly warm summer evening. As the sun (natural enemy of all Lupus patients) disappeared from view completely, there was a noticeable increase in everyone's energy levels and the party seemed to step up another gear. This was when the raffle prizes were announced, and this resulted in lots of excitement and merriment.
I dread to think what time the party went on until. We left at 11-pm, and Tom and Greta's garden was still full of revellers, enjoying the seemingly endless supply of wine and beer. Naturally, we got lost on the way home again.
Big thanks go out to everyone who made yesterday's fun and games possible. To Fran, Tom, Greta, Samantha, Paul, and absolutely everyone who attended. The final amount raised was in excess of £800, so everyone involved can give themselves a big pat on the back. It was a fantastic day guys.
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