Regional event held on 13th February

Dinner and dancing

Review and more photos below

 

Regional News

Thank you to everyone who attended our dinner and dance event in February and made it such an enjoyable evening. If you weren't there, find out what you missed as a review and photos appear in this issue of Empress. We are currently trying to organise a regional summer event, possibly in the beautiful city of Lincoln. Watch this space! We are already looking at venues and event formats for another regional event in February 2011. If you would like to be kept informed why not subscribe to our low traffic email group? Send a blank email to m-eastmidlands-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Details will appear on this email group before Empress is printed.

In the meantime we have some events to celebrate St George's Day on Friday 23rd April and throughout that weekend. So whether you fancy dressing up in red and white, testing your knowledge of all things English in a fun quiz, or dining on traditional English fayre, come and join us at various events around our region. Members of all ages are welcome.

As you will see from the meeting ads in Mensa Magazine, you don't have to be a Local Secretary to host an event. I've had several emails from members recently asking if they can host an event and the answer is a resounding YES! So look out for some possible theatre trips, new pub venues, ten pin bowling and more in the coming months. Paul Coulson is hosting not one but two new events in Leicester this month. Please support him if you are free on 1st or 19th April.

And after you've been to one of our events why not write a short review and tell other members what it was like? We welcome reviews and photos of events as well as features on your interesting occupations or unusual hobbies. We know from previous feedback questionnaires that members like reading about other members. So for the time being we are offering a £10 prize token - at the Editor's discretion - for anyone contributing a feature that is printed in Empress. Go on, give it a try!

Maxine Bates

Regional Officer

Events and Meetings

photo of Maxine Bates

Notts News

We have three events this month, none of which I am actually hosting. So thank you to Kevin Bamford, Paul Henchliffe, and Lesley and Geoff Walker.

On Mon 5th Apr at 8.00pm - 5OTM

Last time Kev hosted our '5th of the month' event it attracted a whole new bunch of people so let's see if some new faces appear from 8.00pm on Monday 5th when you can find the Mensa group at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road. Just look for the Magazine probably to the left of the bar or if you need directions please phone Kev on [Phone Number]. What better way to round off the Easter weekend? Me? I'll be flying back from Gdansk in Poland with some Mensa friends. If you're interested in our future weekend breaks in Europe get in touch.

On Wed 14th Apr at 7.00pm - Chicks & Flicks

Paul is once again hosting our 'chicks & flicks' event on Wednesday 14th when we dine at Nando's restaurant on Forman Street before watching a film at Cineworld. Although over recent months we've skipped the film and instead stayed and chatted over an extra drink (easy when we get free soft drinks that are refillable!) and gone home before the snow got worse. Hopefully this month will be better weather and there will be a good choice of films. Meet Paul inside the doors to the Cornerhouse building at 7.00pm prompt. To be added to Paul's email reminder and film listings contact him on [Phone Number] or [Email]

On Fri 23rd Apr at 7.30pm - St George's Day

Our St George's Day celebration will be at the home of Lesley and Geoff Walker near Newark from 7.30pm on Friday 23rd. We're encouraging you to wear red and white, there will be an English themed fun quiz, and our kind hosts will be serving ye olde English sausages and mash. Vegetarians will be catered for if known in advance. Bring whatever you wish to drink. For directions and to help the catering please contact Lesley on [Phone Number] or [Email]

I'm planning a couple of theatre trips this summer but tickets will need booking well in advance. Calendar Girls was a sell out last year when it was staged at the Theatre Royal. It returns with a cast including Charlie Dimmock, Letitia Dean, Gemma Craven and more. Tickets cost from £13 for rear balcony to £25 for front stalls. I propose to see the 7.30 pm show on Tuesday 1st June. Cirque du Soleil are touring with their 'Saltimbanco' show and will be appearing at the Nottingham Arena 21st-25th July. Tickets cost £40-£50. Please contact me if you are interested in either of these shows.

Ciao for now!

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Tony Dodd is looking for one or two people to join his quiz team at the Welby Arms, Allington, The quiz takes place every 3rd Monday in the month from 8.00pm until approx 10.00pm. Allington is about a mile off the A1 and is between Grantham and Newark. Tony writes, "At the moment we are 4 strong, so only need two more committed individuals. The winning team gets 4 bottles of wine (not each)!" Tony can be contacted on [Email]

photo of Ian Sargent

Northants NNotes

On Mon 5th Apr at 11.00am - Walk and Lunch

The Northants meetings will be straying from their normal format for April so if you want to meet up with us take careful note. Our 1st Monday meeting will be on the 5th, but it starts at 11.00am at Stoke Bruerne, which is just off the A508 between Northampton and Milton Keynes. The meeting point is the dry dock by the Boat Inn, from where we will take a stroll down the canal towpath. If you don't fancy the walk we'll be back at the Boat for 12.15pm for lunch in the bar on the car park side of the pub. Be warned that Stoke Bruerne has no onstreet parking. The Boat has a small car park, there is the Pay & Display in Chapel Lane and the car park run by the local church in Shutlanger Road. The walk will be weather permitting, so you might want to contact me before you set off. There will not be a meeting at the Malt Shovel in the evening.

On Thu 15th Apr at 8.00pm - Roadshow

The regular Roadshow meeting is on Thursday 15th and this month's venue is the Locomotive, Finedon Road, Wellingborough. We'll be there for 8.00pm and hopefully we will be catching up with the news from one of our American members.

On Thu 22th Apr at 8.00pm - Roadshow Extra

Finally, we have an additional Roadshow meeting on Thursday 22nd and it's a crossborder raid into North Bucks. The Robin Hood in the village of Clifton Reynes is our target and you'll find us in the bar. Any members nearby in Beds or Bucks are welcome to join us.

For all of the pub venues look for a copy of the Mensa magazine to identify us.

Ian Sargent

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

Derby Diary

On Wed 21th Apr at 7.30pm - 3WOTM

Our regular 3WOTM meeting at the Standing Order in Derby falls on Wednesday 21th this month. Join us for a meal or just a drink and some great conversation from 7.30pm. Look out for the yellow Mblem on a long table in the area just beyond the bar. Please feel free to contact me, for more details/directions or even if you just want some encouragement.

On Tue 27th Apr at 7.30pm - Eating meeting

This month the last Tuesday eating meeting takes place in Derby on 27th. We'll be meeting at 7.30 pm at Wok 1 Cantonese restaurant on Woods Lane near the city centre where an eat-all-you-like buffet costs just £7.95. Please contact Maxine on [Phone Number] or [Email] by 23rd to reserve a place.

As always it would be great to hear from you if you have any suggestions for future meetings or events, or if you would like to advertise one of your own.

Matthew Smith

photo of Richard Allen

Hertfordshire Happenings

On Thu 1st Apr at 8.15pm - FThOTM

On Thursday 1st at 8.15pm, our regular FTOM meeting:. If you've found any funny April Fools in the newspapers, bring a cutting or two along! We're at the Millstream, Cambridge Road, Hitchin, 10 minutes walk from the railway station Good food, good beer!

On Sun 11th Apr at 10.00am - Walk and Lunch

Sunday 11th finds us at Old Knebworth. Come and enjoy the joys of spring as we partake of a gentle 5½ mile walk in deepest Herts. Meet at 10.00am at the Lytton Arms, Old Knebworth (about a mile from Knebworth station) and we'll finish with a pub lunch. The pub is popular and booking is essential for the meal. Pub car parking is available with permission that I'll arrange beforehand. Hope to see you!

On Sun 25th Apr at 1.00pm - Carvery lunch

Join us on Sunday 25th from 1.00pm to (sort-of!) mark St George's Day, for a traditional carvery lunch at the Broadway Hotel, Letchworth, a few minutes walk from the station if you don't fancy driving. Traditional English puddings also available! I will buy a pint of beer or equivalent for anyone wearing red and white, and another for anyone who can quote in full Henry V's speech (as "reported" by Shakespeare).

On Fri 30th Apr at 8.00pm - LFOTM

On Friday 30th from 8.00pm join us for LFOTM at the Cowper Arms, Digswell (near Welwyn village). Good food and good beer available to suit all tastes! The venue is next to Welwyn North railway station (Kings Cross - Cambridge and Peterborough line with trains every 30 minutes). Do come along and try it out for yourself!

Richard Allen

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Gwen Jones invites you on a historical walk

"By the time of the Domesday survey, there had been a settlement at what is now known as Sawbridgeworth for thousands of years. The small riverside town was granted a market and fair in 1306, and the institution in recent years of October's Apple Day also here commemorates the local Rivers Orchard, first planted in 1725. On the afternoon of Sunday 23rd May a knowledgeable guide will give us an appreciation of the town's fine and interesting buildings and other features. The walk will take between 1½ and 2 hours, starting from Bell Street car park at 1.30pm. It will be free to members (£2 to members' guests). Bookings via the Mensa website on https://profile.mensa.org.uk/script/events.asp or to Diane Salter on [Phone Number] or at [Email]"

photo of Val Hinkins

Mid Bucks

On Sun 18th Apr at 1.00pm - Walk

Following last year's successful walk around Coombe Hill and Chequers, Ian has offered to lead another expedition in the Chilterns. This time we will start from and return to St. Lawrence's Church at West Wycombe - the one with the golden ball on the top. There is a large open air car park here, usually with an ice cream van. Access by car is up School Lane by West Wycombe school.

Meet by the hedge outside the church at 1.00pm on Sunday 18th April and from there we will walk down towards Bradenham, pausing to enjoy the gardens which should be open for Bradenham's Blossom Day. There is a £3 charge to go into the Manor gardens. We will then walk back to West Wycombe, taking in a tea stop at either the caves or the garden centre. Total length is approximately 5.5 miles, some mud, some slopes, and one uncultivated field.

If you would prefer to join us at the gardens or just for tea and cake, let me know and we'll arrange a time and look out for you.

Please ring me or e-mail me for directions / encouragement or just to ensure we don't set off without you!

Val Hinkins

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Jacquie Harrison

Lively Lincs

On Sat 12th Apr at 12.00pm - Lunch

Do join us in the coffee bar at The Collection, Danes Terrace, 12 noon on Saturday 12th. Some have lunch/snack, others just partake of drinks. Usually we're at the far end of the room; spot the yellow Mblem. All very welcome, for more details/encouragement please contact Christine, who hosts these regular second Saturday meetings, on [Phone Number], or [Email]

Americana Show - this is advance notice for what sounds like a really fun day on the border of Lincs and Notts. The Americana Show will be held at the Newark Showground 8th-10th July. Lots of "American vehicles" and live country & western music, visit www.americana-international.co.uk for more details. There are about 50 bands playing over the 3 days & we're getting a group together for the Saturday. If you want to join in, contact [Email]

It is great to have a more varied "menu" of meetings around Lincolnshire due to the efforts of the members who host and also those who support them. Thank you to everyone.

Jacquie Harrison

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

photo of Sue Watford

Leicestershire Letter

On Sat 24th Apr at 7.30pm - Eating meeting

On Saturday 24th at 7.30 pm we'll eat at the Admiral Hornblower pub/hotel at 64 High Street, Oakham ( LE15 6AS for satnavs). Please see the website at www.hornblowerhotel.co.uk for more information. I'll try and book a table by Friday 16th to ensure we get in (it's a popular place), so I'd be grateful for names before then, please. I promised a Thai meal when we found a decent place, and I've just had the second recommendation of a fairly new one opened in Melton Mowbray on the Oakham road; if anyone has had any experience of it, feedback would be great: if positive we could try it in May.

A great month for those who live in the city: Paul Coulson is arranging a couple of events there, so please support him if you can. Paul writes:

On Thu 1st Apr at 8:00pm - Who are you?

Thursday 1st April: a "Who are you?" get together. Meet up and decide what you want to do next! The Pub, New Walk Leicester (Just off Kings Street), 8:00pm. Partners welcome. Come and try a glass of 'Captain Pigwash' or maybe even a 'Hairy helmet'! For more details / directions / etc, please get in touch with Paul Coulson ([Phone Number], [Email])

On Mon 19th Apr at 7.30pm - Bowling

Monday 19th April: Bowled over: Bowling at Hollywood Bowling at Meridian Leisure Park (0116 263 1234) at 7.30pm for a couple of games, and come have a meet and a chat as well! Partners /families welcome (although kids that beat me will be severely frowned at!). Families / concessions are better off booking a lane directly (as they'll get a bigger discount), anybody else, get in touch with Paul Coulson (as above) by April 10th at the latest, and he'll put some groups together.

Sue Watford

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Jo Sidebottom

Mensans in MK & Bedford

On Thu 1st Apr at 8.00pm - FThOTM

First Thursday is at our regular venue of Jurys Inn Hotel on Midsummer Boulevard, on 1st April, from 8.00pm. Look out for the Mblem on one of the tables to the right in the foyer. Parking is a bit busy around Jurys and The Hub so we try to get in across the road and then walk through the underpass.

On Wed 21st Apr at 8.00pm - 3WOTM

Our Third Wednesday meeting at the Old Beams in Shenley Lodge is on 21st April from 8 pm. If you're definitely planning to come, please let me know as it will help us to grab the right sized table, but don't let that put you off deciding on the spur of the moment - you'll still be welcome. See www.mcmullens.co.uk for location and menu details. You can eat or not, as you wish - their food is quite good and reasonably priced. Look around for the Mblem - we don't always get the same table each time but we are often in the small room through on the extreme right.

On Sat 24th Saturday 24thApr at 12.30pm - St George's Day

Help us celebrate St George's Day at 12.30pm on Saturday 24th April (well ok, a day late!) with lunch at the Beefeater restaurant at the Priory Marina, Barkers Lane, Bedford MK41 9RX . If you can wear something red and/or white, so much the better! Please let me know by Wednesday 21st April if you plan to come, so I can book a table.

Hope to see you there,

Jo Sidebottom

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

photo of David Seddon

WATever . . .

On Mon 12th Apr at 8.00pm - Easter Quiz

On Monday 12th at 8.00pm you are invited to join in the fun, food and our Easter Quiz at [Address]. Places are limited to - so please contact me to confirm your place and for details about food/drink and details about the special quiz!

Looking forward to seeing you on the night.

David Seddon

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Jenny Habib

Berkhamsted

On Wed 28th Apr at 7.45pm - Eating meeting

On Wednesday 28th at 7.45pm-ish we will meet in the upper room in the "Eat Fish" restaurant on Berkhamsted High Street. All members young as well as adult very welcome, you do not have to eat, just have a glass of fruit juice or any other drink and enjoy the chat. However the food is good and reasonable if you are hungry. Having a room to ourselves helps the conversation, so do come and join in!

Jenny Habib

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

CURRENT EDITOR - Rosie Jefferson

This is the last Empress of my current 8-issue run as editor before I have my annual editorial break. For the next 4 months please send your news, reviews and events to Nick; he'd love to hear from you. Have a great Summer! I'll be back in September. Next month's editor - NICK STIMPSON

Dinner & Dance

Saturday 13th February 2010

Photo of the progressive barn dance.
The ladies learn to waltz.
Two members take fencing positions opposite each other, armed with heart shaped balloons.

After a small opinion poll some months ago, a dinner and dance was organised as this year's winter regional event. Members preferred a sit down meal to a buffet and wanted some sort of entertainment but not necessarily a disco. So we recreated the "dancing through the decades" event that was so popular at the Mensa diamond anniversary celebrations in 2006.

Guests started arriving at the Charnwood Arms Hotel in Coalville, Leicestershire, and were soon mingling and making new friends. The hotel had offered an excellent room rate so many people decided to stay overnight which meant they could also take advantage of the good value wine list! We dined on soup, melon, chicken, beef, brie tart, apple pie and Eton mess before working off the calories with a little dancing.

My dance teacher and I taught basic steps of a number of dances and were delighted that the dance floor was packed throughout these mini lessons and that everyone joined in so enthusiastically whether they had danced before or not. We started with a basic waltz; first the men being shown their steps then the ladies. The fun started when couples joined up and tried dancing around the room. A few collisions but no injuries! Next came a progressive barn dance so that we all got to say hello to each other. Then followed some energetic cha cha cha and rock 'n' roll by which time we needed a short break for some liquid refreshment and to regain energy.

Line dancing proved popular as no partners are required and the steps were easy to learn. So we did two dances. By this time we were impressed with the level of ability - and hip swaying - so added extra steps to the salsa. And finally there was the last waltz just to see if people could remember what they had learned two hours previously!

After all this dancing the night was still young. This year I am fundraising for Cancer Research UK. Merry Metcalf and myself had donated around two dozen prizes - wine, chocolates, perfume, silk scarves, hardback books, gift sets and more - so that a raffle could be organised. Andy Farrell and Christine Gigou were my lovely assistants selling tickets and with everyone's generosity we raised £84.25 for this worthwhile charity. With so many prizes most people won something to take home too.

The evening was rounded off with a "DIY disco" although many people were exhausted from all the earlier dancing so preferred to sit and chat with new-found friends, only venturing back onto the dance floor when the Macarena or Time Warp were played. As 1.00 am approached guests began drifting off to their bedrooms or home with heart shaped balloons that I'd provided as table décor, tied to their wrists. Well, it was Valentine's Day!

Thank you to the 40 members and their guests who came to this event and made it an enjoyable evening. I've had requests to repeat the format next year. There may well be another meal and opportunity to dance at a venue easily accessible from the M1 next February.

Watch this space!

Cry God for Harry, England and St George!

Coats of arms: York and London
Lithuania and Russia (Russian Federation)

We all know that St George is the patron saint of England, but how much else do we know about him? Much has been written about him over the years but it is difficult to separate truth from myth.

St George was a Roman citizen, born in Lydda (close to what is now Tel Aviv in Israel) in about AD270. He was a Christian and joined the Roman army at a time when the Roman Empire was still pagan. When the Emperor Diocletian announced a new campaign against Christianity, which included the requirement for all Christians to offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods, George refused and made a personal representation to the Emperor. This was unsuccessful, as was Diocletian's attempt to persuade him to renounce his faith, and as a result he was executed in Nicomedia (now Izmit, on the Sea of Marmara in Turkey - not to be confused with Izmir, which was once known as Smyrna) in AD303. His body was buried in Lydda and a church built there to commemorate him. This has been destroyed and rebuilt over the years.!

It should be noted that the timing of Diocletian's edict was not accidental as Armenia had proclaimed itself in AD301 as a Christian nation (the first in the world to do so) and there can be little doubt that Diocletian was determined to discourage others from following the Armenian lead.

The story of the slaying of the dragon has entered international mythology and appears to date from the time of the Crusades.

The emblem of St George, namely the blood-red cross on a white background, is believed to have been first adopted by Genoa in about 1100 and was adopted by England (and, separately, by London, with the inclusion of the dagger of St Paul in the upper left corner) about 100 years later in order to allow their ships to benefit from the protection of the Genoese fleet (which also required a tribute to be paid) in the Mediterranean. During the Crusades the emblem was widely adopted and the flag became the official flag of England in about 1280. The emblem also appears in many city coats of arms, such as London, Cambridge, York and Lincoln.

St George is also the patron saint of Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal and Russia, among others and is venerated across much of the rest of Europe.

The story of St George and the dragon has been used many times over the years but perhaps one of the funniest in recent times is "Knights of Madness", one of the last episodes of Dad's Army, first broadcast in 1977. In this episode, the mayor of Walmington-on-Sea has organised a fund-raising day for the war effort and both the Home Guard and the ARP decide to reenact the slaying of the dragon by St George. Neither will back down for the other's benefit, and the climax of the episode has the respective St Georges and dragons fighting each other!

And finally . . . even the Scots acknowledge St George, as there is a district of Glasgow (and Subway station) called St George's Cross!

20 Questions (No. 103)

The answers to the dancing quiz from the February issue were Buenos Aires, Strictly Ballroom, swing, dance, matador's cape, barre, Rio de Janeiro, Debbie Moore, Tap Dogs, Andalucia, Jennifer Grey, Darcey Bussell, Tchaikovsky, break dancing, India, samba, Folies Bergere, Erin Boag, salsa and the Roly Polys. Entries were received from Lynn Cooper of Hertfordshire, Pamela Covey of Woburn, Dave Simpson of Royston, Andy Cole of Cleethorpes, Chris Impey of Tring and Steve Percy of Leicester with Andy being drawn 'from the hat' to win the £10 book token.

This month our quiz is all about William Shakespeare. Send your answers to '20 Questions (No. 103)', [Address], to arrive by 20th April for your chance to win the prize.

1. Falstaff appears in how many of Shakespeare's plays?

2. Shakespeare was born in Stratford Upon Avon but in which county is the town?

3. What are the names of the feuding lovers in Much Ado About Nothing?

4. How old was Shakespeare when he married?

5. Prospero is a character in which play?

6. In which violent play was Lavinia brutally mutilated?

7. "To be or not to be" is a quote from which play?

8. Shakespeare's father made and sold which item of clothing?

9. Hamlet was the prince of which country?

10. Who did Shakespeare marry?

11. To the nearest thousand, how many words did Shakespeare 'invent'?

12. What was the name of The Merchant Of Venice?

13. In which year did Shakespeare die?

14. Which of Shakespeare's female characters has more lines than any other?

15. How many children did Shakespeare have?

16. Iago was responsible for the downfall of which character?

17. With which London theatre was Shakespeare associated?

18. How old was Shakespeare when he died?

19. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

20. Whose head is transformed into that of an ass in A Midsummer Night's Dream?