Regional News
Our next regional event takes place from 7.00pm to 11.00pm on Saturday 25th February and the venue is Diseworth Village Hall which is in the village adjacent to East Midlands Airport so therefore on the borders of Notts, Derbys and Leics and with easy access from M1 J23A and J24. It will be a barn dance with a band and caller - Heather Mixture who have entertained us at previous events - so no dance experience necessary. A hot supper of chilli, rice and nachos will be served, but there's no bar so please bring whatever you wish to drink. Reasonably priced accommodation is available locally. Members and guests of all ages are very welcome. Tickets cost a bargain £5 each and are selling well. Please contact me on [Phone Number] or [Email] to purchase yours.
As Olympic fever takes off, you may be interested in our Health & Wellbeing Day taking place at Loughborough University on Saturday 31st March. There will be lectures on diet and exercise as well as a practical session using a new technique to help stress and pain management. Slimming club, dietician and fitness coach all rolled into one! Plus an exclusive tour of the training facilities that have been used by former students such as Paula Radcliffe, Sebastian Coe and David Moorcroft and that will be used by Team GB for the 2012 Olympics. The cost of the day that runs from 10.00am to 5.00pm is £39 and includes an arrival drink and lunch. Full details can be found at www.mensa.org.uk/eastmids
Thank you to those members who have enquired about the vacant or new roles within East Midlands Mensa. Hopefully we will have a couple more people joining the team shortly.
Finally I'd like to wish Leicester LocSec, Paul Coulson, a very happy birthday as he reaches another milestone!
I'm on [Phone Number] or [Email]
Maxine Bates
Regional Officer
Events and Meetings
Hertfordshire Happenings
On Thu 2nd Feb at 8.15pm - FThOTM
Regular FThOTM on Thursday 2nd from 8.15pm. Join us for our usual mix of lively conversation and a good atmosphere at the Millstream, Cambridge Road, Hitchin. The pub is about ten minutes' walk from the railway station.
On Fri 24th Feb at 8.00pm - LFOTM
We end the month in the usual way with good food at the Cowper Arms, Digswell (near Welwyn village). Join us from 8.00pm on Friday 24th. 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). Contact me for further details and encouragement.
Richard Allen
Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details
WATever . . .
On Mon 13th Feb at 8.00pm - 10 Pin Bowling
Monday 13th at 8.00pm: 10 Pin Bowling at Hollywood Bowl, Woodside Leisure Park, North Orbital Road, Garston, Watford, WD25 7JZ . Please let me know if you plan to attend as I will need to book. There is a bar and cafe too.
On Mon 27th Feb at 8.00pm - Pub meeting
Monday 27th at 8.00pm: Pub meeting at the Essex Arms, Langley Way, Watford. WD17 3EG . Please look for the Magazine on the table. New members always warmly welcomed.
David Seddon
Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details
More or Leicester
On Thu 9th Feb at 8.00pm - 2ThOTM
Due to a planned hangover in February, I'm afraid there'll be just the one meeting this month as the Third Thursday of the Month meeting at The Craddock Inn (http://tinyurl.com/leicsMensaTTOTM) is brought forward to the Second Thursday (9th Feb) at 8.00pm. Please bring paracetamol / hair-of-the-dog, etc. Give me call or drop me a line for more info. The reason for the hangover? I turn 50 the following week . . . !
Paul Coulson
Mensans in MK & Bedford
On Thu 2nd Feb at 8.00pm - FThOTM
Please join us on the 2nd for informal chat at our First Thursday venue of Jurys Inn Hotel, Midsummer Boulevard (west). Look for the mag or Mblem on one of the tables to the right in the foyer.
On Sat 4th Feb at 10.30am - Town walk
On Saturday 4th we are taking the opportunity to explore Wolverton, a railway town on the north west side of Milton Keynes. Once off the main streets there are secret gardens, pleasant shopping squares, and surprising architecture. Meet 10.30am in the main car park, Church St.
On Sun 12th Feb at 8.00pm - 2SuOTM - My Favourite Things
A thinly-veiled excuse to get together for a relaxing evening of chat over a glass of wine, each month you are asked to bring samples (or memories) of your favourite things to share with others - this month, the theme is sweets! E-mail Mike on [Email] or phone [Phone Number] for directions/encouragement/parking hints.
On Thu 16th Feb at 4.00pm - 3ThOTM - Birthday Tea
It's Mike's birthday on the 20th, so come and join us by the fireside at Oaklands for an early celebration, complete with a nice cup of tea and a piece of birthday cake. E-mail Mike on [Email] or phone [Phone Number] for directions/encouragement/parking hints.
On Sun 19th Feb at 10.15am - Breakfast meeting
Sunday breakfast will be at 10.15am on Sunday 19th, but please contact me to confirm the venue. Feel free to come for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink, but if possible please let me know by Saturday 18th so we have an idea what size table to grab when we arrive.
We hope to see as many of you as possible at one or other of our events in February.
Jo Sidebottom
Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details
Lively Lincs
On Sat 11th Feb at 12.00pm - 2SaOTM
Do join us at the Adam & Eve pub on Lindum Hill for lunch or just a drink. We start with some chatting, at 12.30 we will start a discussion on 'Nature or nurture?', then finish with more general chat.
On Sun 26th Feb at 3.00pm - 4SuOTM
The discussion group on Sunday 26th 3.00-5.00pm, will be at my house near Alford. General discussion over tea and cakes on ideas of the main philosophers but no previous knowledge required, everyone can join in. This month: Bentham thought the certainty of criminal punishment was more important than its severity. What do we think punishment is for?
Christine Howells
Contact [Email] for details
Editor: Lively Lincs covers postcodes PE20-25 but other PE postcodes come within the area of a new LocSec in the East Anglia region, Peter Law, who may be contacted at peterdlaw@googlemail.com or on 01733-649-707.
Derby Diary
On Wed 15th Feb at 7.30pm - 3WOTM
Wednesday 15th from 7.30pm for 3WOTM. Join me and Maxine at the Standing Order, a popular Wetherspoons Pub in Irongate. New members and old always welcome.
On Tue 28th Feb at 7.30pm - Indian meal
At 7.30pm on Tuesday 28th we're going to try a new southern Indian restaurant called Mauryan, on Curzon Street in the city centre. It comes highly recommended by local members and we have vouchers for two courses for two people for a total of £18. So feel free to bring a friend! Please contact Maxine on [Phone Number] or [Email] by 24th so that a table can be reserved.
Alistair Blackett
Editor: Alistair feels that he can no longer devote as much time to the role of LocSec as he would like to. If you are interested in taking on this role please contact Maxine.
Northants NNotes
Though the Northants group is still in hibernation for February I'm now planning the events for March onwards. In 2011 the evening meetings went to several new venues and to several places in the county that we hadn't visited before - I'd like to continue that in 2012 so if you know of a suitable quiet pub near you please let me know.
In addition to the pub meets I'm also intending to arrange a couple of walks of 3-4 miles in length, especially after the success of the last which attracted participants from Buckinghamshire and Leicestershire.
I'm also interested in arranging other meetings: theatre trips, museums, etc., so if you know of anything please get in touch - but bear in mind that I need to know at least two months in advance to meet the deadlines for Empress and the Mensa magazine.
Ian Sargent
Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details
Mid Bucks
On Sat 18th Feb at 7.00pm - Scrabble evening
From 7.00pm on Saturday 18th we will gather round a warm fire in a local member's home and enjoy an evening of friendly games of Scrabble. Tea and coffee will be provided. Exact location will be confirmed depending on numbers, weather and other unpredictable factors!
Please feel free to bring suggestions for other events you would like to see in 2012.
Numbers are limited, so please ring or e-mail me by Monday 13th for directions and to reserve your place.
Val Hinkins
Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details
Notts News
On Sun 5th Feb at 8.00pm - 5OTM
Our regular "5th of the month" event usually attracts 8-12 members of varying ages. Because the day of the week varies they are not always the same faces. Why not come along and say hello from 8.00pm on Sunday 5th? We meet in the Golding's Room of the Vat & Fiddle pub which is close to Nottingham railway station and Broad Marsh bus station and free parking is right outside. Soft drinks are reasonably priced and there's real ale supplied by Castle Rock Brewery adjacent to the pub. In fact there's a large window between the Golding's Room and the brewery, although not much to see during our evening visits.
On Wed 8th Feb at 7.00pm - Chicks and Flicks
Please note our "chicks and flicks" event has moved out of the city centre due to the extended evening parking charges. We now meet at Nando's on Redfield Way in Lenton before moving onto Showcase cinema next door. See www.nandos.co.uk for menu and www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for film listings. We'll be meeting inside the restaurant at 7.00pm on Wednesday 8th.
On Sat 18th Feb at 9.30am - Zumba
In addition to a regular pub social, cinema trip and restaurant visit, I'm trying to organise a different activity each month too. On Saturday 18th you have the chance to try out the latest zumba fitness craze. It's a cross between aerobics and salsa dancing with a little Bollywood and street dancing thrown in for good measure! A fun way to get in shape. No experience is necessary as you just follow the instructor and work at a level to suit yourself. The class takes place at Greasley Sports Centre, not far from M1 J26, from 9.30am to 10.15am and costs £3.50 per person. Contact me for further information.
Please see the Derby Diary section for details of this month's "eating meeting" as we have a special offer at a new Indian restaurant.
Ciao for now!
Maxine Bates
Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details
Editor's Bit at the Bottom
Hi!
How quickly time passes; this is already the 6th of my 8-month stint of editing Empress. If you have ideas for new content or would like to give editing a shot, even just for a trial month, please contact me, Nick or Maxine.
Rosie Jefferson
City in a Forest
Milton Keynes or "MK" is not technically a City - but we keep trying - it is one of the last of the post-war "New Towns" and possibly one of the finest examples of large-scale urban planning in the country.
Whilst it is centrally located between London and Birmingham and Oxford and Cambridge, it was always intended that MK would be overspill, and being within good commuting range would function as a dormitory town for London. It was also intended that it should have a vigorous identity of its own - it has an important retail centre (at the time of construction the largest in Europe) and a major regional theatre and entertainment district.
A basic concept was quality of life with ease of communication . . . it lies beside the M1 and around the London to Birmingham railway and the A5 . . . and even the Grand Union Canal runs through it.
This town was built for the car before this became environmentally unfashionable, with wide roads on a grid plan that separate through traffic from residential areas and famously intersect at roundabouts, but not rigidly so, the grid adapts to suit the features of the landscape and to accommodate the existing towns and villages that have been incorporated into it. The grid squares so formed are zoned for residential, industrial and retail and recreational use with lakes, parkland and open space being an important feature. Each residential area was conceived as an "urban village" with its own local centre and distinct identity, with the central area being the social and commercial hub of the town as a whole.
A fundamental principle of design was the integration of "soft" and "hard" landscapes as in gardens and buildings and public artworks, and in Milton Keynes this has been a remarkable achievement. The central area is noted for its uncompromising modern architecture in glass, steel and concrete, and this was a deliberate intention, but the residential areas around are low rise and mellow toned and everywhere there are trees . . .
It is green and spacious but has excellent facilities and it works . . .
I live in Milton Keynes because I like it here.
Barn Dance
You have until 18th February to book your tickets with Maxine for the Barn Dance to be held on Saturday 25th February 2012 from 7.00-11.00pm at Diseworth Village Hall, Derbys, DE74 2QJ (2 miles from M1 J23a)
Only £5 including band with caller and hot supper
Local accommodation available from £19 at: premierinn.com; ladygateguesthouse.co.uk; hiexpress.co.uk; thistle.com
20 Questions (No. 125)
Did you guess the answers to the 1946 quiz? They were Bill Clinton, Derby County, Perry Como, London, Wimbledon, U.S.A., Annie Get Your Gun, bikini, Australia, Dolly Parton, The Flamingo, The Postman Always Rings Twice, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, Japan, Winston Churchill, Cathay Pacific, Muffin The Mule, Nuremberg, Hawaii and Oxford. There were entries from Patrick Cavanagh of Mullingar, Pamela Covey of Woburn, Alex Foster of Derby, Andy Cole of Cleethorpes, Chris Newbold of Quorn, Pat Naylor of Nottingham, Helene Parry of Brentford, Chris Benger of Bedfordshire and Diana Morris of Kettering. And the winner is . . . Alex Foster. Well done, Alex.
This month all the answers contain the name of a capital city. How many do you know? Send your answers to '20 Questions (No. 125)', [Address], to arrive by 20th for your chance to win a £10 national book token.
1. Who was the first African American actor to win two Oscars?
2. Which dish consists of breaded poultry stuffed with garlic and herbs?
3. What was the name of Rigsby's cat in Rising Damp?
4. 'Hypericum perforatum' is the official name of which herbal remedy?
5. What is the oldest variety of grape in the world?
6. Who wrote the novel 'White Fang'?
7. What was the second film in which Michael Caine played spy Harry Palmer?
8. Which song by Murray Head features in the musical Chess?
9. What is the name of the mine that collapsed in Chile in August 2010?
10. Who played the role of Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III?
11. Which novel by Graham Greene features a salesman called Jim Wormold?
12. What is the common name for the vegetable 'brassica oleracea gemmifera'?
13. Which was the first football team to win the European Cup?
14. Who wrote and starred in the sitcom 'Dinnerladies'?
15. Which Womble wears a school cap and glasses?
16. The title of which Shakespeare play ends with the name of a capital city?
17. Which P&O ship served troops during the Falklands War?
18. Who had a hit in 1988 with the song 'My One Temptation'?
19. What is the Portuguese word for beach?
20. Which song contains the line 'and did those feet in ancient time'?