Photo of Sandra Dowe and John Stevenage

Who, What, Where and Why?

(find out below)

 

Regional News

This month sees something a little different in the form of an Architectural Technology Day at the University of Northampton. The event takes place from 10.00am to 5.00pm on Saturday 5th March and is exclusive to Mensa. If you've ever wondered how architects turn initial concepts into 3D structures this is your chance to find out! There will be a mix of presentations and hands-on activities using the latest design software. The cost is £29 for adults and £24 for under 18s, including refreshments and a buffet lunch. See www.mensa.org.uk/eastmids for full details and contact Diane Salter at the Mensa office on 01902-772-771 for availability as numbers are limited.

Something else a little different is your chance to participate in a 24 hour walking event in aid of Cancer Research UK. You may recall that a group of Mensans took part in Relay For Life last year. Well, it was such an amazing experience we're doing it all again! The venue is Harvey Hadden Stadium in Nottingham and the event is from 12 noon on Saturday 2nd to 12 noon on Sunday 3rd July. As well as at least one member of our team walking on the track at all times we'll be operating a nonalcoholic cocktail bar at the event. There will be lots of stalls, attractions and live music so do join us if you can. We are also seeking sponsorship at www.donatetomyrelay.org/cocktailcrew where every penny is most gratefully received.

Don't forget to check out Empress, Mensa Magazine and the Mensa web site for all our social events throughout the year. We aim to organise events for all ages and all budgets but if there is something you would like to see please contact your LocSec with suggestions. Alternatively I'm on [Phone Number] or [Email] and would love to hear from you.

Maxine Bates

Regional Officer

Events and Meetings

photo of Christine Howells

Lively Lincs

On Sat 12th Mar at 12:00pm - 2SaOTM

Conversation during January's meeting ranged from how do you take your socks off, through knitting, book reviews and ended up with talking about how we thought Camus was more interesting when we were younger! So, for wideranging chat, do join us on Saturday 12th for our regular 2SaOTM in the coffee bar at The Collection, Danes Terrace, LN2 1LP . Some of us have lunch/snack, others just a quick coffee. Usually we're at the far end of the room, spot the yellow Mblem. All very welcome. Please contact me for more details/encouragement.

Christine Howells

Contact [Email] for details

More or Leicester

On Mon 7th Mar at 8.00pm - Eating meeting

To kick off March's meetings in Leicestershire, I thought we'd bring the rolling-roadshow of eating-meetings to Leicester and give a try to one of the Wetherspoons pubs in city, so we're off to The Last Plantagenet on Granby Street just down from the station. More details about the place can be found at http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-last-plantagenet, but you can always email Paul Coulson at [Email].

On Thu 24th Mar at 8.00pm - 3ThOTM

Due to travel commitments, once again the regular Third Thursday of the Month meeting slips a week, and will be taking place at the Old Horse on London Road from 20:00. Please feel free to email Paul Coulson at [Email] or call me on [Phone Number] for more details.

On Tue 29th Mar at 7.30pm - Eating meeting

Our last visit to the Harvester on A512/New Ashby Road proved popular so we're returning at 7.30pm on Tuesday 29th. There's a free unlimited salad bar with every main course and we may have vouchers to claim a free dessert. The restaurant is located on the main road linking M1 J23 to Loughborough centre and there is ample parking. Please book your place by 25th latest with Maxine on [Phone Number] or [Email] All the best!

Paul Coulson

Derby Diary

I have been encouraged to see a number of new faces at Derby events recently. Some are new to the area, others have been inactive for some time. Old friends are equally welcome and have also been out in some numbers.

I am keen to hear what sort of events local members want to enjoy over the Spring and Summer with the lighter evenings. Do let me know via email - or better still come along and tell me your ideas.

On Wed 2nd Mar at 7.30pm - Theatre

Maxine writes, "On Wednesday 2nd March we're going to watch 'April in Paris' at Derby Playhouse. If you're familiar with the works of John Godber you'll know that this is a hilarious play. The plot concerns a bored couple who win a romantic weekend in Paris. Will the city of l'amour make or break their relationship? It stars Wendi Peters (Cilla Battersby-Brown from Coronation Street) and the performance starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced £10-£17." Please contact Maxine ASAP if interested so a group booking can be co-ordinated.

On Wed 16th Mar at 7.30pm - 3WOTM

On Wednesday 16th at 7.30pm join me and Maxine for the regular Derby 3WOTM Pub/Meal in the Standing Order; a popular Wetherspoons pub in Irongate. Contact Maxine on [Phone Number] or me for info/encouragement. No need to pre book.

On Mon 28th Mar at 5.15pm - Park Walk

On Monday 28th at 5.15pm for 5.30pm Jackie and I will be taking a leisurely stroll round Shipley Park near Heanor, a former mining area that has been landscaped, covering 600 acres with 18 miles of footpaths. We won't manage them all! Meet us at the Visitors Centre. Possibility of a drink after the walk. Call/email me to register your interest. This event is weather dependent, phone if in doubt."

Alistair Blackett

photo of Jenny Habib

Berkhamsted

On Wed 30th Mar at 7.45pm - LWOTM

On Wednesday 30th at 7.45-ish our meeting will be at the White Horse in Bourne End. There is a car park at the side and back. I hear the food is much improved, and it is reasonable. See you all there I hope.

Jenny Habib

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of David Seddon

WATever . . .

On Mon 14th Mar at 8.00pm - Music meeting

On Monday 14th at 8.00pm, your favourite music meeting hosted by David Silver. Please bring a CD with your favourite piece of music (no more than 5 minutes please!) followed by 5 minutes of your reason for liking it. We will be bringing the usual nibbles/refreshments. The venue will be advised for those attending. Please contact me if you wish to attend.

On Mon 28th Mar at 8.00pm - Pub meeting

On Monday 28th at 8.00pm, a pub meeting at the Essex Arms, Langley Way, Watford. Please look for the Magazine on the table. New members always warmly welcomed.

I have a number of email addresses that are out of date. Please would you email me with a working email address to update my records and add you to the mailing list. I send out regular updates and notices and you're missing out if you aren't receiving these.

Christine writes:

"Greek and Latin classical literature was composed to be declaimed. I would like to make contact with anyone who was educated in this way and who understands the importance of declaiming, memorising and singing as an introduction to the study of classical languages.

If you have a view on the introduction of the 'Restored Pronunciation' to Latin teaching, I would especially like to talk to you."

Would you please contact me if you are interested in helping Christine.

David Seddon

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Richard Allen

Hertfordshire Happenings

On Thu 3rd Mar at 8.15pm - FThOTM

On Thursday 3rd from 8.15pm, our regular first Thursday of the month meeting. Come and join us! We'll be around for our usual mix of lively conversation and a good atmosphere. As always, we're at the Millstream, Cambridge Road, Hitchin. Good food and good beer both available! Call me for more details and encouragement. The pub is about ten minutes' walk from the railway station.

On Fri 25th Mar at 8.00pm - LFOTM

Come to the Cowper Arms at Digswell (near Welwyn) on Friday 25th from 8.00pm for our Last Friday meeting. Good food and good beer available! 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.

On Sat 26th Mar at 10.30am - Country walk

Blow away Last Friday's cobwebs with a bracing walk in deepest Herts on Saturday 26th. Gwen and I will start from the Lordship Arms, at the south end of Benington village, at 10.30am for a 5-6 mile circular walk followed by a pub meal. The Lordship is a well-known local real ale pub. Contact me (details below) or Gwen on"[Phone Number] for details and encouragement. Nearest station is Stevenage and pick-ups can be arranged.

Richard Allen

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Val Hinkins

Mid Bucks

On Sat 19th Mar at 2.30pm - Theatre

An afternoon theatre trip on Saturday 19th. Come to Wycombe Swan at 2:30pm to see Agatha Christie's "Verdict". All tickets £21. See"www.wycombeswan.co.uk for full details. Afterwards we will go for a pizza in the town centre.

"The brilliant Professor Hendryk leads a content and morally upstanding life, but his world is turned upside-down when he is persuaded to take on a new pupil against his better judgement; a spoilt, conniving minx who will stop at nothing to get her way. With murderous intentions afoot, it only remains to be seen what verdict will be delivered..."

Join me for the play, the meal or both. Please buy your own tickets for the Swan, but contact me by Monday 14th March to let me know you are coming.

Val Hinkins

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Ian Sargent

Northants NNotes

Opens his eyes, stretches, yawns. Hmm, March - must be time to end the hibernation.

On Thu 3rd Mar at 9.00pm - FThOTM

Yes, the Northants Mensa group is active again and our first meeting since October will be on Thursday 3rd at 9.00pm. We are heading into Northampton Town centre, to the Wig & Pen in St Giles Street. If you haven't been there for a while don't let its past incarnations put you off as it has been revamped recently; don't let its reputation for hauntings put you off either!

On Thu 17th Mar at 8.00pm - Roadshow

The second meeting this month is the Roadshow on Thursday 17th at 8.00pm. Off to the south of the county, but not quite across the border into Bucks. Meet us at the Coffee Pot, High Street, Yardley Gobion. The village is just to the west of the A508, a couple of miles north of the junction with the A5. The last time we went here it was a bit of a disaster as the pub was going downhill, but it was taken over and completely refurbished about a year ago.

If you enjoyed reading my article in January Empress you'll be able to see the rest of my Northern Ireland photos at both meetings. A copy of the Mensa mag on the table will show you where we are.

Ian Sargent

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

photo of Jo Sidebottom

Mensans in MK & Bedford

On Thu 3rd Mar at 8.00pm - FThOTM

Our regular First Thursday meeting is at 8.00pm on 3rd March at Jurys Inn Hotel on Midsummer Boulevard. 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 usually try and get in across the road and then walk through the underpass.

On Sat 19th Mar at 3.00pm - T@3

T@3 makes a welcome return to Dobbie's Garden Centre, Fenny Stratford, at 3.00pm on Saturday 19th. Look for us somewhere in the restaurant. Sadly we had to cancel the December meeting at the last minute because of snow so it will be good to see our T@3 regulars again.

On Sun 27th Mar at 10.15am - Breakfast meeting

We've chosen the location for this Sunday's breakfast meeting in MK: please join us at Carluccio's at Destination Dining (the Centre:MK) from 10.15 am. We will probably be in one of the red booths just outside the restaurant. Feel free to come for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink, but if you can let me know by Saturday it would be helpful, so I know 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 March!

Jo Sidebottom

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

photo of Maxine Bates

Notts News

On Sat 5th Mar at 8.00pm - 5OTM

Don't be home alone on Saturday 5th - come and join us for a drink and chat at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road. The venue is close to the train station and Broad Marsh bus station if you're drinking, or there's free parking outside if you're driving. Look for the yellow Mblem on the table, usually to the left of the bar, from 8.00pm until late. New faces are always welcome.

On Wed 9th Mar at 7.00pm - Chicks & Flicks

We're meeting at 7.00pm on Wednesday 9th inside the doors to the Cornerhouse in the city centre. From there we'll dine at Nando's before watching a film at Cineworld. There are discounts for Cornerhouse card holders and Orange mobile phone owners so it's possible to have a whole night out for under a tenner. Contact me for further info and cinema listings or just turn up on the night.

On Fri 18th Mar at 8.00pm - At home

We continue our series of 'at home' events and this month will be visiting Iris and Eddie Foweather in Wollaton for an evening of chat and boardgames from 8.00pm on Friday 18th. You're welcome to bring drinks and nibbles and any games you wish to play. For directions and to let them know you'll be there please phone 0115-916-3551 or email iris.foweather@gmail.com. If you would be prepared to host an 'at home' event in the future please do get in touch.

On Thu 24th Mar at 7.30pm - Pub meeting

A group of us often meet at the Beekeeper pub on Meadow Lane in Beeston so on Thursday 24th we're making this an 'official' event and inviting you to join us from 7.30pm for either a meal or just a drink. We usually bag table number 24 which is the first long table as you enter the family dining area, but please let me know if you'd like to join us so I can ensure the table is big enough. This won't stop you deciding to join us on the night as the more the merrier and we can always squeeze in another! This is a Hungry Horse pub/restaurant offering a varied and good value menu. The Thursday offer is a free starter or dessert with certain 'big plate' meals and we also have vouchers to claim free tarka daal or onion bharjis if ordering a curry meal.

Ciao for now!

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Editor's Bit at the Bottom

We're happy to hear from you anytime, with articles, photos, feedback. This is your newsletter - tell Nick and me what you'd like to see in it. Have a great March!

Rosie Jefferson

SIGSection

Many SIGSecs reside in the East Midlands area. This is the first of several articles written by some of these SIGSecs about their particular SIG.

CRAFT SIG

Left: Quillow by Anne. (A quillow is a quilt that folds away into a pillow). Right: Christmas Bell tree decoration by Berry.
Mug Hug by Kay
Acetate Tealight Holders made by regular contributor Eleanor.
Christmas card designed and made by Caroline, the previous Craft SIG Secretary.

I'm sure we've all heard that true geniuses, such as Leonardo da Vinci, are equally at home with activities that use the left and right sides of the brain. I say this to justify ] not that it needs justifying . the existence of Craft SIG in a high IQ society. There are only so many hours in a day when one can sit around thinking profound thoughts and generally being brilliant. Crafting is a great way to unwind whilst still putting time to good use.

Now let me introduce Craft SIG. I've been SIG Sec for just over 2 years now and I'm thrilled with the way the SIG has developed. Firstly, it's a 'safe zone'. No pomposity, no arguments or sniping, no condescension or patronizing ] just an appreciation of everyone's efforts. I aim to compile a newsletter, Craftophile, every two months. This varies in length, usually between 60 and 80 pages jam packed with photos, projects, articles and competitions. The most popular craft seems to be paper crafting in the form of card making and scrapbooking. Any other craft will be included, articles in the past have been about basket weaving, jewellery making, embroidery, patchwork and quilting, lace making, spinning, knitting, bath bombs . . . anything that a member is kind enough to write about is included. In every issue there will be around 5 prize competitions. Anyone can win as the winning entry is selected by my dog, Rita. To see the judging procedure in progress just visit www.craftsig.myphotoalbum.com where you will be able to see a couple of videos of Rita's judging procedure together with photos of entries in two of the current competitions. You will also see an album that contains photos from all of the newsletters that I've compiled, browsing through that will give you a good idea of the mix of crafts covered.

New members are more than welcome. There are countless 'crafts' so there is always something new to learn and to try. Even someone expert in one area will be a novice in another, so a variety of articles and projects written for a people of varying abilities and experience is ideal. If you would like to find out more about this friendly SIG, contact me at kaylockie@btconnect.com.

I'll be happy to send you a pdf copy of Craftophile or a hard copy if you're not online. Let me know which crafts interest you and I'll see if I can find a past issue that might appeal. I'll look forward to hearing from you.

If you go to www.craftsig.myphotoalbum.com you'll see photos from all of the newsletters I've compiled.

Kay Lockie, Craft SIGSec

The Board came to Bedford

On Saturday 22nd January

Our LocSec, Jo Sidebottom, chaired the meeting and welcomed us to an afternoon of website building. David Bolton was the speaker and he took us step by step through the journey of establishing a website. David used a laptop and data projector to demonstrate procedures.

We had an opportunity of meeting members of the Board and were informed of Mensa events by CEO John Stevenage who reminded us that it is Mensa's 65th birthday this year. The venue chosen was the Park Inn in the centre of Bedford. The ample refreshments at the beginning and end of the session completed this successful event.

Editor: Not a resident in Jo's area, I crept over the border to enjoy this enlightening and entertaining afternoon. I chatted with a couple of Board members and other Mensans I hadn't met before, and,following David's talk, I now have a domain name (and hopefully a working website soon). Celebrating Mensa Brilliant should be fun ] so look out for both local and national events happening around 1st October, Mensa's 65th birthday. Other LocSecs may want to consider inviting the Board to their area . there was a great turnout to this event, with the general consensus that it was an excellent afternoon.

by Sandra Dowe (pictured at the of this page with Mensa CEO, John Stevenage)

20 Questions (No. 114)

The answers from the January competition were 116 years, China, Ecuador, banana, sheep and horses, Doncaster, November, none (peahens lay eggs not peacocks), squirrel fur, none (eskimos live at the North Pole and penguins are found at the South Pole), dogs, three, Albert, Kent, crimson, USA, none (it was Noah's Ark), fish, orange and September. The winner was Helene Parry of Brentford with other entries from Patrick Cavanagh of Dublin, Alex Foster of Derby, Pat Naylor of Nottingham, Judith Mellor of Derby, Pamela Covey of Woburn, Chris Newbold of Quorn, Roger Plant of Nottingham, Chris Impey of Tring, Tony Dodd of Belvoir, T Hamilton of Sleaford and Lynn Cooper of Aston.

1st March is St David's Day, the patron saint of Wales. So this month our quiz concerns all things Welsh. Send your answers to '20 Questions (No. 114)', [Address], to arrive by 20th March.

1. What is the highest mountain in Wales?

2. Which Welsh resort is found at the base of the Great Orme?

3. Who wrote and narrated Ivor The Engine?

4. What is the English translation of the Welsh word 'llan'?

5. Which is the only UK motorway to enter Wales?

6. What is the name of the large wooden rollercoaster at Oakwood theme park in Wales?

7. In which Welsh town was singer Tom Jones born?

8. Which monarch was responsible for the union of England and Wales?

9. At which racecourse is the Welsh Grand National run?

10. What body of water lies between the Welsh mainland and the island of Anglesey?

11. Which architect designed the Welsh village of Portmeirion?

12. Who is the Welsh celebrity mother of children Ruby and Dexter?

13. In which year was the National Assembly for Wales formed?

14. Which Welsh author wrote Under Milk Wood?

15. What is the name of the Welsh music festival held in July?

16. In which castle was Prince Charles invested as Prince of Wales?

17. Which town became a city in 1994 and is currently the smallest city in Wales?

18. Catherine Zeta Jones was born in which Welsh seaside village?

19. Which resort in Newport hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament?

20. What is the Welsh name for Anglesey?`