When a Saturday becomes a "Sundae"

Welwyn, 5th August.

 

Regional News

Despite our current lack of officers in the East Midlands region I'm delighted that so many members are organising events. So a big thank you to Rowena, Mark and Kerensa in Welwyn; Marianne, Jo and Peter in Northampton; Pen, Joyce and Haydn in Leicester; Jacquie and Helen in Lincolnshire.

Remember any member can organise any event so don't wait to be asked. If you have a suggestion for an event please, contact myself and we'll make it happen.

I'm aware the majority of events feature eating and drinking but what else would you like to see/do over the winter months? Would daytime events be beneficial for young mothers, retirees, shift workers or those who don't like venturing out in the dark at night? Opinions welcome!

Good luck to the competitors taking part in the Mensa Games finals at the end of this month. Please let us know if you win!

I'm on [Phone Number] or [Email]

Maxine Bates

Regional Officer

Editorial

Welcome to the October Edition of Empress. I am back for the following three months as Mark Sloan will have a well-deserved break from editing.

We have so many different members' events running this month that I have had to re-arrange the edition to be able to fit them all in, so we are back to "boxes".

I hope you can find one or two events you like and meet old and new friends there. Just remember that everybody can organise an event. Even if it is "just this one" because you have found something interesting to do and you would like to invite your fellow Mensans to go along.

Enjoy the reading!

Maria Falces

Member Profile

What's your name?
Jacquie Harrison
Where were you born?
In Barnsley, South Yorkshire, but my parents moved to the coast before I started school, so I grew up in Filey and Scarborough. I still miss the sound of the sea at night.
Where do you live?
In Lincoln, within walking distance of the city centre. I enjoy living here much more since the University opened as it has overall improved the "feel" of the city as well as its amenities.
When and why did you join Mensa?
1983 or 1984. I've known about Mensa since being a child (1960s) as my primary school head told my Mum about the Society. When I left polytechnic, many close friends had scattered around the world to get work or had young children, and I was working very unsocial hours. I thought joining would be a way of making new friends away from work and it is really good for that.
Have you attended any social events?

When I moved to London in 1985, I went to various meetings mainly in pubs and people's homes but also the Think-ins before they moved to a gentleman's club. Young Mensa also invited me to some of their meetings which were great fun.

The Lincoln LocSec contacted me when I moved here many years ago and local members were very welcoming. I also enjoyed the Doncaster meetings as several of us took turns driving there as well.

Since the mid-1990s I tend to stick more to Lincolnshire due to time pressures/energy and was part of the Lincoln weekend being LocSec at the time. In more recent years, I have really enjoyed Christine's meetings especially those around discussion topics. They really work for me as, like many Mensans, I don't enjoy lots of small talk.

Do you belong to any SIGS?
No, haven't got the time, even now retired!
What was your occupation?
I was working in social care for 39 years - the latter years I was managing re-ablement services.
Hobbies and interests?
Too many. I'm a great believer in engrossing hobbies to counter-act work/family stresses. They include; fiction writing, bird-watching and conservation of the natural world, reading, art classes, philosophy café, walking, socialising, and volunteering. But most of all I just love to potter around with my partner, John.
Anything else?
Just to say a big thank you to all Mensans who have organised meetings. You have helped me find great friends over the years.

Events and Meetings

More or Leicester

On Sat 14th Oct at 7:30pm - Theatre

The Opera Project is taking place at Concordia Theatre in Hinckley on Saturday 14th at 7:30pm. Chance to see the tragedy Sister Angelica and comedy Gianni Schicchi in one evening! Book your own tickets at www.concordiatheatre.co.uk for only £10. Contact mewith questions and/or to arrange to meet up before or after the show.

On Sun 15th Oct at 3:00pm - Afternoon tea

On Sunday 15th October I would like to invite you to join me for a special afternoon tea to be held at Syston Baptist Church from 3:00 pm. There will be tea/coffee, cakes and musical and other entertainment (with a Christian Theme). The church is located on the corner of Goodes Lane and Melton Road in Syston (Sat. Nav. postcode LE7 2JS). There is a small car park at the rear of the church and plenty of parking on Goodes Lane. These events are usually enjoyable so if anyone is interested or wants further information or encouragement please contact me by Friday 13th to let me know if you are coming.

On Sat 28th Oct at 7:00pm - Eating meeting

Come and join us on Saturday 28th at 7pm for a meal at the Soar Bridge Inn LE12 8PN on the last Saturday of the month. Booking essential, so please contact Sue and let her know that you are coming by Wed 25th October."

On Mon 16th Oct at 8:00pm - 3MOTM

On Monday 16th October I shall host our regular third Monday of the month gathering at The Craddock Arms on Knighton Road in Leicester from 8:00pm. We do not usually have a set topic for discussion so we will see where the conversation takes us. I shall be waiting for you at a table in the lower part towards the rear of the bar. Look out for the Magazine. New faces are welcome. We do not bite and remember that you can bring a friend/partner/random stranger with you. Thank You

Lively Lincs

Farewell to Christine

Helen and Paul's wonderful garden party gave many local members the chance to say thank you and goodbye to Christine and Nigel Howells. Christine and Nigel both worked hard to make people feel welcome at social events throughout Lincolnshire during Christine's years as the LocSec. Those farewells were then followed up with presentation of "token" thank-yous from local members and East Midlands Mensa at the second Saturday meeting. They will be greatly missed but at least they are still in the East Midlands.

On Sat 14th Oct at 12:00pm - 2SaOTM Pub discussion

Jacquie is this month's host for our regular second Saturday meeting on 14th October. Join us in the Adam and Eve on Lindum Hill for a discussion around "How much space does a human need?" Around is the word - we are to enjoy tangents. Look for the magazine in the alcove from 12.00noon. We usually move on to the topic at 12.30pm. There is food available and the parking is free. For more details, please contact Jacquie.

On Sun 29th Oct at 12:00pm - Autumn walk

Later in the month, join Helen and Paul for a stroll around the Wash Trail (about 2.5 miles) at RSPB Frampton Marsh, near Boston, on Sunday, 29th October, from 12:00-2:30pm. Views over reed beds and out towards the Wash; maybe some interesting birdlife. Meet by the picnic tables, left of the visitor centre, at 12.00 for a quick picnic; look for the Magazine. Walk starts at 12.30 prompt and should take about an hour and a half. They plan to finish with hot drinks back at the picnic area - bring a flask or purchase from the visitor centre machine. RSPB asks for £2.00 donation for car parking; no other charges. For more information, or to let them know you're coming, please email Helen. If the weather looks doubtful on the day, call/text to confirm."

photo of Maxine Bates

Notts News

On Thu 5th Oct at 8:00pm - 5OTM

Once again we're at the Vat & Fiddle from 8pm on Thursday 5th, most likely in the Goldings Room between the main bar and the visitor centre but just look for a yellow Mblem on the table. The pub is on Queensbridge Road with postcode NG2 1NB if you need it for satnav purposes and there's parking right outside. New faces always welcome!

On Thu 12th Oct at 7:00pm - Natter & Nosh

The following week on Thursday 12th we're meeting for a meal at The Cadland on High Road in Chilwell. This is an Ember Inns pub/restaurant and we have a table reserved from 7pm or pop along later for just a drink and a chat.

On Tue 31st Oct at 7:30pm - Eating Meeting

I'd hoped to organise a ghoulish goulash meal for our 'eating meeting' this month as it falls on Tuesday 31st, i.e. Halloween, but there is a distinct lack of restaurants serving central European food such as goulash in the Notts/Derbys area unfortunately. Instead we're going for a Bangladeshi meal at Bibiana Lounge on High Street in Hucknall. See"www.bibianalounge.co.uk for menu and reserve your place with me by 27th latest please so I can book a table for 7.30pm.

Christmas meal: Advance notice This event on 14th December will be the Nottingham Mensa Christmas meal and pre-booking is essential. Contact me if you'd like to see the menu. It's £14.99 for 2 courses or £17.49 for 3 courses.

Ciao for now!

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

News from Northampton

On Sun 8th Oct at 10:30am - Brunch

Our usual brunch meeting will take place at the Rendezvous Coffee Shop in Market Walk, Northampton Town Centre on Sunday 8 October at 10:30. While having breakfast, brunch or just a drink we shall describe our dream job and why we are/are not doing it! Contact Marianne for extra encouragement.

photo of Richard Allen

Hertfordshire Happenings

On Thu 5th Oct at 8:00pm - FThOTM

As ever, on Thursday 5th we are at the Three Magnets, Leys Avenue, Letchworth from 8pm. Thursday nights are curry nights but other food (standard Wetherspoons' fare) is available as well. Leys Avenue is the main shopping street in Letchworth and is a few minutes' walk from the station (Kings Cross to Cambridge line).

On Fri 27th Oct at 8:00pm - LFOTM

On Friday 27th our usual venue is the Cowper Arms, Digswell. The pub is next to Welwyn North station and is served by stopping trains from Kings Cross to Peterborough and Cambridge. Good food, beer and conversation guaranteed! Come from 8pm. Call me for more details and encouragement.

Richard Allen

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Jo Sidebottom

Mensans in MK & Bedford

On Wed 11th Oct at 12:00pm - Museum

Our first event in October is a visit to the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney. We'll meet at midday on Wednesday 11th in the Market Square (look for the Mblem) and will have lunch in a nearby restaurant before going on to the museum. Admission is £6. Please let me know by Monday 9th if you are joining us so I can book a restaurant table if necessary, and so that we know to look out for you.

On Mon 16th Oct at 8:15pm - 3MOTM & Quiz

Our regular Third Monday visit to the Barge in Woolstone for the quiz is on Monday 16th. Meet from 8.15 - the quiz starts at 8.30pm and costs £1 per person. Please let me know beforehand if you're coming - the maximum team size is 6 people so it helps to know whether we'll be one team or two, or somewhere in between.

On Sun 22nd Oct at 10:00am - Sunday breakfast

Sunday breakfast is on Sunday 22nd. We will be returning to Brown's, next to Jury's Inn on Midsummer Boulevard (West), for the winter, as it's cosier than Carluccio's. Join us from 10am for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink.

Just a reminder about our M-MK & Bedford Facebook group - if you would like to join please search for the group and send me a request. I also keep an email distribution list for meeting reminders and any last-minute changes, so if you would like to be added to this please let me know.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at one or other of our events this month. Do remember that you're welcome to bring a guest with you, so if you've never been to a Mensa event and are a little nervous about coming along on your own, just bring a friend.

Jo Sidebottom

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

photo of Val Hinkins

Mid Bucks

On Fri 13th Oct at 10:30am - Coffee & Chat

Meet me from 10:30 onwards on Friday 13th October for a morning of informal conversation, coffee and cake. This month we are making an excursion to the Cedar Coffee Shop, 28, West Street, Marlow, Bucks. The café serves a delicious range of fresh food and can get very busy, so if you can, please let me know in advance that you are coming so I can choose a suitable table. You will still be welcome if you just turn up on the day."

On Tue 17th Oct at 7:30pm - Lecture

If you haven't already got them, buy your tickets now for David Starkey's lecture titled "Henry VIII: The First Brexiteer" at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe, 7:30pm on Tuesday 17th . Claiming the Reformation as the first Brexit, he suggests Henry VIII's decisions still reverberate today and promises to illuminate both the Tudor Age and our own while discussing parliamentary sovereignty, Henry's tumultuous personal life, religion and modern politics. It should be an interesting evening! Adult tickets are £19.00, concessions available. Please buy your own tickets, but let Val know you are coming so that we can meet up and continue the discussion. Visit www.wycombeswan.co.uk for Further details and tickets.

On Mon 30th Oct at 8:00pm - Indoor board games

Join Dave and Alison at their home in Flackwell Heath for a relaxed evening of indoor board games. Arrive for an 8pm start on Monday 30th October. Please contact Dave for directions and to let him know which games you would like to play.

On Sat 28th Oct at 2:00pm - Alphabet event - V me up! For Model Village

Alphabet event - V me up! For Model Village

Bring your children / grandchildren with you to Bekonscot Model Village on the afternoon of Saturday 28th October. We will meet at the entrance at 2pm. Bekonscot claims to be the world's oldest model village - building started in 1929. There are six miniature towns from the 1930's to explore, over 200 buildings, 3,000 inhabitants and 1,000 animals. A complex model railway system links them all, with main and branch lines, sidings and up to eleven passengers and goods trains running at a time. All these are set in 1.5 acres of gardens. Additional attractions include a ride-on light railway, children's playground and model boats. Refreshments are available inside the village. Admission is £10.00 for adults; various concessions including family tickets are available and 2 for 1 offers if travelling by train. Children under two are free. Full details at www.bekonscot.co.uk.

Val Hinkins

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Derby Diary

On Sun 1st Oct at 4:00pm - Alphabet event - V for Vineyard Visit

Alphabet event - V

We're up to "V" with our alphabet events so what better than a vineyard visit!? A vineyard tour, talk on winemaking and tasting at the newest UK vineyard, Amber Valley Vineyards, in the village of Wessington. The cost is £10 per person and a private visit has been arranged for our group on Sunday 1st October. So also a celebration of Mensa's 71st anniversary! The event will start at 4pm and last up to two hours depending on the weather (if rainy the vineyard tour will be shorter) and number of guests (the tasting will take longer if more wine to pour). I'm told that drivers will safely be able to sample the wine without being in danger driving home. Afterwards we can adjourn to a local pub for dinner for anyone interested.

To find the vineyard: The tour will be taking place in the small vineyard on Back Lane, Wessington (DE55 6EA). Go into Wessington centre. Turn into Back Lane - going past the chip shop on your right continue down this road past all the houses for about 3/4 mile the entrance to the vineyard (just a field entrance, no signs) is on the right.

On Wed 18th Oct at 7:30pm - 3WOTM

It's our regular get together at the Standing Order on Iron Gate in the city centre from 7.30pm until late on Wednesday 18th. It's been lovely seeing some new or resurfacing faces over the last few months and everyone is welcome to join us for food and/or drink and hopefully some interesting conversations. Look for a yellow Mblem on a long table in the rear section of the pub.

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Saturday Sundae in Welwyn

Once again the weather was kind, and once again our ever-hospitable hosts Rowena and Mark welcomed us into their garden in Welwyn on Saturday 5th August. The theme was ice-cream, but none of your shop-bought stuff - all home-made! And there was lots of it, from delicate-flavoured lavender and honey to robust chocolates. Rowena explained that anything with a red label was alcoholic (some of it very much so!) and should be sampled sparingly by drivers. Green labels were alcohol-free and suitable for everyone. There was also a wonderful array of toppings and accompaniments. I think most of us snuck back several times to ensure we hadn't missed anything unmissable. Later in the afternoon a poll was conducted and of the 26 (yes, 26!) flavours, the runaway winner was mint chocolate chip.

It would be wrong, however, to say that the afternoon was all about ice-cream, fabulous though it was. It was a lovely laid-back opportunity to chat to friends old and new. As well as London and East Midlands Mensans there were neighbours and local friends, plus some lively children burning off excess energy along with Mark and Rowena's young daughter, Kerensa. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it seemed that everyone else did too. Thanks again to Rowena and Mark for all their hard work, and for making us feel so welcome.

20 Questions (No. 191)

The answers to the August competition were Oxford, Powys, Norwich, Inner Hebrides, Kent, Harrods, Chatsworth House, Nottinghamshire, Bakerloo, Isle Of Wight, John Nash, Swansea, Aylesbury, Ribble, Holyhead, The Medway Towns, Hillingdon, Somerset, Inverness and The Open University with Pamela Covey of Woburn winning the £10 book token.

This month's competition is on the subject of vexillology. Send your entries along with name and address to arrive by 20th October by post to '20 Questions (No. 191)', [Address] or by email to [Email]

1. Which organisation has a flag with a map of the world between two olive branches?

2. Prior to 2001 which country's flag had the letter R in the centre of its tricolour?

3. What or who is on board a ship flying a yellow flag?

4. How many stars are on the flag of New Zealand?

5. The white ensign is the official flag of whom?

6. Which is the only country in the world to have a flag with more than four sides?

7. Which national flag depicts a bunch of bananas?

8. What colour is the middle circle on the Olympic flag?

9. Which creature is depicted on the flag of Sri Lanka?

10. What does the red circle on the Japanese flag represent?

11. Prayer flags are usually renewed on which day in Tibet?

12. What is the term for the half of the flag furthest from the pole?

13. Which country has a cedar tree on its flag?

14. How many stars are there on the flag of the European Union?

15. The flag of which island features the George Cross?

16. Which country's flag has the motto 'ordem e progresso' (order and progress) on it?

17. Which island group adopted a new flag on 22nd September 1992?

18. How many red stripes are on the flag of the USA?

19. Which constellation is depicted on the flag of Australia?

20. What is the most popular colour used in flags?