We kick start the month on Friday 1st with a meal and charity quiz night in the upstairs private function room at the Horse & Groom in Moorgreen. The pub is located on the B600 and five minutes drive from either M1 J26 and J27. The menu and directions can be found at www.horseandgroominn-nottingham.co.uk. You are welcome to join us for the meal at 7.30pm or just come along later for the general knowledge quiz that will start at 9.00pm. It will cost £2 per person to enter with all money going to Cancer Research UK and a prize for the winner(s). So come and make new friends, test those brain cells and help a very worthwhile cause. An idea of numbers would be appreciated so that the venue can set out enough tables and chairs for us.
Having been around the county once, we're heading back to the badlands of the southern borders for an eating meeting at The Elms pub, just off J20 of the M1 near Lutterworth. We'll be meeting up at 8.00pm on Monday 4th, and last time we were there, we found the prices reasonable and the food good! You can find out more about the place at http://www.elmspub.co.uk/.
On Tuesday 5th we have our regular get together at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road. Although in the city centre there's free parking right outside or take the train or bus as both stations are nearby. Look for the yellow Mblem on the table usually to the left of the bar from 8.00pm.
Our regular First Thursday meeting is at 8.00pm on Thursday 7th April 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.
Hitchin Thursday 7th from 8.15pm. 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! The pub is about ten minutes' walk from the railway station. Note that if you're driving, there are major roadworks in the area and you may have to park elsewhere. At the time of writing, the extent of these roadworks is not known - give me a call closer to the time.
Our 1st Thursday meeting in Northampton is with a difference this month. We're off to The Romany, on the corner of Kingsthorpe Grove and Trinity Avenue (NN2 6JN) on Thursday 7th at 8.30pm. Normally we pick a quiet pub to have a chat in but this time I thought we would try some entertainment, so join us in the Lounge to listen to the jam session."
A couple of old favourites for April: There's the usual 2SaOTM at The Collection in Lincoln which is turning into part chat, part discussion meeting, February's included how we funded our student days, should prisoners be given the vote and favourite cakes. So, for frivolous cheering chat or a bit of think about an issue, do join us on 9th April, 12.00-2.00pm or for as long as you like, lunch or quick coffee. We're usually at the far end of the room, spot the MBlem.
"Corrie!" celebrates 50 years of Britain's longest running and most loved soap and is a funny and affectionate tribute to five decades of Coronation Street following the fortunes of two of Weatherfield's finest families, the Barlows and the Platts. We'll be going to see the 7.30pm performance at the Theatre Royal on Monday 11th. Tickets cost £16 to £24. We may already have made a group booking by the time you read this but please contact me to check availability.
Monday 11th at 8.00pm. Games evening (hosted by Elaine Yates). Bring along a board game and enjoy a couple of hours of conversation, competition and maybe nibbles and drinks. There will probably be the usual 'upwords' and I might devise another fiendish puzzle to solve! This will be at Elaine's place and I will advise her address for those attending. Elaine will also be in touch if we plan to do nibbles/soft drinks. Space is limited - so first come first served! Please contact me if you wish to attend.
Kev will be hosting this month's "chicks & flicks" event at Nando's and Cineworld on Wednesday 13th. Please let him know if you're able to join him and cast your vote for which film to see on [Phone Number] or [Email]. Then meet at 7.00pm inside the doors to the Cornerhouse.
Digswell (near Welwyn) Friday 15th from 8.00pm. Not LFOTM. Last Friday is brought forward a couple of weeks this month to avoid Easter and the Royal Wedding. So this month it's Third Friday, so we hope you can still join us 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).
The following Saturday, 16th, at 7.00pm we're going back to the ever-popular Beijing Dragon Chinese restaurant in Spilsby. I would be grateful if you would contact me beforehand so that I can arrange a suitable table. For more info, encouragement etc. contact me (details below).
On Sunday 17th we're going to walk round Caldecotte Lake, on the south side of Milton Keynes. We'll meet at 11.00am outside the main entrance of the Caldecotte Arms, on the north side of Bletcham Way (H10) and just east of the A5. Afterwards we will have lunch in the Caldecotte Arms, which is a Brewer's Fayre type pub/restaurant - it's easily recognisable as the one with the windmill.
April is time for the first walk of the season. On Sunday 17th we will start from Wendover station and walk to Great Missenden, arriving in time to visit the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. The walk is about six and a half miles, not too many hills once we have climbed out of Wendover. Meet at Wendover Station at 10.30am for the walk. There is a café at the museum or various other places to eat in Great Missenden when we get there. If you would prefer to join us at the museum look out for us there around 2.00pm. See http://www.roalddahlmuseum.org for full museum information. Also note that there are engineering works planned on the Chiltern Line this weekend, full details of timetable changes are not yet available. Please contact me a few days in advance so that I can confirm the start time.
Monday 18th 6.45pm. One of Richard Felix's Derby City Centre Ghost Walks, starting from Derby Gaol, Cost is £21, which includes supper. More details and to book your place visit www.derbygaol.com/ghostwalks.htm. Please let me know you are coming.
Wednesday 20th 3WOTM Pub/Meal. Join Maxine and me for the regular pub meet in the Standing Order, a popular Wetherspoons pub in Irongate. No need to book.
Following on from that, we'll be having the third Thursday of the month meeting actually on the third Thursday of the month!! Call me Mr. Adventurous if you like, but sometimes you just have to run wild! We'll be at The Old Horse on London Road on Thursday 21st at 8.00pm. One of the things up for discussion is whether to meet there on a Tuesday one month to take part in the pub quiz. Why not pop along and let me know what you think?
The Roadshow is on Thursday 21st at 8.00pm and it's another new venue for us. The Stirrup Cup, Woodlands Avenue, Barton Seagrave (NN15 6QR) is where we are heading and you will find us in the Lounge. The village is just to the south-east of Kettering and is accessible from the A6 and A14."
Looking ahead, I hope to be organising another saunter around the Northamptonshire countryside in May; 3 or 4 miles followed by a pub lunch. However, if you are up for something more challenging join me on the next leg of my walk from Northampton to Birmingham on Friday 22nd April. The start of the walk is Napton-on-the-Hill just over the border into Warwickshire and the target is Leamington Spa. It will be about 10 miles along the canal towpath; not the toughest of walks but you will need to reasonably fit. If you're interested get in touch so that I can give you directions to the start point.
Having settled last time on Carluccio's for our Sunday breakfast meetings, I have discovered they are closed this Sunday (the whole shopping centre is closed for Easter Day). So Sunday breakfast this time will be at the new Brown's restaurant in front of The Hub (on Midsummer Boulevard side). It's right next to Jury's Inn so should be easy for our regulars to find.
We had a very nice meal there a few weeks ago but have to admit we haven't tried breakfast there yet. However, their menu looks good (the PDF version has prices): http://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/locations/milton-keynes/menus/food/breakfast-brunch-0311/. The bar is at the front, so we will be in the restaurant behind, hopefully somewhere easily visible with the Mblem on show. 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. Please contact me on 01908 226296 / 07825 701066 / castadiva@mindless.com if you need directions or encouragement.
Monday 25th at 8.00pm. Pub meeting. Essex Arms, Langley Way, Watford. Please look for the Magazine on the table. Did you realise that beer is more expensive than petrol??
Our "eating meeting" will be at 7.30pm on Tuesday 26th so hope you're not too full of Easter eggs to join us for a Mexican meal at Chiquito on Redfield Way in Lenton (near the Showcase cinema). Two courses cost £9.99 and you can find the menu at www.chiquito.co.uk. Please book your place with me by 21st so I can reserve a table. It will be an eggscellent night!"
The meeting on Wednesday 27th will be at the Old Mill on Berkhamsted High Street, at the end nearest to Hemel Hempstead. There is a car park, but this is popular so try to be there early. We will sit at the bar end, in the same place as last time, on the right side as you go in beyond the bar.