On Friday 1st we have our annual trip to Nottingham Greyhound Stadium, Colwick, for an evening of fun - and maybe profitable - racing. In our group deal £10 gets you admission, a race card, pie and pea supper, a drink (Carling, Reef or J2O) and three bets; this must be pre-booked. Meet outside the gates at 7.00pm. Under 18s and latecomers are welcome to just pay on the door and join us on the night.
Let's start the month with "T@3" on Sunday 3rd August with cakes and trimmings at my place; in the garden if fine, indoors if not. If you want to bring a board game or two as well, please feel free. Let me know you're coming. I'm about ten minutes' walk from Letchworth station (Kings Cross - Cambridge).
August is here and, with any luck, the weather has improved and the evenings are long and warm, so why not come and join us at one of our get-togethers? I'll be hosting two 'at homes' this month, the first on Sunday 3rd which will be a "Tea@3" fund raiser to help our local hospice. Tea and cake will be served in our garden for a small contribution towards this worthwhile national charity. Those who'd like to work up an appetite first are invited to join Giles at 2.00pm for a walk through the local woodland. Please call or email me (see below) for directions to our home down in Golden Valley, just outside Ripley or just to let us know you're coming so we can arrange parking.
On Sunday 3rd we have two events in D H Lawrence country. The first is an easy circular five mile walk around Moorgreen which passes through woods and fields and around the reservoir. Meet at 12.30pm in the lay-by next to Greasley St Mary's Church on B600. The church is of medieval origin with a 15th century tower and was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. It was portrayed as Greymede Church in The White Peacock and Minton Church in Sons And Lovers.
The walkers should return by 3.00pm in time for "T@3" when we can enjoy sandwiches, delicious homemade cakes and a selection of teas, coffees and cordials at Mintons Tea Rooms adjoining the church. Find us outside in the garden if warm and sunny. You are welcome to join us for either the walk, afternoon tea or both.
Along with some of the other East Midlands members, the Northants group is going for T@3 on Saturday 3rd August. The venue is the Heart of the Shires shopping village on the A5, two miles north of Weedon. Meet outside Darlington's Restaurant at 2:50pm. If you contact me a couple of days in advance, I'll give them warning of how many are coming! A cream tea will set you back £4.50.
Escape the Summer heat (or rain?) and join me on Sunday 3rd August for an underground adventure, followed by tea in the nice café at the cave entrance. Admission is £5.00 for adults, £4.00 for concessions and NT members. I've lived in High Wycombe for over three years and still not visited the West Wycombe caves. Built by Sir Francis Dashwood in the 1740s they are reputed to have been the meeting place for the notorious Hell Fire Club. Chalk from their construction was used to form the road to High Wycombe and the project provided local employment after a series of years with poor harvests. See www.hellfirecaves.co.uk for details.
Contact me for directions/encouragement or to let me know I should look out for you.
In spirit join Mensans around the region by meeting at Botts coffee shop in Crowders, Horncastle for tea and chat. For more details or encouragement please contact me. All very welcome, please look for mag.
The Nottingham Mensa monthly get-together is from 8.00pm until late on Tuesday 5th at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road near the railway station. Look for the yellow Mblem to left of the bar. The pub belongs to the Tynemill group so serves a good selection of real ales as well as reasonably priced soft drinks. New faces of all ages are always welcome.
Join me from 8.15pm on 7th August for our regular FThOM meeting at the Millstream, Cambridge Road, Hitchin. Good food and good beer both available! Call for more details/encouragement. The pub is about ten minutes' walk from the railway station. Sadly, there are very few evening buses.
First Thursday is at our regular venue of Jurys Inn on Midsummer Boulevard, on 7th August, from 8.00pm. Look out for the Mblem in either the foyer or the bar - most likely the foyer as it's quieter. Parking is a bit busy around Jury's and The Hub, so we usually try and get in across the road and then walk through the underpass.
Join us for coffee and chat in the Cathedral coffee shop - if it is really warm we may be outside. For directions, encouragement please contact me. All very welcome.
Our regular "Chicks & Flicks" event falls on Wednesday 13th which is the host's birthday. Help Paul celebrate at Nando's peri-peri chicken restaurant followed by a film at Cineworld. Free unlimited soft drinks for Cornerhouse card holders; 2-4-1 cinema tickets for Orange mobile owners. For further information/to pass on birthday greetings, Paul is on [Phone Number]/[Email]
The second Thursday of the month, 14th August, sees our regular meeting at the Fox & Hounds at Harlestone from 9.00pm. The village is in the same place that it's always been so there's not really much else to say about it! Look for the Mensa mag on one of the tables to find us.
On 16th August it will be the 15th Eastwell Fete. Several Mensans have come for some years now, but tend to move around independently: sometimes I see them, sometimes I don't. This year it would be nice to get together for a drink around 3.00pm (or earlier if you wish). Maybe if you intend coming, you could let me know, so I can look out for you in the bar area.
On Sunday 17th August at 12.30pm let's enjoy Summer with a traditional pub lunch (washed down with good beer!) at the Waggon and Horses in Graveley, a delightful country pub between Letchworth and Stevenage. We'll sit outside if the weather's fine. The pub is on the B197 road in Graveley village and can be reached by bus; route 54 (Stevenage - Letchworth - Hitchin) stops by the pub and runs every two hours. Call me if you're coming as the pub can get busy and reservations are recommended. If you want to cycle there, let me know and we'll arrange a local meeting point.
On Sunday 17th August we have three events in one. We'll be visiting the Danish Camp at Willington in the morning - it's a historical (Viking) site which includes wildlife walks and a visitor centre. Food is available, so we plan to stay on for lunch, and then in the afternoon wander up the road to the Frost's Garden Centre for "T@3" (we're busy on 3rd August and can't do it then with the rest of the region). Meet in the Danish Camp car park at 11.30am - it's in Chapel Lane, Willington, just off the A603 from Bedford to Sandy ( MK44 3QG for Streetmap/Satnav). If you just want to join us for lunch, we'll be at the Danish Camp restaurant around 1.00pm (call me to confirm, in case we're a bit later), and for "T@3" we'll be in Frost's restaurant at 3.00pm.
On Monday 18th we'll be having our usual "at home" with food, drink and excellent company, plus the added possibility of board games, gossip, generally putting the world to rights and the chance to sit out in the garden and commune with the chickens if the weather is fine!
The "3rd Wednesday" falls just two days later on the 20th so, if you've not managed to make it to Ripley, why not join us at the Standing Order in Derby any time from 7.30pm for a meal or just a drink or even just to pop in to say hello. Just look for the yellow Mblem on one of the tables at the back. As always, if you want some encouragement to attend one of these meetings, advertise one of your own or just want to say hello, then please contact me as below.
Our Third Wednesday meeting at the Old Beams in Shenley Lodge is on 20th August. If you're 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. If it's fine, we may be outside, otherwise look around for the Mblem as we don't always get the same table.
On Thursday 21st August from 8:00pm the Roadshow goes to another new venue and this time it's in the far west of the county. The Admiral Nelson is a canal-side pub in Dark Lane, Braunston. We'll be there with a copy of the Mensa mag to give away our position. If it's a nice night we'll be on one of the picnic tables, otherwise we'll be in the bar. The village is a couple of miles west of Daventry and you will need directions if you don't know the area . . . turn off the A45 at the sign pointing to Braunston and Welton. At the church bear right and stay on the main road (signposted Welton). After you pass the village hall on your left look for a No Through Road on the right - this is Dark Lane. Follow it to the end to find the pub. Look out for the sharp left-hand bend otherwise you will end up in a field!
We will meet at the Crown Inn at Ley Hill. Car parking is in the lay-by opposite, which usually has plenty of spaces. Do come and join us for a drink, or to eat or just for a chat. All members welcome, come if you can. If the weather is nice we can stay outside.
On Friday 29th August at 8.00pm join Gwen and me at the White Horse, Hertingfordbury, to unwind on LFOTM. Food and an interesting range of beer available; interesting and stimulating conversation guaranteed! Look for the Mag/Mblem. Hertingfordbury is about 20 minutes' walk from Hertford North station. Contact Gwen on [Phone Number] or me for further details and encouragement.
Please note that this is a change of venue from that published in Empress and the Mensa mag. This meeting is now at the White Horse.
Advance notice . . . of a meeting on Monday 22nd September at 7:30pm. Specially for those Northants members who have not yet been able to get to one of our events, or who have not been along for a while we present "Strangers in the Night". Join us at the Red Hot restaurant, Sixfields, Northampton for a meal and a chat. For members with an NN postcode the cost of the meal is just £5 and £11.95 for guests (drinks extra). Advance booking, by 15th September, please to me at [Address]. Cheques payable to "Mensa Northampton".