We start off September with our regular First Thursday meeting at 8.00pm on the 1st at Jurys Inn Hotel on Midsummer Boulevard. Look out for the Mblem on one of the tables to the right in the foyer.
On Thursday 1st from 8.15pm our regular FThOTM. 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.
The first event of NNotes this month is on Saturday 3rd, being an opportunity to visit the Abington Park Museum to view various collections of local interest (including the history of the Northamptonshire Regiment). The building itself is worth a visit, being Grade 1 listed. Meet outside the front door at 1.00pm, followed by refreshments in the park’s café. I used to go to this place regularly when I was growing up but this will be my first visit in about 30 years; I wonder just how much it has changed . . .
Many thanks to Helen and Paul for a wonderful afternoon in their garden in July; and to Chris for bringing boules to the beach the following week. Hopefully, he will bring them again to our next beach hut day on Saturday 3rd. Do join us for some chat and beachside idling from 10.30am, for as much of the day as suits you. There will be cake on hand while we enjoy the quiet end of Mablethorpe's sandy beach and maybe we really will try out the crazy golf this time. Full info: [Email].
The first event of the month is our regular get together at the Vat & Fiddle pub in Nottingham from 8.00pm on Monday 5th. Find us to the left of the bar displaying a yellow Mblem. New faces of all ages very welcome! See if you can spot the “Mensa meet here” golden plaque behind the bar as the wall where it was supposed to have been placed is finally being knocked down to make a viewing gallery into the adjacent Castle Rock Brewery.
September is busy for Mensa with the AG in Coventry, so I will be arranging a local meal earlier in the month. Join me at La Tasca in the Eden Centre, High Wycombe, at 7.30pm on the evening of Thursday 8th. We will enjoy their selection of Spanish tapas and sangria. I will need to book a table, so please contact me by Sunday 4th if you are coming.
Our next event is on Thursday 8th at 9.00pm and it’s our usual Northampton social. This month’s venue is the King William IV in Kingsthorpe Village, which is accessed from Mill Lane. Another new venue for us so I can’t tell you where we will be sat in the pub (and if you go to the King William IV in Bridge Street by mistake you definitely won’t find us!).
Following the success of our meal and quiz night back in April we’re repeating it on Friday 9th. The venue is the upstairs function room of the Horse & Groom pub in Moorgreen. Join us for a meal at 7.30pm (menu at www.horseandgroominn-nottingham.co.uk) or just later for a general knowledge quiz at 9.00pm. £2 per person to enter with all money going to Cancer Research UK and prizes for the winners. Last time I was told the quiz was too easy by some and too difficult by others. Why not come and decide for yourself!?
There is the usual 2SaOTM on Saturday 10th in the cafe at The Collection, Danes Terrace, Lincoln, 12.00-2.00pm. As always, you are welcome to join us for as long as you like for some chat and also more cerebral discussion.
Sunday breakfast will be at 10.15am on Sunday 11th at Carluccio’s in the Centre:MK (Destination Dining). Feel free to come for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink, but if possible please let me know by Saturday 10th so we have an idea what size table to grab when we arrive.
On Monday 12th at 8.00pm a relaxed evening of fun and games plus the usual sparkling conversation! This event will be hosted by Julia Torode. Our games evenings are very friendly and social, so if you haven't attended before, then please do think about coming along. Tea/coffee and our usual drinks and nibbles.
Please contact me in advance if you wish to attend and I will advise Julia's address.
Many thanks to Michael Rich for standing in at short notice to host our “chicks & flicks” event in July. It’s back to normal this month and we’ll be meeting at 7.00pm on Wednesday 14th inside the doors to the Cornerhouse in the city centre from where we’ll dine at Nando’s before watching a film at Cineworld. If there are no films starting at a suitable time we sit and chat over unlimited soft drink refills in the restaurant. Ideal for young and old alike.
As the long, balmy days of summer drift away (or alternatively, as the water level of the summer flooding drops . . . (I’m writing this in July!)), I thought we could gather and reflect on what a splendid summer it has/hasn’t been at our usual third Thursday of the month venue, ‘The Craddock’ on Knighton Road, Leicester. We’ll be meeting up at 8.00pm on the 15th. Look out for the Magazine and yellow mBlem on the table. You can get more details of the pub at http://tinyurl.com/leicsMensaTTOTM.
Join Alistair and Maxine for the regular Derby pub meet in the Standing Order on Wednesday 21st at 7.30pm for reasonably priced food and drink and convivial conversation. The Standing Order is part of the Wetherspoon chain and is beautifully decorated inside. New members are always particularly welcome as are those that have been inactive for some time. We can usually be found towards the rear of the pub beyond the bar. It is unusual for there to be less than a dozen of us and 20 or more attendees are not unknown. Call Alistair or Maxine for info/encouragement. No need to prebook. (Go to www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk to buy a discount card for £5 that, amongst many other places in that part of Derby, will get 20% off food at the Standing Order where Mensa regularly meets.)
Yes, it's that time of the year again! As always, Letchworth beer festival is from Thursday to Saturday (this year it's 22nd - 24th) at Plinston Hall, less than five minutes' walk from the station, and I will be there Thu and Fri evenings from about 7.00pm, Saturday afternoon and possibly the evening as well. The emphasis is on local beers but there are usually one or two unusual brews from elsewhere in the country as well. Food is also available. Contact me if you're interested in coming along.
Our final meeting for the month is on Thursday 22nd at 9.00pm. According to my diary that is the day before the Equinox, so that must make it the last day of Summer. It’s our Roadshow and our travels around the county see us land at Bugbrooke. Local legend has it that there is a treacle mine in the village, but we’re not going to look for that. Instead you will find us in the High Street - discussing life, the universe and everything at The Baker’s Arms .
Thanks also to Michael for volunteering to host another “at home” event in Stapleford from 7.30pm on Thursday 22nd. This will have a French theme so there will be French food and drink and opportunity to speak the language. Come and have a go whether you’re fluent or haven’t progressed since “J’ai douze ans” of your school days! Please contact Michael on [Phone Number] or [Email] for directions and to say you’ll be there. Merci!
We’re also going off on our travels again, and I thought it would be a nice idea to have an eating-meeting on the last Saturday of the month. We’re heading up to ‘The Beeches’ in Ashby where, according to one review, “Prices are very reasonable, portions are large.”. The full address is 114 Burton Road, Ashby-de-la-zouch, LE65 2LP for the SatNav thingy.
Finally, on Saturday 24th we return to Dobbie’s Garden Centre in Fenny Stratford, just south of Milton Keynes, for T@3. Look for us in the restaurant from 3.00pm onwards – there are several sections so we may not be immediately obvious, but we’ll be there somewhere.
And on Monday 26th from 8.00pm a pub meeting at the Essex Arms, Langley Way, Watford. WD17 3EG . Please look for the Magazine on the table. New members always warmly welcomed.
Our regular last Tuesday 'eating meeting' heads to Bridge Street in Belper this month and we're going to the highly acclaimed River Gardens Chinese restaurant at 7.30pm on 27th. There's a set price of £12.99 for as much as you want to eat served to the table. Choose from a selection of 85 dishes including 17 vegetarian options. See www.river-garden-rest.co.uk for full menu. Please book with Maxine by 23rd so a large enough table can be reserved.
The meeting on Wednesday 28th at 7.45ish 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 do try to be there early. We meet at the end beyond the bar, where it is usually quieter. Turn right as you come into the pub, and walk to the end, we will be on your right. I do hope you have had an enjoyable summer and are ready to meet and greet us all tonight. Please bring a topic for us to discuss.
Join us at the Cowper Arms, Digswell (near Welwyn village) on Friday 30th from 8.00pm for LFOTM. 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). There is also an outdoor seating area if the weather is fine.