Some persons with GSOH of the a4a kind WLTM some other persons with GSOH of the a4a kind. Sometime this year. Apply within and we shall see what we can do ?!!! ;D ;D
:o
Good Plan!! Why did nobody think of it before?!! I'm in...erm if i am allowed, DO have a GSOH apparently!!
;D
Yo! Well decided Katy! Me too.
Way hey katy! good one! First customer I'm all excited now! ;D ;D
Woo hoo Anne ..that makes three of us !
Will there be party games and jelly? This member will bring along his own BO and halitosis to ensure a fun time ... and copious amounts of rhubarb wine ...
Katy and Anne..you nab the rhubarb wine and i'll poke the BO bod with a stick into a very cold shower with a scrubbing brush
Me and him would love to....babysitters and distance travelled permitting.... ;D
Brilliant EJ ! Where ever we all decide..I'll be bringing me tent and me sprogs..have no babysitters!
I'm in Heldi, will bring GSOH ;D
Great idea. ;D I'm in, depending on date and distance
mat
and I could bring
CHOCLAT
;D ;D ;D
Count me in, let me know time, place etc so I can move shifts if necessary.
CC
ps can we make this a seed swap ;D ;D ;D
Me too ;D depending on time and distance. Will need a bit of notice too, just to make sure that shifts at work dont coincide. Why not make it a plant and seed swap?
ooooooooooooooooo seed and plant swap! Right, you are on!
Can bring grumpy old man who is handy with a hammer!
Taxi??
Where would it be?
Date and location are TBA Trixiebelle. This thread is the result of an exciting session in the chat room late last night.
Heldi, depending on where it is i shall be there, it will be fun guessing whos who, and of course we have seen photos of some of us so that should be fun saying hello to a friendly face, quite exciting looking forward to that.
have car, could travel. think it's a great idea but sad that's it's probably not going to be anywhere near here.
maybe we could have regional meets ?
the absentees would obviously have to see loads of pics. ;D
:-\
Dont wish to encourage the North/South divide, but would it make geographic sense to have two?! One more towards the north and on more towards the south?
Just a thought
???
what about me :'( :'( :'(
nobody will turn up at my seed/plant swap party. :'( :'( :'(
:o
Eeek!!! Right everyone...ferry across the water maybe?! Never been, this may be the perfect opportunity!!
;D
OK Lish has decided for me ;D (choclat?) again like everyone depends on distance..My kids reckon I can't find my way out of March but if I borrow son's spare sat-nav and start out day before I can make it 8) I am assuming OAP's are invited?? (I do have a good sense of humour and can tell a tale or two). How about the ones who can manage make sure their photo is on the thread, if they are not already on it?
Now who is the member who lives in Isle of Wight? I could have a private audience with him/her between 17th and 24th June ???
Let's hope it can materialise.
Oh okay then!! ::) :D Its just you lot will all find out I am not a tall willowy blond but a dumpy middle aged woman! :o ;D Depending if I can get there I would love to meet everyone - I already class you as friends so it will be fascinating and quite surreal to put the name to the face. I already have an image of you all, so it would be brilliant to see if I am right. We are very green and virtuous and don't have a car so it would have to be somewhere I could reach . :D busy_lizzie
Yes I'm all for a meet! I suggest the Thistle Hotel at Haydock park, plenty of rooms and very nice place. Oh and its only 15 mins away from where i live!! that could be the deciding factor!! I've taken a vote on this and the decision was unaminous, a 100% behind me! Tell me is One enough for a corum?
cheers kevb
It would be so good if this comes off - it has been tried before and I think a few members have met up but as far as I know there has never been a BIG meet.
So, date and place. Less chatter, more planning me thinks. Heldi...your baby? ;) ;D
I'm not keen on having "separate" meets. We are all friends online so we need to make it open to everyone. I don't mind where it is. As long as I know well in advance and I'm free I'll get there.
I think we can think about more sophisticated things once we've had one successful meet.
So please think about when? How long for? etc.Sorry phone call.
I think it is inevitable that meets will end up having a regional bias, and this is normal for communities, so that the meet gets 'hosted' by someone who is local and willing. However, this is the first meet, and as the original post by Heldi said, it is to show an interest.
I disagree. If enough notice is given, I imagine people will be happy to attend a meet at any destination. All that's needed is enough preparation for attendees to make arrangments with regards to family, work, expense.
Back in my trivium hosting days, I used to organise annual meets for 20-30 people coming from as far down as Bristol and as far up as Edinburgh. I would start sending information out upto six months before to allow for all possibilities - including travel share. We had meets in Bristol, London, Nottingham, Birmingham & Blackpool where everybody attended :)
I'd better learn a thing or two about gardening 'case I decide to accompany Rosebud, although I don't see that happening to be honest! ;D
I'm sure we'll all recognise each other - 99% of our mugs are in the gallery! LOL
Quote from: scotch-mist on April 22, 2006, 17:22:26
what about me :'( :'( :'(
nobody will turn up at my seed/plant swap party. :'( :'( :'(
would have been there in July mate, but the money's just run out :'(
I'm up for this...I'm sure the village can do without its idiot for One day??!!
ahem!(kitty coughed)....lincolns riiiight in the middle of the country!....
i make a wonderful carrotcake...... ;D
bed and board provided ???
:P
The where's not a problem for me, at all, but the when is....can't get away anywhere until the third week in September onwards. So what's wrong with a Harvest Festival meet, then? Be like pass-the-parcel trying to get rid of our surplus courgettes ;D
Eeek EJ ! I was encouraged (prodded with a big stick) to open this thread by "others" heehee. I'm totally rubbish at organising so they promised to carry the thread on and help me out!! I wasn't the only instigator lol!
Right then, I am well chuffed that so many are keen. I'm up in Northumberland and don't mind travelling ,I'm not concerned too much about the location,I'm the same as everyone and need loads of time to sort it out(persuade OH to drive).I need to be able to bring the kids. I need to be able to pitch a tent if we can't afford a B&B.
Busy we could probs give you a lift 8)
September was suggested in the chat room. How does everyone feel about that?
Where? Pin in the map? I haven't a clue...suggestions...offers ??
Plants and seeds sounds brill doesn't it!
We can do anything if we put our minds to it can't we?
;D
September sounds good to me, and gives people enough time to get plans/money/time off etc together! Thinking about the map of the UK it seems to me that Yorkshire or Derbyshire are kinda in the middle..ie: halfway up or down??!! As to where exactly I am not sure, anyone??
;)
only date i can't do in september is the robbie williams gig and i'm not sure when that is or where it's gonna be now that weberlee won't be ready (if i can travel 400 miles to see robbie as wee jaunt down the M6 will be a piece of cake) :o will check with daughter (she wanted to go after all :P) and confirm.
September sound good to me, a lot of members would probably have had their holidays.
Will be really great if we can all agree on time/place during the next few weeks. Something to look forward to. I have decided b**ger the distance I wil come by National Express coach!!!!! (Just in case my kids say "The old girl (me not the car) will never make it!!")
Quote from: kitty on April 22, 2006, 21:28:11
ahem!(kitty coughed)....lincolns riiiight in the middle of the country!....
i make a wonderful carrotcake...... ;D
That's 2 votes for Lincoln then ;D ;D
Just a thought but why not have the pumpkin competition live this year?????
Pakaba
PS. Busylizzie. You should worry, you will all find out I am a dumpy OLD woman ::)
;D
I agree Lorna, would be a great thing to look forward to, and after the major sowing times etc, when things can be left to their own devices a bit! Kay Pee...always figured you would be a trendy bird, off to concerts and such lol
;)
Good idea pakaba, except my winning pumpkin won't fit in my car ...
September sounds ok by me, I will be dossing in a tent too ...
Quote from: katynewbie on April 23, 2006, 21:18:14
;D
I agree Lorna, would be a great thing to look forward to, and after the major sowing times etc, when things can be left to their own devices a bit! Kay Pee...always figured you would be a trendy bird, off to concerts and such lol
;)
trendy ?? hmmmm living in the good old days morelike. i'm off down to larndarn again in a fortnight to see Take That! My excuse is that I took my daughter when she was little and now she's taking me ;D
What's all this loose talk about where the centre of England is?
BIRMINGHAM is the centre, noddleheads.
Nah, anywhere's fine for me & I'm pleased that you're all saying September is OK...I thought that children's schooling etc might rule it out & I'd miss the fun. :'(
Now then, Misty.......any chance of you getting over?
September is great for us. Kids will be back at school, but over a weekend and we can all come! Camping might be fun...she says wondering if the camp site could stand our two! ;D
i have a tent too. well, it's been about 5 years since it was out of it's cover so i don't know what state it's in, but it would be fun finding out :P
www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk/gardens_to_visit_midlands.htm
Have a look, maybe we could all meet up in the midlands, spend the day visiting a good garden and camp or stay nearby
And you could all raid the CHOCLAT factory for out-of-date stuff ;D ;D ;D
ryton organic gardens is pretty central england, looks good too
QuoteGood idea pakaba, except my winning pumpkin won't fit in my car ...
boasting again curry..... ;D
Quote from: littlegem on April 23, 2006, 22:06:47
ryton organic gardens is pretty central england, looks good too
Ryton does look a good place to visit but I've had a look at nearby campsites and there's not much on offer. I don't know 'bout the rest of you but my missus won't step out of the house unless there's toilets and showers at the very least. We do a lot of camping and one of the best sites we've been to is
http://www.callowtop.co.uk/welcome.htm
which is at Ashbourne in Derbyshire. It has a swimming pool, shop, entertainment at night and a pub selling beer made on site. For those of you with children, the site prides itself on its safety as you can only get on and off site with a pass.
Calke Abbey is nearby which has a walled kitchen garden (free entry to NT members) but obviously it's not on a par with Ryton.
September would be good for me too. The bulk of the lottie work would be done. If we could find out who are the definite maybees we could gage what areas we are covering and where the most convenient middle ground would be for us all. Quite exciting!! :D busy_lizzie
Possible maybe here, depending on dates. I'll vote for east midlands as I can get free B&B from my folks!
moonbells
Chatsworth is also a good venue for a meet-up. They have beautiful gardens (a bit pricey to get in but worth it) a kids farm/adventure playground, cafe, gift shops, huge garden centre, farm shop, the Duchess' chickens (!) and copious grounds for a picnic.
Plenty of campsites nearby as well and loads to do .. it's the Peak Disctrict you know ;D My old stomping ground ;D
Definate maybe - depends on work
Derbyshire - great!! :)
Should we wear A4A badges or a tee-shirt? A lottie association here is doing a roaring trade in tee-shirts this year...
OK I can't do 19 September or the weekend before, but could do the one after and that would give me a few extra days with my daughter too.
Chatsworth looks lovely. Something to mull over anyway.
http://www.chatsworth.org/index.htm (http://www.chatsworth.org/index.htm)
;D
Have posted on this topic before.
Anyone going to Chelsea/Hampton Court/Tatton/Shrewsbury/other shows? Have seen noticeboards at shows before. Perhaps could meet up at the T&M show stand or something like that at 1pm on specific show days? If you go to shows anyway, you have nothing to lose if you are scared about meeting people from the Internet.
Next show Harrogate? I can't go but perhaps those intending to go can say so?
Hi everyone,
I think this meeting idea is a great one,
BUT ...........I definately won't be able to go :( :( :(
I haven't told too many people this yet but I will be roughly 6 months pregnant around September time ;D
And after the chocolate thread, I don't want to be mistaken for having Fat Cow
Disease ;D ;D ;D
Seriously though , with 2 youngsters and one on the way , I'll be lucky to have time to grow anything other than weeds ;)
I will ask one thing though, Please take lots of pictures so I can see what I missed.
well congratulations are in order and i think you may be excused from the gathering. your two little ones will have an excellent christmas present to play with eh ? :P
;D
Congratulations from me. Wishing you a smooth pregnancy until the great day. You may be sorry you asked for pics there will probably be dozens taken.
Lorna
Thanks Mrs KP,
OH MY GOD, :o
I didn't think of the poor wee sod being mistaken of a new toy for my hooligans to fight over :o :o :o
AND NO ..............the solution is NOT to get them one the same each ;D ;D ;D
The boys will be 4 and 2 ..........can you imagine the carnage :o :o ;D ;D ;D
Sorry the reply is late little_gem but Ryton is a lovely place as is the surrounding area, Leamington Spa, Warwick and I'm sure that that there are some great campsites there, although the beer brewed on site in Ashbourne sounds good. Count me in wherever.
hi all
i work for coventry and warwickshire ambulance service and ryton is in my patch... 8)
so please..please go steady with that beer.... ;)
i have to deal with enough druken louts as it is without you lot making my life harder...lol
if any of you end up on the back of my cab you wont live it down..... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)
Quote from: MrsKP on April 24, 2006, 19:56:01
OK I can't do 19 September or the weekend before,
;D
Are we talking mid-week? 19th's a Tuesday, KayPee ;) I can make 9/10 & 16/17............after that I'm off for hols 8)
Don't mind where, but need a Travelodge or something similar nearby for me old bones ;D ;D
;D
Travelodge or similar for me too Lishka! Last time I camped a New Forest Pony tripped over the guy ropes...disaster, put me off for ever!! lol
;)
That is brilliant news Scotch-mist! Wishing you many congratulations and hope you are feeling really well. :D busy_lizzie
Quote from: katynewbie on April 25, 2006, 09:21:22
;D
Travelodge or similar for me too Lishka! Last time I camped a New Forest Pony tripped over the guy ropes...disaster, put me off for ever!! lol
;)
I've camped
once I was about 12 and went with a schoolfriend and her family to Wales in August. There was a hailstorm, the tent fell down on top of us, I was not alone in my sleeping bag :o as some many-legged
thing crawled over my PJs >:(.......and this old elephant never forgets ;D ;D ;D
Hey, as they rent rooms for a set price, anyone fancy doing a share-deal?
Congratulations Scotchy Misty. Aaaw!
It'll need to be a weekend for me otherwise I will be sat on a little chair and asked to explain myself by my son's headmistress. Pleeease don't put me through that!!!
Another option I can think of is half term holiday,which will probably be the last week in October,therefore near my birthday and you'll all have to buy me a drink :P
Lishka - I'd never live it down!!
Camping? :o Last time I went camping was in Weardale, we crossed a raging rapid over stepping stones, dumped the tents and went to the pub. Several hours later made our way back in the dark to look for the site and of course it had started to rain. ::) Had to cross an even more raging rapid on slippy stones to make our way over to where the tents were. Pitched the tents in the now torrential rain, and shivered all night having put the tents up on a slope with a small stream running through the middle. We laugh about it now but at the time, it was hell, never spent such a cold soaking and miserable night. I know it was our own fault, but we were young - it has turned me off camping for life though - never again!! ;D busy_lizzie
Definitely Travel Lodge for me. Last time I went camping was about 47years ago. Along with sister and brother-in-law we toured South and North Wales on motor cycles. Woke up one night and saw BIG slugs crawling up the side of the tent. Rained for 10 solid day. Most of the holiday was then spent in B and B. Came home early.
Noooo! Caravan.
My first experience was in the one my Father built - 1922!
Might be able to make Ryton.
Half term - Heldi's October option an even better date for me and I fancy celebrating her birthday with her 8) (yep! we're gonna need shades)
And Heldi can sell us all some of her chook's eggs and we can all make a donation to Dan?
enter Ebuygumbay on the move
;D ;D ;D
See we non-campers are quite definite in our predilection for solid walls, terra firma nicely covered with plush carpet and NO bucket for middle-of-the-night emergencies? Phrases such as "never again" and "came home early" spring to mind.....
aye i was thinking the weekend after the 19th, cos i'd drive down on the monday, go to the gig tuesday, stay with my kid for the rest of the week and drive back sunday.
last time i camped was Glasto 2000 and that's the last time the tent was out so it's probably full of moth holes lol. Travel lodge would be cool.
and october's fine with me too. in fact i'm quite easy ......... oooer matron.
:P
Quote from: MrsKP on April 25, 2006, 19:43:03
in fact i'm quite easy ......... oooer matron.
:P
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
i predict a riot !!! ;D
Quote from: MrsKP on April 25, 2006, 19:51:27
i predict a riot !!! ;D
And that's only in Travelodge ;D ;D ;D Oooooo, I'm liking this idea more and more ;)
;D ;D ;D
Tim, that is such a great pic!! Do try to make it!!
Told a buddy about potential meet...gales of laughter (why?!) and a long winded giggle about us all turning up with pumpkins, courgettes etc and the management reaction at Travelodge!!
Can't see why that is funny, can you?! 8)
;)
Well I may be the senior female member (MATRON?) with the Travel Lodge revellers but don't expect me to keep you in order. I like joining in the fun!! ::) ::)
Tim I agree that is a great pic. I have one of husbands grandmother outside a "hut"
at the hop fields in Kent.
When it comes to camping, my best experience was at North Glen Sannox on Arran; I hadn't much experience then. I was on the beach, and one night there was a south-west gale, coinciding with a very high tide. Water must have piled up in the Clyde estuary, since I woke up feeling amazingly comfortable, with the groundsheet wrapped around my back feeling like a very soft mattress. Eventually I realised that everything except me was floating; as the water rose, it came in and flooded everything. I moved further up, went up the glen the next morning, and never camped on that beach again!
There was a curse on that place; on another occasion I woke up with something scurrying about inside my tent, threw a boot at it and went back to sleep. Next morning I found that a rat had been through my food supplies, and of course it was the Sabbath, so I had to go hungry. I was a student at the time and couldn't afford to eat at the Corrie Hotel down the road. The following year I had a tent completely blown to bits in a line squall.
I know I was keen to get us all under canvas but that was before October was mentioned!! - too cold!!
Travelodge are doing some special offers and I found this one at Rugby which shouldn't be too far from Ryton
https://www.travelodge.co.uk/make_a_booking/availability.php?hotel_id=172&travelodge=Rugby+Dunchurch&doa_dd=21&doa_mm=10-2006&stay_len=1&no_of_rooms=1&corp_name=&agent_type=&agent_code=&x=79&y=18
(EDIT) Just done a Route Plan with the AA and it's only 5.71 miles away
Quote from: petemason on April 26, 2006, 05:19:56
I know I was keen to get us all under canvas but that was before October
Not even in a heatwave would you get
THIS Senior Citizen under canvas, mate :o ;D ;D ;D
Great link & even if Ryton isn't the chosen fave, guess that the other Travelodges will be offering similar deals?...btw have checked for those of you who
still smoke ;) - same charge for you, too 8)
When is pumpkin day(s) at Ryton? Sunday 29th October. For Yalding, the Pumpkin weekend is 28-29th October
There is a strawberry event at both places on Sunday 25th June.
i thought there was a meet at the potato festival.........has that one fallen through?
October was just another option...not cast in stone. Besides campsites are pretty much closed by then aren't they? Cheaper the better for me as I have a 40th to organise and pay for...actually I'm thinking of catching the ferry to Amsterdam for that and the end of October would probably be when I would go...so would mean I would miss the a4a meet if it were then.
Not my 40th by the way.
Right then,lets try to pin a date down eh?
For starters,everybody ok with a weekend?
yes! ;D
Heldi
As you sort of started this it seems appropriate that you try and pin down people for their preferences.
Count me and my family in for a weekend/preferably Midlands somewhere/don't mind camping.
I'm also happy to research hotels etc for those who don't want to camp.
OMG I'm feeling the pressure hehehe!
Just read on my calendar...Saturday 23rd of September...first day of Autumn...any takers on that weekend?
P.S haven't read back through the thread so apologies if this date has already been discounted...I gotta run now
;D
Anywhere is fine with me, as long as i know the date I can work round it...weekends, weekdays whatever!
If I can help with anything, let me know Heldi!
;)
I can't do mid-late Sept as I've already got the Church weekend away and a conference
to prepare for in October. Have already had to turn down one weekend event on the 23rd
as I am running desperately quickly out of weekends to do my harvest!
Could do end October, tho that's half term and likely to be a mare for travelling.
moonbells
Gardenantics was at the potato day in Ryton selling his labels (they are rather good, using them at the moment). I didn't see anyone else from A4A there, though there was a sheet of paper on his stall for A4A peeps to sign.
We are very flexible (alright if OH comes along?) He has heard so much about you all he is keen to meet you. The Midlands is fine for us, as long as we can get the train.
Lovely of you to offer transport Heldi, but I know you have little ones and will probably be transporting required stuff for them, but thanks anyway and so friendly of you to suggest it! :-*
Could we do some sort of thread with names of likely people on and then we will have some idea of numbers?
busy_lizzie
We'd like to come along as well, please. Probably fairly flexible as to dates (but will need to be a wekend or in the half-term). Derbyshire or East Mids or thereabouts sounds fine. We might join the happy campers, depending on the long range weather forecast as viewed a week or so before.
Please add me to the list if its going to be October - any day/time that month would be fine for me, any location and pumpkins please ;D September not so good.
Please everybody...I had this meet up thought kind've outloud when I was in the chatroom... I'd had a little wine ::) heh heh heh! I'm not in charge and I don't mind if anyone else takes things in hand to get things pinned down. (Generally I have lots of ideas but not so good at following them through). I am out of my depth as to choosing locations as I don't know those parts of the country at all...which makes it more of an adventure!
This is a group decision,well done Littlegem for starting the polls. Brilliant! Thats the sort of thing I like to see,the cracking the whip and getting us all into shape...ooer missus!
P.S. I'm not on the boards as much at the mo so if decisions need to be made...make 'em! I'm easy ...but don't let that put you off!
QuoteI didn't see anyone else from A4A there, though there was a sheet of paper on his stall for A4A peeps to sign.
I was there
Oh its all gone quiet over here..oh it's all gone quiet over here...
my auto-notify things seem to have disappeared for this thread ::)
or have we started another one without telling me ?
are we any closeer to pinning down a weekend yet ? or location ?
;D
We need some sort of chart I reckon, like Jesse did for the pumpkin competition. ;D Names could be put against the most popular dates, say from the second week in September to the second week in October (only a suggestion), and then we will see which is the most acceptable one, so we can winkle it down. busy_lizzie