King's Lynn Plus

As you can see the page layout on this blog is slightly different from the rest of the site – this is a trial of a new look to the whole site, and eventually I will change the whole thing to look like this – you can see from the tabs above that I have made a start.

Unfortunately there is a lot going on Plus-wise and otherwise in my life at present, not least of which is the preparate for WASH 25 (less than 3 weeks to go!), so work on this site is temporarily halted.

Hopefully I will be able to resume making the alterations shortly, along with learning how this new site is going to work from an upkeep and editing point of view. In the meantime, if you want to navigate the existing site you will need to work from the previous home page which will have all the working links (http://kingslynnplus.org.uk, in case you have closed the previous window or bypassed the original home page). From here you will be able to see the current programme, map, photographs etc.

Please bear with me with this work in progress…!!

The weekend of 26th September saw a few of us reverting to our childhood and playing with toy cars once again, in the event that was the Kings Lynn Plus Scalextric Challenge. Kings Lynn Group were joined by some friends from other groups from various places around the country for an evening of mayhem!

The venue for the racing was Electric Tracks Ltd of Spalding, where they have permanent layouts of several well known UK and European racing tracks. We were giving a quick run down of the rules of the centre; 1. no running, 2. no climbing on the track tables, 3 no drinks in the racing area; and then we started racing – 4 cars on each track, with 4 tracks out of 8 in use at any one time – 8 minutes per track to complete as many laps as we could.

I am certain that rule 3 was adhered to, rule 2 very nearly not, by those of us with short arms who couldn’t reach their cars when they came off the track, and rule no 1 was virtually impossible to stick to! When your car has just careered off of the track into the barrier, and you are only seconds behind or in front, its very difficult to walk, not run, to the point where your car left the track, put it back on and walk, not run, back to your controller!!

All of this caused much hilarity, with people (and cars) all over the place, and a lot of unintended exercise by the less careful drivers, particularly on the Donnington Park track which was around 15 foot from one end to the other! At the end of the evening the number of laps were added up, and a very close result was achieved. The winner was Stephen, Chris from Brentwood came second, and third place was shared by myself, and Matt fom Sollihul group.

It was then back for some food and liquid refreshment at The Blue Bell pub at Whaplode St Catherine (in the middle of nowhere!) where the staff did us proud by serving us up an excellent meal at gone 10pm at night! This was actually a temporary home for the weekend for myself and Stephen, Chris, Iain from Fareham, and Matt and Rob from Sollihul, as we had pitched tents in the overflow car park on Friday night, and already enjoyed the hospitality, and locally brewed beer, of the pub the previous night. We had spent the daytime hours of Saturday wandering around the town of Spalding, visiting a historical building and gardens, and playing boules (non-flashing, or at least switched off!) in the pub car park.

After keeping the staff at the pub up long past their bedtimes, the campers returned to their tents, and before traveling home the next day sampled the delights of the English Breakfast at a local truck stop type cafe.

Everyone who attended said they really enjoyed the event, so maybe we are looking at a repeat next year, to be open to anyone nationally within Plus who wants to join us – we might even manage to give away a trophy or prizes next time, who knows!

Christine T

Not too long a title for an event then!!!

And what an event it was! This is usually a good party for us, because it takes reasonably minimal organising over the weekend itself and we can relax and enjoy ourselves too as well as being hosts to members of other groups.

Friday night was very laid back this year, pizza and chinese takeaway eaten in the party tent or “chill out zone” outside of the main hall, washed down with a glass of two of punch from the seemingly self-emptying punchbowl (note to self – must make more punch next time..)!! A quick competition to name the alcohol from small pictures of bits of labels, which was in the end won by Dawn P, one of our own members!

A run out to Beers of Europe on saturday morning was followed in the afternoon by a game of rounders in The Walks in Kings Lynn. I did my best to represent the Kings Lynn Group, and somehow ended up in the winning team – result!!

The evening BBQ went very well, the weather once again holding out for us. An excellent spread of salads and such, put on by the two Dawns and their able helpers, was available for us in the hall, and the BBQ itself was supplied by Dave & Sherrie – not like any other BBQ that you will have ever seen! The disco afterwards was supplied by Adam Redshaw who did a brilliant job once again.

After the disco finished, we adjourned once again to the party tent, for chatting and chilling out, and out in the field a game of petanque in the dark with flashing boules, which seems to become a custom at the Kings Lynn do, was played. Another custom seems to be not going to bed until it starts to get light, and it would be a shame to break a tradition wouldn’t it…..

I don’t have any photos of the event, if anyone does have some they would be happy for me to use, please get in touch – I have, however, included on the photographs page a link to some video that was shot by a Plus member. I think its rather good!

Christine T

Not long to go now until the Kings Lynn Plus Summer Party at Tottenhill – about 2 1/2 weeks to be exact. Invites have gone out, bookings have started coming in. Beers of Europe have once again agreed a 10% discount for attendees.

Three of us went to visit the hall last night, just to have a look at the camping area and plan where the party tent would go – we were met by a lot of rabbits and hundreds of midges!! Don’t think the rabbits will be a problem, but I certainly recommend insect repellent and citronella in abundance!

A few last minute things for us to do, but we’re all looking forward to an excellent party again this year.

Christine T

For a few years now we’ve been threatening to have a Eurovision party, and this year Dave & Sherrie kindly offered to host the event, complete with barbeque and plenty of floor to sleep on!

After consuming endless amounts of chicken, sausages and burgers, together with various salads, we adjourned to the living room to watch the spectacle that is Eurovision.

Sherrie organised a sweepstake, and we each gained one or two countries to root for. Tp be honest a lot of the songs sounded very similar to me, some of the outfits rather odd, and as for the russian ice-skater……..obviously did the trick for them though!

We added our own comments to Terry’s, as the voting went on and the winners were announced – although I still don’t think they could hear us shouting at the TV….

(and we musn’t tell Jamie who won……!!!)

Christine T

April 2008, and a record number of Kings Lynn Plus members headed down to sunny Weston-Super-Mare (Brean Sands) for the second-biggest Plus party weekend of the year. Second-biggest, but no less fun certainly.

Bands, disco, caravan parties, real ale trip to Bath, murder mystery – Brean 2008 had it all. Sleep – well I certainly didn’t get much of that! Being the first big Plus event of the year after the AGM, it was also a great opportunity to catch up with people we don’t get to see very often.

What a great start to the party season – here’s looking forward to the KL Plus mid-summer party, and WASH 25, amongst others – and preparations are well in hand for both. Not long to go now (frighteningly!!)

Christine T

Its been a while since we last updated the blog, and Christmas has come and gone.  The Christmas meal at Freebridge Farm was a success, most enjoyable with some interesting “secret santa” presents being unwrapped – I’m sure Glyn was thrilled with his present of some ladies’ toiletries!!  Likewise the New Years Eve party, this time at Dawn and Paul’s, was quite an event.

Group and WASH AGM/elections are now both completed, and the job of planning both the 2008 group summer do, and WASH 25 will shortly begin in earnest.  The monthly walks have already resumed in January, with a quick blast round Glinton in Peterborough finished with a pretty good sunday roast at the pub.

Greyhound racing was the event last week, with several people leaving the track slightly poorer than when they arrived, although our usual main entertainment in this regard had a previous engagement and couldn’t make it – never mind Keith, think of the money you’ve saved!

We have also welcomed a couple of new members in the last few months, Lucy joined us totally afresh, although it turns out she knows a previous member about whom we were pleased to hear news, and Nikki has defected from Redbridge group after meeting our Phil at WASH last year.

Programme planning is the current activity, and hopefuly I will be able to post a new programme onto the website shortly, to include such events as the National AGM, Brean 08, more walks, and details of our normal weekday meetings. 

All in all, lots to look forward to in 2008.

Christine T

OK, so its a bit late to be blogging about WASH, as it was at the beginning of November, but better late than never!

Personal Highlights (as many as I can remember!):

Everyone (almost) dressed up for “formal Friday”.
Getting chance to relax and watch a video in the chalet in between booking-in duties!
Mulled wine on the land-train (and making every single trip!)
Chris & Lara’s caravan party.
Fancy dress on Saturday – such a variety of costumes!

The quiz on Sunday , first time we’ve run it ourselves and it seemed to go down well – particularly the “knob” song titles.
Singing “it must be knob” whilst Badness where performing.

The blackjack game in Andy & Emma’s chalet on Sunday night.
THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS ALL WEEKEND, some of whom we don’t see too often.

Looking forward to next year, WASH 25, and reading the comments in the suggestions box on Monday .

Bad Points:
erm………….going home on Monday?!!

I’ve no argument with the name of the event, they don’t come much madder than this one!

The weekend started for us on Friday night, heading over to MK after work. After checking in, the rest of Friday night was spent in the bar next door to the hotel chatting and making acquaintance with some of our fellow “mad” weekenders.

Saturday started with a good breakfast in the pub, although we were careful not to eat too much as the first activity was “Airkix”, the indoor skydiving experience. The last thing you want re-circulating in the wind tunnel is your bacon and eggs (or in my case porridge)! The Airkix was the least physically demanding of the activities over the weekend but one hell of an experience and the bit I was most nervous about. After some instruction and, a dry run to practice our positions in front of an audience which caused some hilarity, we each got two one-minute “flights” in the tunnel and experienced the feeling of freefall with the assistance of an instructor, remembering to smile for the camera occasionally. The outfits we were given for the session were not exactly the most flattering ever, Stephen made the point that we spend years trying to get rid of the “handles” on our hips, and then they go and give us a suit with them sewn in! Half asleep when I went in, I found it was the perfect way to wake yourself up on a Saturday morning!!

Lunch was a quick bite at the KFC, with the National Karting Competition scheduled for the afternoon. I’m not a karter, so I opted to book an extra-curricular ½ hour on the climbing wall in the Xscape centre instead. This is a 43 foot high wall made to look like a real rock-face, with bolted on holds. The wall area has a 1st floor viewing gallery but there is something distinctly odd about being halfway up a climb and still be at the same level as the spectators! After finishing there we headed off to the karting track where we were just in time to watch most of the semi-finals and the final of the competition.

Saturday night and most of us had a table booked at a tapas bar in the Xscape centre where Kirsty did her best to get us thrown out by blowing bubbles everywhere with the bottles of bubble mixture she’d brought with her!  Moving on from there the next stop was a pub with a live band who were pretty good. People drifted back to the hotel at varying times, we gave up at about 12.15, but apparently some stayed and went on to a nightclub, not getting to bed until around 2am. Nutcases!

Sunday morning and an early start to get to the Sno-Zone for some ski-ing lessons, indoors on real snow – how cool (literally)! Breakfast had to wait to be sure we got there on time, and at a hour at which I would normally hope to be still laying in bed thinking about getting up, I was on the ski-slope trying to stay upright! I’ve not been downhill ski-ing before, so was booked in for the beginners’ lesson. I only fell over once in the hour long session, unfortunately that was actually while I was standing still waiting for my turn to come round. The biggest challenge for me being trying to get off the travelator back onto the slope which is much easier said than done! All too soon our hour was over. Breakfast at Wetherspoons followed and was very welcome after working up a good appetite on the ski-slope.

After checking out of the hotel and some relaxation time at the pub next door, we headed off for the last activity of the weekend, the Aerial Extreme. For me at least, the most taxing activity of the weekend physically and mentally. Basically it is an assault course (think along the lines of the Krypton factor) but at a higher level – rope swings, seesaws, climbing walls and balancing logs in the air. You are on a safety line at all times so in no danger of falling very far, but somehow that doesn’t make it much less scary. Jumps from one platform to another at a distance that wouldn’t bother you if they were at ground level, suddenly become much more difficult!  Once the first level was completed we had to make the decision whether to carry on to the next, higher and slighly more difficult level, I joined Stephen, Tim, Matt and Rich on that one.  At the end, the others opted for the quick descent by jumping off the tower on the end of a rope with a speed restrictor. I went for the slower method of the stairs, strangely enough needing an instructor to accompany me for safety reasons!

That just about wrapped up the weekend for us all. Despite the aches and pains, I am already looking forward to next year.

I’ve lumped both of these events together in one blog as they happened in very quick succession – the railway day on the Sunday, followed by an evening meeting in Hunstanton on the Monday.

What can I say about the railway other than what a great day out!  I may be slightly biaised though as railways (steam or otherwise) have always been “my thing” although not quite to the train spotter extent you may be pleased to hear!

A combination of pubs, walking and trains – with a chinese meal on a boat thrown in for good measure.  The train even had a bar – result – although the effect on the beer of being driven up and down the track for some time was quite interesting…

Some of us did the whole trip from one end of the line to the other, some got off at Wansford station to look around the gift shop/tea room/yard.  A mixture of steam and diesel trains pulling a set of carriages that takes you back to your childhood!  The only downside being the weather (slightly warm/muggy but dry) which changed drastically when we reached Ferry Meadows.  The idea was to indulge in either a bit of walking or a kite flying session there but the heavy rain put paid to both those ideas and about an hour was spent sheltering in/around the tea rooms instead!

Hunstanton on Monday evening continued that theme of being extremely wet – fish and chips in the car for some (and we even tried a deep fried Mars Bar for the first time), others went in search of food at a more undercover venue!  On to the arcades, where it was a close thing between Stephen and myself for the highest score at the “Bowlingo” (sort of a cross between 10 pin bowling and skittles) until Keith pulled a storming last frame out of the bag and trashed the lot of us!

Fruit machines, and the two penny “pushers” (my favourite) were the order of the day after that, and when everyone had had enough (or run out of money) we adjourned to the Ancient Mariner for a J20 or two.

And I don’t believe it stopped raining for one second of the evening….does anyone really believe it is August?

Christine T