NOTE! Annual Meet-Up

[Souwester]

If it stays open, the Bird in Hand is...

I presume this is the Bird in Hand at Sonning Common? If so I went there for a meal yesterday evening and it was excellent.

[piwacket]

If it stays open, the Bird in Hand is...

I presume this is the Bird in Hand at Sonning Common? If so I went there for a meal yesterday evening and it was excellent.

It’s just it’s location, a bit out of the way for those who don’t drive....

[GaryyHill]

Anyone interested in an online meeting via Zoom

[C.A.Versham]

This might seem odd but I prefer to have my own image of fellow forumites, similar to when I used to listen to the Archers and became disgruntled when their photographs appeared in the Radio Times. Will leave Zoom to others thanks.

[Ollycat]

If anyone was still thinking summer meet - pubs with big gardens on bus routes - the Cunning Man in Burghfield, or the Pack Horse on the Woodcote Road? I guess the Shire Horse at Littlewick Green is too far out.

Not allowed to use Zoom

[Hooped]

Not allowed to use Zoom

"Not allowed" - why?

From my p.o.v., I fall into the "at risk" category and until such time as a vaccine is developed and proved to work, I feel I will be as much at risk if I catch the virus as I would have been in March or any time since. The furthest I've travelled since March has been 7 miles into Crawley to drop off or collect my son. I've been into a petrol station, the local chemist and the chiropractic. And although I'd love to meet up with fellow forumites, a 130 mile round trip for a drink and a chat when I've not been to visit my Mum (admittedly twice as far away) might not be the right thing to do!

A Zoom call would work for me.

[Voiceoftreason?]

Aliens don’t zoom, they beam

[piwacket]

Sorry, but it doesn’t appeal to me.

[Ollycat]

Not allowed to use Zoom

"Not allowed" - why?

My employer has decided that the security risk is too high for us to download it onto our computers.

[BOY RACER]

One of the few television programs that I enjoy is/was “Have I got news for you”. After lockdown and the first program was shown as per a Zoom session it for me just did not work and I feel that it would be the same on a Forum meet. I attended my first Meet in 2015 and putting faces to names was great. Yola who no longer posts, whose posts I found somewhat arrogant at times, was a lovely person. Sometimes reality is somewhat different to What you surmise. I hope we have a Christmas meet and would like to attend a summer meet, although with present problems this is a problem as to where to meet. it has to be central. It has to be on a bus route. Although I think people would be prepared to pick up others up.

I thought that perhaps a meet on a boat at Caversham Bridge. It is just a thought and I have not made any enquiries to its possibility for the end of this summer. It’s central, on bus routes and easy accessibility only problem being that you have to be there at a certain time to catch the boat and you are imprisoned for a certain length of time pending release. Just a thought but if there is enough interest I will make the necessary enquiries. Lol.

[OLDMAN]

If we could get a decent day weather wise then a picnic in a park would work, and be safe

Just bring our own food / drink etc

[Ollycat]

If we could get a decent day weather wise then a picnic in a park would work, and be safe

Just bring our own food / drink etc

We had a "company picnic" in Kings Meadow recently. It worked well, we brought our own chairs, food and a camping table, though we were somewhat restricted by the lack of public toilets. I think there are some in Christchurch Meadows though?

[buseng]

If we could get a decent day weather wise then a picnic in a park would work, and be safe

Just bring our own food / drink etc

We had a "company picnic" in Kings Meadow recently. It worked well, we brought our own chairs, food and a camping table, though we were somewhat restricted by the lack of public toilets. I think there are some in Christchurch Meadows though?

Knowing this Council, no! They have either closed them all down or converted the remaining ones into the unisex pay as you enter walk in type things.

[OLDMAN]

Not sure of others but plenty in Palmer Park and Prospect Park?

Not sure if Kings Meadows and Christchurch are classed as 'parks' so maybe why

[BOY RACER]

We did this on VE Day. With our neighbours at 4 pm we all sat down in our own front gardens and had tea, (well beer and wine) and some cakes shouting to one another across the road playing catch up. Sounds silly but just getting out and socialising I think put a smile on everyone’s face and it turned out to be fun.
Problem with our weather which is very temperamental at the moment is planning for a set date in the near future. If you are in a park and it rains, yes toilets are handy to shelter in, somewhere to sit down, or do whatever but I am not sure about socialising.
Do we all know each other that well?
Methinks that being sensible and as no one appears to have a clue about C19 and are changing their minds daily, best to let this year just slip by and hope that 2021 will be better and something to look forward too. Just in case I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas.

[OLDMAN]

We did the same on VE remembrance day afternoon / evening, except we all sat out in the road (social distanced of course) and blocked the end off as its no-through
Just moved for the odd car coming in/out
We did a quiz, had drinks / food etc which people brought out, which was all on one table that we took turns going to and at one point later in the evening we even had a fire pit going………………………

We did the same on the Sunday with a bingo session but not as good due to it turning quite cold that afternoon / evening

[Ollycat]

Problem with our weather which is very temperamental at the moment is planning for a set date in the near future. If you are in a park and it rains, yes toilets are handy to shelter in, somewhere to sit down, or do whatever but I am not sure about socialising.
Do we all know each other that well?

Umm, the point about toilets was that after a few drinks, a toilet becomes a necessity. We aren't all George Michael wannabees.