[debnjohn]

Would anyone be interested in a Southwest meet for forum members ? :hopeso
After a brilliant phone call last night with another member, I realised just how much can be gained from speaking to someone with similar goals, and it would be excellent to meet others.
There's not much left of March, and I'm hopefully fact-finding in Christchurch during the latter half of April, so I'd suggest either early April or sometime in May?
For a kick off, how about Sat. 9th April in somewhere kid-friendly in Salisbury?
Any takers? Or any other suggestions for dates/venues?
Cheers
John.

[Diny]

John

I hope you get some takers for your idea. As you know we have fairy regular NW meets (the next one on 2nd April) and they are really good events. Spending the afternoon with folks who are in the same situation as yourselves is very interesting. Swapping ideas and information - and basically just knowing that you're not alone on the emotional helter skelter.

Not to mention the wine drinking, beer swilling, food eating good time that's had by all.

Go gor it folks - you won't regret it.

Diny

[debnjohn]

John

I hope you get some takers for your idea. As you know we have fairy regular NW meets (the next one on 2nd April) and they are really good events. Spending the afternoon with folks who are in the same situation as yourselves is very interesting. Swapping ideas and information - and basically just knowing that you're not alone on the emotional helter skelter.

Not to mention the wine drinking, beer swilling, food eating good time that's had by all.

Go gor it folks - you won't regret it.

Diny

Thanks fo the support Diny.
Yes, those now-famous NM meets were my inspiration (as well as a source of jealousy as it's too far for me to go!)
John.

[ant-in-cornwall]

Think it'd be a good idea, but we're in the far southwest and anywhere is a trek for us!

[veronica]

""As you know we have fairy regular NW meets ""

what sort of meets is it you have up there Diny, I am intrigued :laugh

[Diny]

I'm trying to think of some whitty answer to that but I'm drawing a blank.
:oops: :oops:

That'll teach me to read through my messages before posting them.

Diny

[Hayden1002]

Yep I'm up for it but I'm on nights on the 8th and 9th! So it would have to be early to mid afternoon and (apologies)a lot closer than Salisbury.

ant-in-cornwall how far down are you? If we could work out midway between you and Debnjohn maybe that could be an option?

Debnjohn if its only us perhaps somewhere like cribbs causeway would be an option.

[debnjohn]

Debnjohn if its only us perhaps somewhere like cribbs causeway would be an option.

Morning Hayden,
there is also interest from Poole, which is why I picked Salisbury as a starting point as it is equidistant, but I'm open to all suggestions. Even two meets at different locations!

John.

[Hayden1002]

Hi John
No worries if I have to travel a bit, but as I said I'm on nights so I would have to factor that in for a meet.
Once you have a good list you will have to triangulate and find middle for diddle :laugh I'm laughing because I'm wondering where that line came from. Middle for Diddle where does it come from?

[markkellaway]

John,

As you know I'm up for it, not sure of dates yet but the 9th sounds OK at the mo. As far as where to meet the triangulation idea is a good one, lets see who's interested then see if we can find an agreeable place for all. Having said that, from Cornwall it's going to be a trek wherever it is, unless Ant will put everyone up for the weekend!! :laugh

Mark. :P

[freeflyer]

Hi Deb & John,

I would love to meet up , I live in Romsey , so Salisbury would be perfect.
but I cant do the 9th April ( prior engagement with Scooby Doo!)
It would be great to talk to some like minded people - although at the moment i am kind of out of my mind , :laugh
Husband is in Cairns , and my family havent spoken to me , since I mentioned plans to move back to NZ :wah
cheers
Anna

[Moorf]

Wow another Romsey-ite - have fond memories of the place, is the Old Manor House restaurant still there? Do you remember Charlie Dimmock at the Mill Water Gardens (is that the one?) before she was famous?!!

:laugh

[freeflyer]

Hi Moorf,
gosh- when did you live here?

The old manor house has been turned into a cheap italian joint :wah
but the mill water gardens are still here, havent seen charlie about though.

We had quite fond memories of Romsey when we were in NZ ( the abbey, the park, quaint pubs etc)

but since being back , I have been shocked at how old, all the residents are. I feel like an extra on the set of cocoon!
I think its to do with house prices.

We are renting a thatched cottage on the Broadlands estate, so its cute , but I cant wait to get back to NZ, I am looking into starting up a 2nd hand bookshop somewhere.

I have been reading your posts with interest, they are great , and it looks like you are really settling in now , good luck with your house.

cheers
Anna
P.S On the subject of restaurants , have you been in the Ruptured Duck in Sumner? - the pizzas are great.

[Moorf]

THREAD HIJACK ALERT

+++++++

Ok, showing my age here, but I lived in Winchester, then Sparsholt, then Romsey all around 1989 - 1992!

:wah The Old Manor House was amazing back then - we used to go with the agency I worked at and take clients there... amazing food, we used to get the 5 course "degustation" :nice1 ! Or at Lainston House which was also lovely(please don't tell me it's been taken over by Best Western or such like :laugh :nice1 ).

Did they also shut the IBM HQ there? My grandparents still live fairly nearby, in Chandlers Ford, and my mother was born just near Bishops Waltham! A Hampshire family on my mothers side - that's why I was sent to school in Winchester!

Ruptured Duck .. yep, been there! Lovely pizza's!

Oh, and did you read my thread on how I want to open a 2nd hand book shop??!! Spooky! It's been a dream of mine for years.. bolstered by the madness that is Black Books!! :laugh :laugh

Say hi to Romsey for me.. although sounds like it's really changed :(

Moorf

[debnjohn]

There seems to be a few interested parties in this. So far we have interest expressed by forumites from:
Cornwall, Weston, Poole, Swindon, Oxford and Romsey.
One date could be Saturday 9th April (afternoon/early evening).
Locations suggested so far are Salisbury & Bristol (no venues identified yet)

Please feel free to suggest other locations/venues or dates. I'll try to keep track of what's going on as best I can (bit busy at the moment) - unless anyone would like to volunteer as organiser :hopeso ?

It's only just over two weeks away, folks. Lets see if we can match Diny and her crew for popularity ! :mrgreen:

John

[Mike & Nicola]

Dragging it a bit eastwards, but we'd be interested in meeting up at some time, although April 9th isn't good for us as we'll be in Marrakesh :cool .

If you have another gathering in the future then keep us posted. Location isn't an issue for us, just as long as we can get some :cheers , then we'll be happy.

Good luck organising.

Mike

[Kim39]

Just wishing you good luck with your attempts to get this SW meet off the ground. :hopeso It's well worth the hassle to eventually see what you achieve.

As an original member of the NW crew we started off with: Diny/PB, Jo/Ian, Rimbo/Suzy, Linda/Alijax, Babette/Andy, Anita(sorry can't remember hubby),Jon and myself Kim39/Elaine.....if i missed somebody then sorry.

Since that first meet we have added quite a few numbers and still more want to tag onto this meet. All original members are now at a certain stage where we are so close to making that move and are now feeding of each other. Can't wait for that first NW meet in NZ

Get it done :yes you won't look back.

Kim

[Jennie & Rob]

We would be interested - we are near Devizes. We have Finn 1.5 and Katie 6. Bristol, Weston, Salisbury are all fine.
Thanks for getting going with it, :cheers

[leslie]

we'd like to join you if its manageable from putney/ sw london

[markkellaway]

Hi All,

Sounds like it's a good to go on this. Why don't we arrange a meet for April 9th, before John goes to NZ, then we can arrange another for May when others can attend?

As we've got people who want to attend from all over, Salisbury is sounding like a good bet to me as it's pretty central.

Mark. :P

[debnjohn]

April 9th (afternoon) in Salisbury sounds like a goer.

That way, I can take orders for any information people want brought back from Christchurch !

Any ideas for a venue?

John.

[Dave & Sandra]

You'll have to say hello to my sister while you're there. She lives very near to the town centre in Salisbury. It's a beautiful place. Hope you all enjoy the get together.

[markkellaway]

So, are we agreed that the 9th of April is the date? We've got some friends from Salisbury so I'll ask them what pubs are OK. Will we be eating? I would have thought a Brewers Fayre or a Beefeater, opinions?

Mark. :P

[Simon & Emily]

Hi,

Sounds a good plan to us. Any child friendly pub would be good, perhaps with a playroom or outdoor area if possible? We would be travelling from nr Oxford with a 3 and a 4 year old - it would be good to have somewhere for them to let off some steam while we chat!

Emily

[debnjohn]

Hi,

Sounds a good plan to us. Any child friendly pub would be good, perhaps with a playroom or outdoor area if possible? We would be travelling from nr Oxford with a 3 and a 4 year old - it would be good to have somewhere for them to let off some steam while we chat!

Emily

Hello Emily and Simon ! Welcome to the forum. I'm so glad you decided to 'take the plunge' ! :cheers

John

[debnjohn]

Hello all,
we're looking for some suggestions for the 9th April SW Meet.
Somewhere children-friendly, and possibly an outside area just in case the weather favours us!
I've contacted the Salisbury Visitor Centre (tel: 01722 334956), and they suggested www.visitsalisbury.com. The 'eating out' section can be found at
http://www.visitsalisbury.com/html/sectionlist.asp?sectionid=6

Open to ideas, folks! Anyone with local knowledge, please?
Cheers,
John.

[Simon & Emily]

Hi John,

Thanks for the mail - have to say they don't look too child friendly in the pictures!!

How about the local Hungry Horse? We have not been there ourselves, but they are normally a good place for children (assuming we're not the only one's with kids?) and big enough to take a number of people.

Any thoughts?

Emily

[Danpoll]

Hi Deb & John

We would be up for Salisbury, that is if we are still here then, So provisionally put Portsmouth on that list.


Regards

Dan, wife and child

[freeflyer]

Hi Deb & John,

thanks for your kind message.

Sorry but I can't reccommend any venues in Salisbury , though it would probably be best to avoid the city centre on a Saturday, its a nightmare of one way streets & heavy traffic.

There looks like there's not too much choice in Family friendly restaurants, can't find any brewers fayres or Beefeaters style places.
The HH sounds okay , and I saw a Brewsters on a website , but not sure what they are like.

Regards
Anna

[lollypop]

Hi DebnJohn

We'd also be interested in meeting up on 9th, we live in Witney, Oxfordshire so Salisbury's not too far for us.

[debnjohn]

Hi DebnJohn

We'd also be interested in meeting up on 9th, we live in Witney, Oxfordshire so Salisbury's not too far for us.

Hello lollypop, we'll be glad to see you!

I've edited the thread title, adding 'from 1pm'. Debbie & I will be at the venue (as yet undecided :oops: ) from lunchtime until early evening (or however long it takes for folks to arrive. I know some prefer early afternoon, but others are on Nightshift Friday so it will be a bit of a stuggle.

Any other suggestions for a venue? There are some listed here:

POSSIBLE VENUES (http://www.visitsalisbury.com/html/sectionlist.asp?sectionid=6)

We have had about 6 families so far who want to come, including a self-confessed 'yo-yo' (apparently that's someone who has lived in NZ, come back to the UK, and is heading back to NZ again!). I think it will be a really good opportunity to share experiences :nice1

John

[Dave & Sandra]

Hi John

Here are some ideas from my sister

We had a bit of a think about John's request for a venue. Two options come to mind, with a third suggestion:

1. There is a pub/hotel on the A30 about half way between Salisbury and Andover. To get from Swindon drive down to Marlborough and then take the A338 south towards Salisbury. About 5 miles before Salisbury turn off into the village of Porton and keep going straight on across Porton Down ranges. At the junction with the A30 (arguable whether it's a tee-junction or a crossroads), turn left and The Pheasant is just there on the left. IMPORTANT BIT: We have not been to The Pheasant since we moved away from a nearby village 5 years ago. Then it was exactly what you asked for - plenty of space, child friendly (Charlie Chalk the clown ball pool and kids' meals, and climbing frames in the garden - safely fenced from the road), food was fine and it is easy to find with plenty of parking. I have no reason to believe it has changed it's child friendly policy or anything else but, since I don't know, I strongly advise you to give them a call and ask (01980 862374 - don't get confused with The Pheasant pub in Salisbury city centre).

2. There is a Brewster's restaurant just on the northeastern edge of Salisbury. It is next to the Travel Inn on a roundabout on the A30. There is a map on the Travel Inn website - www.premiertravelinn.com - enter Salisbury in the search box. It is spacious and caters for children with kids' menus and play area and all that. The number is 01722 339836.

My suggestion is that a better compromise might be somewhere a bit further west than Salisbury. But I don't know of any places to suggest! From the Travel Inn website, I see there is a Brewster's at Bridgwater, which is probably no longer for John to get to than Salisbury (Marlborough to Salisbury is not a quick route) but would presumably be a lot easier from Cornwall. I have never been there or even seen it but must be child friendly and easy to find - it's comes down to a question of size. It's just a thought.....he'd have to get a number and call.


Hope this helps in some way - Sandra

[debnjohn]

Sandra,
thats brilliant, please pass on thanks to your sister. :clap :clap :clap
I shall give the Pheasant In & Brewsters (Salisbury) a call. We will stick with Salisbury as opposed to Bridgewater as there are others hopefully coming from the North & East of Swindon (Witney, Oxford, Reading etc).
However, this is only the first meeting, and as Mark said earlier we can always arrange a later meet (perhaps when I'm back from my Christchurch reccie) at another location to suit.
John.

[debnjohn]

Thanks for the PMs of encouragement everyone :nice1

We have EIGHT families so far who are interested (I think it's 15 adults and 7 children if everyone turns up) !

We have decided on the Pheacsant Inn/Hotel. They are children friendly, have plenty of free parking and an outdoors area if the weather shines on us. Meal prices for children & adults also seem reasonable.

Map to PHEASANT INN (http://www.dstl.gov.uk/about_us/maps/porton.pdf)

John

[Timbo]

We cant make it unfortunately, but, mypennysworth;

http://www.pub-explorer.com/olpg/the-pheasant-inn/salisbury/

[Dave & Sandra]

Timbo

I think your link is to the Pheasant that my sister said not to confuse hers with. She used to live in Winterslow, and the Pheasant she is talking about is the Pheasant nearer to Winterslow rather than Salisbury city centre itself. The SP1 postcode indicates that your link is to the Pheasant in Salisbury city centre.

I remember the Pheasant she is talking about slightly, and it's on a dual carriageway that passes Winterslow.

[debnjohn]

We cant make it unfortunately, but, mypennysworth;

http://www.pub-explorer.com/olpg/the-pheasant-inn/salisbury/

No, this is the Pheasant Inn in Salisbury centre. I'm not familiar with the area, but I've been advised to steer clear of Salisbury town centre on a Saturday due to traffic volume, and a one-way system :uhoh

The Pheasant Inn that has been suggested is slightly to the North East of Salisbury town. I've pinched the map from another websire :oops:
http://www.dstl.gov.uk/about_us/maps/porton.pdf

The pub we are going to is at a crossroads on the A30 (bottom right-hand corner of map in link above).
But a good point, Timbo, I'd better PM everyone to make sure we all go to the same place!!!
John.

[Timbo]

SORRY FOLKS :oops:

[Simon & Emily]

John,

Thanks for organising this - we look forward to seeing you all there.

Timbo - I'm glad you made this mistake - I for one would have been the first to navigate to the wrong pub, even following the posted map :oops:

Thanks again,

Emily

[Jennie & Rob]

Looking forward to this - how do we recognise each other? I think Deb & John have their picture on here so we shall look for them.....
:cheers

[markkellaway]

Anne & I aim to be there by 1 as well and will be taking name tags, so just look for a group of people wearing big white labels!! :nice1

Mark. :P

[debnjohn]

Looking forward to this - how do we recognise each other? I think Deb & John have their picture on here so we shall look for them.....
:cheers

I changed my avatar, so to avoid confusion (prepare yourself for a mug shot ......... looks like I'm about to sneeze)





http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.woodrow/debnjohn.jpg

[Jennie & Rob]

I am not worried that you look like you are about to sneeze but - am a little concerned about your "halo". Do you have a Godly purpose visiting this world?????

[debnjohn]

:mrgreen:
Hadn't noticed that before! I can ASSURE you I don't deserve a halo !

John.

[Jennie & Rob]

Good - not sure we would all get on otherwise!
Jennie ;)

[markkellaway]

Here's one of our gang too (at Queen Charlotte Sound!!):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/markkellaway/AnneMarkandAJ.jpg

Mark. :P

[Jennie & Rob]

Thanks - I should be able to recognise a few of you now.
As we are fairly new to this forum and for the benefit of others who are new (and therefore would not know all our previous postings) - I thought it might be worth us all explaining our background/where we are with the NZ "thing"

We are Rob (38) and Jennie (40) with Katie (6) and Finn (1.5) currently living near Devizes in Wiltshire. Rob is an Oracle DBA (IT) and Jennie was a lecturer, now a Mum and part-time trader in the style of Del-boy!
We have permanent visas and are hoping to be in Wellington by 22nd May. Rob has a job there to start on 30th. We have never been to New Zealand before.

That's us folks. Who are you??? :smile

[Hayden1002]

We are hoping to come but I have a shift change I'm trying to wriggle out of so we may/we may not be there.
If not I hope you have a good meet and exchange plenty of good info.
Cheers
H :bobby

[debnjohn]

Just a quick reminder that we are having a southwest meeting tomorrow at the Pheasant Inn (shown on this map):
http://www.dstl.gov.uk/about_us/maps/porton.pdf

We are meeting from about 1pm.

Many thanks to Anne, she has secured us a non-smoking area in a bay window which is large enough for the 15+ adults expected. There are also smoking areas available should people wish to make use of them.

For those wishing to eat, I am told a typical adult meal costs about £6, with childrens meals at £3. Food is available all day.

Can't say how much we are looking forward to meeting you all!

John.

[Diny]

All the bst for tomorrow guys. I hope you enjoy yourselves as us NW forumers do at our get togethers.

Please take plenty of pics and get them posted for us all to see.

Best wishes.

Diny

[Hayden1002]

Alas, I am unable to get out of my shift change so won't be there.
Hope you all have a good afternoon. If anything of importance/interest comes up can someone post it so I can catch up.
Ta

[Marie P]

Hope you have a lovely time and a good old chat !!!!

:cheers

Marie x

[jan]

:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

CHEERS to the Southwest meet!!

Have a good meet

Jan xx