Preparation Day

I think that I mentioned a Tour in the last post, well today was the day for getting prepared, tomorrow at 06.00 is lift off time. Travelling light, which is difficult when you are as big as me, is to be the order of the day as the car in which we will be travelling is already loaded to the gunwales with a variety of large items that will help furnish a property in Murcia. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. For the benefit of the doubters the photograph below shows my luggage packed ready to go.

Luggage

Back to the beginning. The notion of the Tour emerged from one of our regular Friday sessions. To appreciate this you will, first of all, have to meet Nick. Nick is one of the core group with a high attendance record at Society functions. By occupation he is a semi retired merchant mariner who has spent a lifetime travelling the oceans. Consequently, he could be described as well travelled. As his work commitments decreased he decided to acquire some property in the south of Spain. He is now in the throes of setting it up and as part of the preparations bought a left hand drive vehicle to leave at his home from home. Having done so the decision had to be made as to how to get it there. Well it is a long drive so it took little thought to volunteer to help with the driving.

The decision taken to drive, the next question to be addressed was what route would the journey take? At this point it should be revealed that Nick is rather partial to a nice bottle of wine. A series of strategy meetings determined that a route encompassing the joys of Champagne, Burgundy and the Rhone would make a good start with a small diversion to some of the lesser known regions before a fair sampling of the Spanish viticultural efforts. Thus was born the VGLPS Wine Tour. Hopefully more to report at a later date.

Nick

We can't leave mention of Nick without doffing our caps to his brother, John. John is another life long seaman who is also semi retired. Now that he is spending a little more time at home he has taken to the culinary arts with some enthusiasm. Each week we await the latest creations from his kitchen. He is confidently producing a fine line in pate, scrumptious bread and the best sausage rolls for miles around. Regular phone calls to Irene have been an education as John develops his skills. It won't be long before he adds the Luscious Lemon Drizzle to his repertoire.

John

An early start requires a closing of this post, but there will be ample opportunities to meet up with Nick and John in the future.

Father of the House

The last post made reference to the 'Father of the House' so it's probably a good idea to get introductions out of the way early on. Dave is a retired telecommunications engineer with a lifetime of work and travel behind him. But for the Society he is a linchpin, a regular in our pub for over fifty years having lived all of his early life in close proximity and since moving a relatively small distance away has continued to be a regular attendee in the Vic. His importance is exemplified by his encyclopaedic knowledge of the people, the area and the relationships that exist around our local.

Future posts will feature Dave on a regular basis as his is a core contribution to proceedings.

Dave

It would be remiss to go any further without introducing Irene, Dave's wife. She had a mention in the last post in relation to her culinary exploits. Irene, as well as being a regular contributor, is renowned for her skills in the kitchen and it's not just the pasties that show it. 'Queen of the Lemon Drizzle' would be an appropriate soubriquet.

Now you have met the Armour family patriarch and matriarch you will meet them or their families on a fairly regular basis in this series.

Irene

This post will have to close now as the packing for the VGLPS tour need to commence.

Pasty Day

Today was declared Pasty Day at the Victoria Gardens Literary and Philosophical Society (VGLPS).

Over a long period there have been wonderful gifts brought to the table. Amongst the best of these are the various food parcels from a couple of our members. The most exalted of these is Irene, wife of the Father of the House, ( more about him in another post). Irene has a number of specialities, much loved by all, but there is always a frisson of excitement when the word gets out that there are pasties on the way. Feverish phone calls over the last couple of days established that today was going to see a delivery of the prized pasties. One of our team was so excited that he turned up with a celebratory badge.

Bill's Badge

This is probably the time to introduce Bill. Bill is a local legend. The former Mississippi Dreamboat bass player and pharmacist is a stalwart of the Society. His dry wit is a mainstay of proceedings and his diet is oft discussed particularly when his main food source, his partner, is not around.

Relating the morning's cooking process the Father of the House was able to tell us that he had to oversee the final stages of the cooking as Irene had to go to the dentists for a scale and polish. Quick as a flash, Bill interjects and asks if the cleaning was for the purpose of preparing the teeth for crimping the pastry around the edge of the pasties. Another day at the Vic.

Bill - Pasty Lover

Look out for news of the upcoming Society Tour to the wine regions of France and Spain and the progress of dowel delivery to Murcia.

Let Us Introduce Ourselves

This is the first post of a small, occasionally large, group of people who enjoy spending a few hours 'chewing the fat' over a couple of beers. The group come from a variety of backgrounds and different life experiences which makes for a rich base for conversation. As the weeks unfold you will meet a mix of these characters, come to share with them their idiosyncratic views of the world.

However there are one or two things that are core matters for our jolly band. The love of conversation is first and foremost. Further it should be no surprise that this hostelry attracts a significant number of people who live within a few hundred yards, indeed most from even shorter distances. It is therefore truly a 'local'.

Our next post will begin the introduction of the individuals who look forward to congregating at 14.00 hours each Friday afternoon to commence the weekly formalities of the Society.