I hope those that attended enjoyed the Christmas Party at The George as much as I did, and from what I gathered from the feedback, as well as my personal opinion, the food was exceptional and the service was excellent. At least we know there is one place which can cater for 65 of us and deliver on quality – so we’ll be booking again for Christmas this year.

Last year ended and this year began in style at Gillian’s Winter Wonderland New Year party which was well attended despite the freezing weather. The exotic blue and white cocktails went down well and got everyone into a party mood. Many thanks to Gillian for hosting this crucial event.

There has already been quite a few interesting events this month including a marathon pub crawl on part 2 of the Rail Ale Trail, which was mostly around St Albans. Those participating may only have been drinking halves of interesting real ales, but the sheer number of pubs ensured everyone was fairly toasty by the end of the evening...

For February there is plenty of running, dancing, theatre, pub, and restaurant events with Chinese New Year being celebrated not once, but twice!

I wish you all the best for 2010 – and the Year of the Tiger!

Callum, MKIVC Chair

Another month, and another event has attracted great feedback. The 80 Tastes home special seems to have caused quite a sizzling stir! Well done to those who put the effort in to cooking the excellent food from around the world, and kudos to Clare and Ken for organising a legendary series of events. Let's hope you continue next year…

We're now approaching the festive season where I'm hoping the MKVC Christmas Party will be the jewel in the crown of a year full of sparking events. All 65 tickets have been snapped up meaning quite a gathering of us coming together to celebrate, taste the delights of the award winning Italian restaurant at the George, and then dance the night away. Any of you who haven't been able to secure a ticket are more than welcome to join us at the disco from 10pm onwards!

I hope you all have a great holiday with family and friends. Many of us will be finishing off the year and starting the new one at Gillian's enticing Winter Wonderland, New Year party.

And then we look forward to January's events to cheer you back up after the anticlimax of putting the decorations away and going back to work. Gilly has a load of running events for those wanting to burn off a few Christmas pounds. Alternatively you may think about a New Year's resolution like picking up that dusty guitar and joining Josie for her regular workshop jamming session, or maybe plan your summer garden at Gilly's gardening club. You could be even more daring and try fire walking for charity at Roger's event at the MK stadium.

There's also a fair amount of pub nights and parties to cheer you up, rounded off by a sumptuous Sunday lunch. So it will all still be happening at MKIVC - even in darkest January! Come along and enjoy yourselves - don't forget Club Night to put events on for February, and why not help give a great welcome to prospectives at New Members Night?

Have a cheery and very festive end to the year, and all the best for the new one, starting well with a great January.

Callum, MKIVC Chair

Well, the Rocky Horror Halloween Disco went off with a bang with 45 tickets sold for a buffet, a drink, a movie and a disco. We encouragingly received a lot of positive feedback for the party with most people complimenting the food and the value for money. As so many of you seemed to have had a great time, we'll be using this kind of format again for future club events. It was fantastic to see so many excellent costumes for the evening, with some kinky Rocky Horror outfits as well as witches, zombies and devils.

Another notable event last month, was the Japanese meal as part of around the World in 80 Tastes series of events. 28 people from MK and Northampton IVC's joined up to taste the excellent, tepanyaki style food. However, let's not mention the service… ;-)

We're now looking forward to the Christmas Party at the George, for which we have a limited 65 tickets. The good news is that we've now sold or reserved all of them. It's a fine dining, three course meal followed by coffee and mince pies, and topped off by a groovy disco till late. The bar closes at one am, so plenty of time to have a festive drink and boogie. Members, who don't want to eat but want to join us after the meal for the disco, can come along for free - probably best after 10:00 pm. If you have any music requests then get them in soon as we'll be putting the play list together and can't change it on the night.

The last event of the year will be an enticingly white, silver and blue themed Winter Wonderland New Year party at Gillian's house. The plan is to wear outfits of those colours and bring white food and drinks - sounds like great fun! See the bulletin for more details.

I wish you good health for the festive season and hope you are all fit and ready to enjoy all the great events to warm your cockles and brighten up the darker and colder nights of the incoming winter.

Cheers
Callum
MKIVC Chair

Hi All, I am still recovering from a rarin' weekend! Despite the challenge of the roadworks closing easy routes to Wavendon, the weekend just got better and better. Walking with Dinosaurs at the NIA was fantastic, very impressive... very big! A picnic on the canal side and then back fro Elvis tribute - he was superb - even if you are not an Elvis fan, it was really good fun. You'll see he is back for Christmas - it sells out quickly which is why it is being advertised now! Let Karen and I know if you want tickets!

All this hot on the heels of our Summer 70's BBQ and party.... The Waterside looked great with glitter balls and 70's poster bits... and the costumes were super! Ken was a worthy winner as his alter-ego, Sid Vicious, and Mandy was a stunning 70's chick! The AIVC visitors were most impressed... 'are all your events this much fun?' Altogether now, 'yes!!!!!!' ;-)

And what delights does September bring? A mega London day which culminates in an Ethiopian meal - now that is something different! Some of us will be chasing giant bananas around Willen lake - the rest of you can come and cheer us on ;-) See inside for pub nights, parties and general fun, plus another of Callum's snob free wine tasting evenings! By the way, if you cannot make club night, though I can't think why you shouldn't! ;-) you can either email Manjeet and Colin with details or use the webform on the website www.mkivc.org. Events need to be in the Wednesday before Committee meeting.

We are also exploring additional, more informal, ways of sharing information... hints, tips, and items of general interest... through the use of forums. The idea is to trial three - Classifieds (to advertise services or products, recommend plumbers, electricians etc or even skills we have which we are willing to share), Gardening (we have a core of ten who want to share what we should be doing type stuff) and General (share recipes, book recommendations, handy websites... I'm sure you can think of much more). Let us know, committee/Callum as webmaster, what you think, and what you would like to see. There will be a guide coming out about it, and how you sign in. Please be aware you will need to verify your email address before initial access as we want to protect against 'spam members'.

So many things going on, so don't forget to put the Rocky Horror Party - October 31st - into your diary.

See you soon, Gilly

Hello Everyone, where to start?

July has been a very busy month with another full bulletin. It is good to see the wide variety of events … museums, meals, birthday bashes, football, walking, running, a pic-nic, (excellent)Am Dram and MK theatre productions, the Masked Ball, gardening club, more meals and, of course the pub nights ;-) and hosted by a range of members.

August’s bulletin is equally full and exciting with highlight being our Summer 70’s Party – get your glad rags on for a mirror ball disco, BBQ and buffet, with lots of pudding choices, and pay bar. There will be space hopper races, twister and trivia quiz! Prizes will be awarded for these along with best dressed …7’s gear is optional but there is a wide range to chose from … glam rock, ABBA, punk … get your ticket now … sales will close July 31!

I have to confess to getting excited about the Walking in Dinosaurs show … life size animatronics. It seems to have been a long time coming around. And you runners! Get your entry in for the Bananman run … how many can you catch!

It may seem a while away, but October is AGM (Annual General Meeting) time. It provides a summary of how the club has been operating and the finances, plus it is the time to elect the committee. Even if someone wants to remain on committee, in the same role or a different one, they still need to be proposed and seconded. When there is more than one person standing for the role, club members vote on who they feel should take on the role. We have several roles, as you will see from the back of the bulletin. If you are interested in any of them, then ask the present incumbent. Most roles take a couple of hours a week. As part of our constitution, we state the committee needs to have a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Association Liaison Officer (ALO) and Activities Secretary. The first four are a requirement by AIVC and are the minimum required for the club to operate. Why am I telling you all this? Because it gives you an opportunity to think about taking up a position, and to let you know I will be standing down. I’ll still be around … you don’t get rid of me that easily … and anyway, where would we be without non-book club and running!

Looking forward to another fun filled month with you all, and many apologies for te delay in getting the bulletin out.

See you soon, Gilly

Hi Everyone, the travellers have returned, not only have they returned, but have already forgotten they have been on holiday ;-) Not really! Tracy, Janet and I had a fabulous time, but a big thanks to the rest of the committee who looked after our responsibilities whilst we were away. Anytime you want to be bored with open spaces, feeding kangaroos, cuddling koalas and cute croc’s, feel free to ask! However, whilst we have been away in romantic, fair dinkum places, romance is full on in MKIVC!

Martin & Vibeke are getting married in August, wishing you a long and happy life together to the two of you; Andrew and Louise have just got engaged – sincerest congratulations to you, lovely news! And Luke & Aileen are expecting their first .. another baby for me to cuddle, hooray! We are wondering whether to have a something, matched and hatched page but can’t think of a good ‘something’ to describe new members ;-) If I have missed anyone’s exciting news, apologies ;-)

Events have been happening a-plenty too. There has to be another Go-Ape, that has to be one of the best things ever! I hear Boot Camp was a little less enthusiastically received ;-) The beginning of May had a vehicle bent (which, for monster trucks, was bent vehicles) ... with the Go-karting being very competitive! Ken is arranging another similar event, again as a joint with Northampton, which I suspect will be at least as well subscribed.

Ken also hosted a joint Pint and Pudding night over at Stoke Bruene, at the beginning of June. It was a great evening with a good show from both Northampton and MK, and, even better, people mixed and chattered. Thank you Ken for organising such a great night. Northampton has some good events coming up so we are exploring ways both clubs can benefit.

I am not sure if you are aware IVC clubs have what is called a reciprocal arrangement – where you can attend another’s club events on an occasional basis. For example, if you are visiting another part of the country, you can contact that club to find out what events are on, and arrange to join in anything which appeals. If you want to join in on a more regular basis, then you are expected to join that club.

If you want to know more about this, talk to Donna, our ALO (AIVC Liaison Officer).

And what are we going to do on Wednesdays now? Apprentice Wednesday (and Sunday for the final) has raised £49 for our charities. Thank you to all supporters. Also, on the charity-support side, Congratulations to Angela on achieving her moon walk – a night walk marathon. Yes, marathon! Very well done!

See you soon, Gilly

Hi Everyone, What a busy month! I think it is a case of work hard, play hard! Thank goodness for MKIVC events! ;-)

The EGM on Club night was well attended, thank you. Apologies to those of you I didn't get to speak to on the night. All four proposals were passed. The April membership renewals will go out with the revised membership fees. Follow up on the Charity items will come out later this month, and we have received some subsidy requests for April. All of this will be monitored closely and we will give a half-year update specifically on these, in addition to the standard Financial Report at the AGM in October.

I'd like to remind you how the subsidy works. It needs to requested in advance. Complete the part of the event form requesting a subsidy and why (it excludes alcohol, drugs (sic!) and fireworks). Please put more than just 'Food'. The requests will be reviewed at Committee (held the week following Club Night) and monies, if deemed appropriate, allocated. The maximum amount will be £1.50 per person, and is capped at £40. Once the subsidy is approved, the host(s) will be notified and the event will be advertised in the bulletin as subsidised. To claim the money back, the host(s) need to submit receipts, a note of how many members & prospectives attended, and a write up (paragraph) of the event to include in this bulletin pre- amble within a month of the event. Once those are received a cheque will be issued.

February's new members had a record 13 prospectives! and we had a good turn out of members to welcome them. At one point it was nigh on impossible to get across the conservatory at the Ship Ashore ;-) So do come along and see if we can take over the whole left hand side of the pub ;-)

And they have had a wealth of events to choose from ... Callum's wine tasting - interesting to be able to taste and compare; Rock Climbing in Xscape .. harder than it looks; pancakes with Louise & AJ ... ice cream & grand marnier sauce, yummy!; and seeing Andrew in 'Things we do for love' - excellent! Cadbury World was a child- friendly event and we had fun .. chocolate, chocolate, chocolate ;-) It was followed by a Graphology evening; very interesting, and we will be holding another in June!

On a slightly more energetic note, Extreme Walking (as these events have now been christened), in the Peaks was fabulous. It had its usual Scott-isms of water, mud, and steep bits ;-) but the peat bogs at the top of Kinder Scout excelled; we were all, at some time, up to our knees and Manjeet nearly ended up bootless! It was a weekend for heroes as Scott rescued Manjeet and Darren a dog (yes, the four legged sort!) which had got trapped in a cave.

And finally, it was the MK Half on March 8. Six MKIVCers participated: Adrian (1hr46'58"), Andrew (1hr55'45"), Julie (1hr57'30"), Alison (2hrs12126"), Janet (2hrs13'10") and yours truly (2hrs 28'42"). Well done one and all!

See you soon, Gilly

Hi Everyone, hasn’t all the white stuff been lovely, or it that just me? ;-) How many snowmen did we build – now there’s a thought, we could have a picture competition … send the pics to Callum for posting on the website and we’ll get people to vote ;-)

The downside is some events were cancelled; including Club Night. As this is usually when the next month’s events are planned, it has been really gratifying to find people have been sending in their suggestions to Manjeet and Colin anyway. The March bulletin is looking pretty good … as you can see ;-)

It also meant we did not have our EGM. We did try by conference call, but didn’t get the required number; we need 20 members attending to reach quorum. There was some interesting conversation anyway … people do have mixed views on reducing the membership fee, and alternatives ways we could be spending the dues. We will reschedule this meeting, and give you fair warning of the new date/time.

January has been another good month for activities and events. We had a very good turn out for January’s New Members night … with nine prospectives there, it was a busy night. And it has been good to see parallel events on evenings where we have meals or similar booked … it has been fun to meet, go different ways, and then meet up again. Unless of course, we take too long paying the bill and gossiping to get back before the others depart ;-) as happened at the Thai Modern, sorry folks!

The delayed Kiddies Christmas Party was low key mayhem … plenty of jelly and plenty of games ;-) And it was particularly good for members who can’t get to some events as easily to be able to catch up. There will be more ‘children-friendly’ events coming up; and if you are putting on something where you are happy for children to be there, please say.

January was psychic night; March has a graphology evening … is your handwriting stylish and clear … not if it’s anything like mine ;-) What does your signature reveal? I know the impression my emails can sometimes make –my attention to detail is not always good and I mis-spell and/or random type, mainly because I read what I think I have typed (just be glad Colin proofs this) ;-) so apologies. The consolation is I know I am not alone, so I am going to ask we all double check what we are sending out so any correspondence gives members and prospectives an appropriate image of the club. Thank you.

And talking of images, with the BAFTAs and Oscars generating a good run of films, the weekly cinema visit is very tempting …. The Reader was very good, SlumDog also … looking forward to Frost-Nixon, Benjamin Button, Gran Torino. Whether it on Tuesday, cheap night, or Orange-Wednesday, it is good value. Just like MKIVC ;-)

See you soon, Gilly

Hello Peoples ;-) Happy New Year! It may seem a little late to be wishing you that but I hope it has got off to a great start and those New Year resolutions are going well. And judging by the turn out for January’s club night, they include putting on events! You will find February’s bulletin full and varied! Fantastic!

It has been a good party season ;-) anecdotal feedback for the Christmas Party at The George has been good … the food and service was great and the disco divas well worth a look ;-) New Year was celebrated in style … Vicars & Tarts : Tapas & Cocktails! I’m afraid most of the ‘tarts’ were more dock-yard then hotel lobby ;-) but we are full of admiration for those men who got in touch with their feminine side, and in some cases v-e-r-y in touch … Discussing the advantages of a face cleanser containing cucumber with a bloke is slightly surreal, but hey … bring it on!

January has been good fun for events … we enjoyed the panto, didn’t we? Oh yes we did, oh no we didn’t, oh yes we did! ;-) A very polished performance and the Fonz, for those who know who that is, ‘Hey! ‘ What else is there to say?

Andy T will henceforth be known as Andy ‘Sat Nav’ T due to his knowledge of place locations, motorways and rivers for ‘Where is it’ at Games Night on January 3rd. Good event thank you Donna.

And are there more good nights in store? Allan ‘psychic’ Reinhardt may not have predicted a fun-filled year for everyone but seems to have been spot on with his readings at psychic night. And though he didn’t say the runners are going to have great times for the MK Half, we started training for real this month … hopefully I will be better at finding my way by March and not keep adding a couple of extra k onto the distance ;-) There will be a few of us running it (yes, Janet and I are not the only loonies) so even if you don’t fancy the distance, come and support.

There have been a couple of changes to committee as people have work commitments and feel they are not able to offer the level of commitment to the roles. Donna has taken on the mantle of AIVC Officer: Kathy will remain as an ordinary member. Publicity will be handled as and when by the committee, with Tom staying as an Ordinary Member. Thank you to all of you.

New member inquiries are back up; and happily we have prospectives who are coming to events other than New Members as their first event. Please do make the effort to come to New Members night to help meet’n’greet, welcome, our new, soon to be, friends.

See you soon, Gilly

Meet People! Make Friends! Have Fun!

We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Good Tidings I bring... we have a good number of new members this month, and lots of great activities ?

I hope you have all your Christmas preparations done, are looking forward to the big day (and pub night on Christmas Eve), with your bike oiled and ready for an outing ;-) and have decided if you are a vicar or a tart (or both, a tarty vicar is very acceptable! ) for New Year... we can see out one great MKIVC year and welcome another one in!

We are all set for the Christmas Party, well, providing the dry run with lights, speakers etc. goes OK ;-) I know some of you are disappointed not to get a ticket, or didn’t even get a chance to get a ticket as you weren’t even a prospective when they went on sale, so feel free to come along to the George at around 9:30pm and join in the disco. The George will be open as usual that night, we are just taking over the conservatory and back bar ;-)

Moving the 'Pub night that is Club Night' to Friday evening seems popular so we will continue with that. We have a good variety of events but come along an be brave! Host or Co-host an event... hey, there’s a new year’s resolution .. 'I will put on two events this year' and get a reduction in my membership charges!

It has been a suitably festive month, from Judy's Santa Hearts Jog... quite surreal seeing so many Santa Clauses ambling about Willen Lake before hand ;-) ; mulled wine and mince pies at Luke and Aileen’s, y-u-m-m-y! Walking in the Air concert at the Stables, and donating gifts to children in hospital via The Ship Ashore. Add carol singing on the 19th and Midnight Mass (for those who want to) after pub night on Christmas Eve... if all that doesn’t get you in the spirit, nothing will! ;-)

Stay in season with Panto Night on January 5... Henry Winkler has been on various TV and Radio shows, and in the papers, promoting it ;-) We will also be reprising the Children’s Christmas Party as it didn’t happen in December... childhood illnesses strike again! ;-)

Should you be starting to feel it will be an anti-climax after all those Christmas and New Year celebrations, it is Chinese New Year at the end of the month: Lisa, a new member, is putting on her first event to celebrate this, so please make to effort to support and attend... should be a good fun, foodie night ;-)

It might be cold and dark outside making it icy and slippy for running and football, but we have fun and frolics to enjoy within MKIVC ;-) Brewery Tour anybody? Games Night, and let's celebrate Joanne’s birthday in style with a Red Hot Buffet!

Here's hoping Santa brings you what you wanted, and some pleasant surprises too; you and your family have a great time and 2009 brings you joy and good fortune.

Have a fabulous Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year ;-)

See you soon, Gilly

Chair Preamble
Meet People! Make Friends! Have Fun!

Peace! Groovy, Fab! Oooh! Must get back to present day! ;-) We had a fabulous turn out for the Summer of Lurvve BBQ and party and people seemed to enjoy themselves … with great costumes, and flowers in their hair, on their arms, backs … ;-) I think the Waterside café was lovely location and for those lucky enough to get a boat trip (I wasn’t! ;-( too busy gabbing! ;-) ) I understand you either loved or loathed Cap’ain David ;-) Thank you to the committee who worked hard getting it together and to all our members, plus those from Northampton and Cambridge, who helped to make it a success. If you want to see the mural, it currently has pride of place in my garage ;)

And there’s more! We have now officially hit the 100 member mark! We are getting a steady stream of propsectives, with an average of 5-6 each New Members night, so don’t be shy, come and say ‘hello and welcome’! Tracy and Louise are doing a great job supporting any queries, and it is up to us to make sure people continue to feel welcome.

Now it’s time for my apology! I can’t even plead sixties influence for getting the AGM dates wrong, not once (thank you Martin and Janet! ;-) ) but twice! As the very eagle eyed ones of you will have spotted October 6 is not a Tuesday. So here goes, once and for all, the date of the AGM is Tuesday October 7. I can only say it was a very senior (no comments thank you! ;-) )moment. What I did get right though, as it needs quorum of 20 people, so pop it in your diary! You will also see you have a nomination form with this copy of the bulletin. On the back, it gives a brief overview of the roles. The committee is also preparing a series of anecdotal descriptions of the role (half-pagers) so you can see what is typically involved and the time commitment required.

The Fountain, where we have Club Night, and where the AGM will be held, have organised for us to have some tables at the back of the restaurant for our get-togethers. It is good as it is out of the way of the Quiz Night, but it might make us a little difficult to find. As you come in the front door, turn right into the restaurant area and keep going, bearing left at the salad bar, and then keep heading towards the back. Alternatively just ask at the bar where we are ;-) The variety of events on offer are only as good as the range people who put them on, so come along … want to do something, come and find like minded people to support or co-host the activity.

During August we had the Red Bull Air Race, Walking with Wolves (hopefully we didn’t lose any members ;-) ), camping, bike rides and footy as well as the usual mix of food and pub nights ;-) And September is looking equally varied. Get your diaries/calendars and pencils out, and get booking! ;-)

See you soon, Gilly

Chair Preamble...

Meet People! Make Friends! Have Fun! Spring is here, if the blue skies, sunny weather and threats of snow are anything to go by. ;-) That must be why we have been coming out of hibernation and feeding ourselves up... some of those who braved the dark (Dans le Noir) eating experience are still to be convinced of what they were eating... there definitely was stuffing on that plate! And Brasserie Blanc was a delight to the tastebuds.

And all that training (or non-training) for the runners paid off... March 2 was a lovely day for a run and we clocked some pretty impressive half marathon times... Adrian (first timer) 1hr 46'12; Andrew 1hr 58'17; Janet (first timer) 2hrs 14'35 and yours truly 2hrs 22'53.

Training in earnest now for running the Flitwick 10K in less than 60min... don't let this put you off Tuesday and Thursday nights if you want to give it a go, we run to help everyone achieve.

Having said that, I'm not sure what the verdict will be at the Foot Reading on March 14 ;-) What do your feet say about you?

MKIVC are part of a UK wide club, known as AIVC. It is their AGM the weekend of April 12/13. Abby and I are representing the club. It is a standard AGM, plus some workshops on areas of interest, e.g. Disability discrimination, Publicity, Information Technology, and Counteracting Apathy (not an issue we have here! ) It's a useful opportunity to meet members from other clubs and exchange ideas. You will see emails coming through which advertise events by other clubs. Andrew is the main contact point for inquiring about these and finding out if there are many people wishing to attend. And I think it would be nice to open up some of our events to other clubs.

April has the usual mix of events … food, drink and (pleasurable) exercise related. We are looking to book a tale at the 'Hope for Hollie' Casino Royale Charity Ball on April 5. It is expensive but for a good cause, and an opportunity to see the ballroom at Stadium:MK.

We have dates for the quarterly events … book them in your diary NOW!

Summer Happening (ten years of MKIVC) – Saturday August 2nd

Rocky Horror Halloween Party - Friday October 31st

Christmas Party – Saturday December 20th

It's also the start of BBQ season... don't forget March 22!

See you soon,
Gilly

Chair Preamble ....

Meet People! Make Friends! Have Fun! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! Welcome Year of the Rat

I'm not sure we can squeeze another New Year celebration in next month but if anyone knows of any, we can but try! ;-)

It is great to see so many people at events, especially our prospectives. Fortunately the local pubs have been very patient with our re-arranging of furniture and the restaurants accomodating of numbers ... though I am not sure if Brassiere Blanc has realised we are two bookings ;-) Loch Fyne was great and I think we are also looking forward to the Dans le Noir experience. Will it change your attitude to the taste and texture of food?

A couple of homes have been featured this month, Kevin W has been welcomed into his new house and staged a fabulous firework display. Aileen and Luke provided plenty of Shrove Tuesday pancakes (fortunately for those of who had been running and were particularly hungry ;-) ) and the March Diary was quickly filled. You will see there are a number of future events advertised in this month's bulletin. We provide advance notice of events so you can get things such as camping weekends into your diaries and make any advance bookings as necessary. If you have anything you want to advertise in advance, e.g. birthday bash, special event, etc. then please let Vibeke know - we are maintaining a full year calendar so they can be included at anytime.

March has the usual pub nights, food related events and plenty of music & entertainment activities. Let's celebrate Easter with a barbie! We are aware several members have children so are making this one of our first child-friendly events. Whilst we know it can be relaxing to have time away from them, it is sometimes difficult to keep getting babysitters. Child friendly events are a way of helping to avoid babysitting hassles and still see friends. If you are interested in hosting a child-friendly event, again, let Vibeke know or post it through the web- site form.

But for now, I hope you had a hearts and roses Valentine's day: it is great to see so many new members being welcomed into the club, and don't forget to put the Pub Nights that are Club Night (March 4) and New Members Night (March 19) into your diaries.

See you soon, Gilly

I think it can be said we welcomed 2008 with enthusiasm and gusto! ;-) And in the process have found an 'MK2008IVC Celebrates' cocktail strangely, not so much attention has been paid to a non-alcoholic version) and it will be featuring in events throughout the year: for those of you who want to 'try this at home':-

M - Midori

K - Kirsch

I - Ice

V - Vodka

C - Cointreau

C - Champagne (or Cava)

An improvement on a Blushing Geisha, if not such an unusual blend of colours! ;-)

Plus Kevin's birthday and dancing on the tables made sure the party spirit lasted well after the (dreaded) return to work!

2008 promises to be a cracking year (not just according to the tarot reader and medium at psychic night) with February's bulletin proving some old favourites and intriguing new events. It is great to see some of our newest members getting into organising things.

The range of events is a testament to the eclectic tastes of our members, and the new activities reflect our willingness to try something new. Traditionally we have built the year's events month by month, however, now you have the opportunity to do some longer term planning and can reserve dates later in the year if you have something specific you want to organise - a birthday bash, weekend away, exhibition etc. You can email your events in via the web-site or direct to Vibeke, but even better, come along to Club Night and join in the fun of filling in the calendar; especially as it falls on Shrove Tuesday this month, which is a great excuse to see Luke and Aileen and eat yummy pancakes ;-)

We also have a long list of prospective members (27), so please take the time to make them feel welcome. If you want to make sure they get copied on any reminders of scheduled events, or ad-hoc activities, please let Tracy and/or Lou know and they will make sure an email goes out.

Bring it on - a fun filled and fabulous 2008!

Gilly

By the time you read this we will be well and truly into the Christmas festivities.

December's party season got off to a crack(er)ing start with dinner for eighteen at the Mediterranean Buffet bar, The Grill. Santa hats were mandatory ;-) Thank you Tracey & Callum for organising what was considered by everyone who attended, a very good event.

I hope I will see you at the MKIVC New Year’s Eve party. Rumour has, it will be tapas and cocktails. Don't forget we are looking for a new cocktail - the MK2008IVC - in alcoholic and non-alcoholic forms, to star in events across the year as part of the 10 years of MKIVC celebration. Best bib & tucker time and welcome 2008 in style.

Whilst our monthly calendar has a fair number of events on offer, there is always room for the impromptu or if you want to host an event but are not sure of how to go about things, ask another member to co-host with you, or talk to anyone on the committee and they will help to get things moving.

Club night is traditionally when people provide the information on events for the following month - come along and check your idea out if you are wondering if it will be popular: you never know you may find a co-host & you can also send the information directly to the activities secretary, Vibeke, or use the web-form on the MKIVC website. And don’t forget, the more activities you put on, the more you can save on your membership fee!

And whilst we are talking New Year, one of our drivers for 2008 will be 'socially responsible' activities - events which let us give back into the community: whether it is ditch clearing; helping paint a village hall, or an event specifically designed to raise money for a particular charity. Again, let us have your suggestions, or better still, you organise it, and have the club support it.

I look forward to seeing you at the many of the various events across the month, and throughout the year. If you have any questions or suggestions in respect of the club, events etc. please let me or any of the committee know.

Have a great Christmas and a fabulous 2008!
Gilly

November has seen the AGM and new committee come into play. As the new chair I would like to say, 'Thank you,' to the departing committee and, 'Welcome,' to the new one. It's a committee with plenty of those essential ingredients - commitment ;-), ideas and enthusiasm .. all of which you will be seeing over the coming months.

We are seeing an influx of prospective members so please continue to make them feel welcome and an integral part of the group.

But for now it is the countdown to Christmas and the New Year. The Christmas party is at Harben House, Newport Pagnell and looks set to be a fine festive event with the casino and races. New Year - I am hosting the MKIVC New Year's Eve party. We are looking for a new cocktail - the MK2008IVC to star in events across the year as part of the 10 years of MKIVC celebration. Put on your best bib & tucker and get flaring! Perhaps we should get Callum to screen Cocktail on his home-video-night to get us in the mood! ;-)

I look forward to seeing you at many of the various events across the month. If you have any questions or suggestions in respect of the club, events, etc; please let me or any of the committee know.

Have a great Christmas and here's to a fabulous 2008!

Gilly
MKIVC Chair

This year’s AGM is on 6th November at Il Barista, starting at 8.30pm. Every year, all the committee posts are up for election. In the past, we have usually been inundated with offers of help from the active membership to carry on the good work, helping to keep our social lives so active and full: so how about YOU this year?

Please, can I thank everyone in the committee, as they have all worked so hard for the past year? I would also like to wish the new 2008 committee much success for the upcoming year.

It would be great if you could help out: so if can spare a few hours every month and you would like more details on being a committee member, please feel free to give one of us a shout.

This years Christmas party is a, "Casino Royale," night at Harben House, Newport Pagnell, on Fri 14th December. More details can be found on the bulletin and with half the tickets already sold it’s sure to be a great evening.

Looking ahead to New Year, we are looking for a member to host a New Years Eve party: can you help us out?

I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout if you would like to discuss anything about the club.

Have a great November.

Remember, "Strangers are friends we are yet to meet."

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.

This year’s AGM is on the 6th November at 8.30pm in Il Barista. As you’d expect, all the committee posts are up for election. Usually the departing committee are inundated with offers from the active membership to stand on the committee; carrying on the good work in helping to keep your social lives active and full: so how about YOU this year?

Please can I thank all the committee who have worked so hard this year and wish the 2008 committee all the success going forward?

If you would like more details and can spare a few fun hours every month, it would be great if you could help out. Please feel free to give us a shout about what is involved. Nomination forms are attached to the bulletin in case you are interested.

This year’s Christmas party is a "Casino Royale" night at Harben House, Newport Pagnell on Fri 14th December. More details can be found on the bulletin and all 32 tickets go on sale on 19th September at New Members evening.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC. Whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member; please let me know what you think,

I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin; please feel free to give me a shout.

Have a great October.

Remember, "Strangers are friends we are yet to meet."

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.

October means it’s AGM time, and like every year all the committee posts are up for re election. Usually the departing committee are inundated with offers of help from the active membership, to help carry on the good work in keeping your social lives so active and full: so how about you volunteering this year?

If you would like more details and can spare a few fun hours every month, it would be great if you could help out. Please feel free to give us a shout…..

With the summer drawing to a close, it will soon be time to judge the, “Who can grow a whopper competition.” Thus the closing date will be the 31st of August 2007; if you would like to enter your whopper, please can you drop me the final height, in centimetres, on the Friday.

Following on from the great success of the summer party, it’s time to provisionally reserve the 14th & 15th of December in you diary for this years MKIVC Christmas bash; more details to follow.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC; whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think.

I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout. I will even buy you a drink.

Have a great September.

Remember: “Strangers are friends we are yet to meet.”

Andrew Jenkins, MKIVC Chairman.

Uploaded September events to the website.

MKIVC Webmaster

It’s getting close to AGM time again: all the committee posts are up for election in October. Usually the departing committee are inundated with offers of help, from the active membership, to help carry on the good work in keeping our social lives so active and full. So why not think about volunteering yourself this year? It can be very rewarding to use your ideas, creativity, energy and skills to help the smooth running of the club and also shape the way IVC evolves. It’s also satisfying to feel you’ve done your bit for the club rather than just leaving it to others.

If you would like more details or a chat about being a committee member, please feel free to give us a shout.

As a result of the poor weather in July (you may have noticed the rain), we have extended closing date for the, “Who can grow a whopper,” sun flower growing competition to the 31st of August 2007; so there is still plenty of time to tease those last few inches out of your entries.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC. Whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think,

I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin; please feel free to give me a shout - I will even buy you a drink in return.

Have a great August.

Remember, “Strangers are friends we are yet to meet.”

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.

Uploaded events to calendar.

Events uploaded to calendar as well as prospective bulletin available.

MKIVC Webmaster

Tickets are now on sale for this year Summer Party on 28th of July, which we’ve named, “A Day at the races.” This is going to be a great opportunity to dress up if you wish, and drink Pimms if you dare, but time is now running out, so if you want a ticket, please give Luke or myself a shout.

The first “measure-in” [sic] for the inaugural MKIVC sunflower competition took place at Club Night in June. With over 25 people coming along, it was a great evening at Il Barista. One member even decided to bring their entry along for an evening out!

Currently Shaun is winning with “Sunny”, but there is still much to play for. Remember, Phil S. is the official judge and he will be out with his tape-measure in time to announce the results at the summer party.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC. Whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think. I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout - I will even buy you a drink!

Have a great July.

Remember, “Strangers are friends we are yet to meet,” or even, “Feel the fear and do it any way. What do you have to lose?”

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.

With the bad weather now finally behind us, it’s time to kick the summer off in true style.

So if you are joining us down the pub, out for a bit of food or even going camping, then have a great time. Remember if there is no event planned, why not arrange something adhoc through the e-group.

Plans for this years Summer Party, “A day at the races” (28th July) are now complete and tickets will go on sale in May. That gives us all plenty of time to shop for that new dress and hat!! More details will follow via the e-group shortly.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC. Whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think. I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout.

Have a great May.

Remember “Strangers are friends we are yet to meet.”

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.

Welcome to the April bulletin. This month in particular we have a very full bulletin. Thank you to everybody who came along to Club night at Il Barista in March and put on such a variety of events. I would be interested in hearing any feedback you may have on Il Barista, as we plan to have Club night there for the time being.

Plans are now being finalised for this year's Summer Party "Evening at the Races" (Saturday 28th July). Tickets will go on sale in May, giving us all plenty of time to shop for that new dress & hat!!

As ever I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think, I will be at lots of events over the coming month or my phone number is on the back of the bulletin please feel free to give me a shout

Have a great April.

Remember “Strangers are friends we are yet to meet”

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.

You can now view events online for January.

Callum
MKIVC Webmaster

Happy new year and welcome to the first bulletin of 2007. It’s about this time of the year when you realise you have eaten too much turkey, Christmas pudding and chocolate and one’s thoughts turn to new years resolutions and getting fit.

So why not join us for a gentle walk or bike ride this January? Or even arrange an ad-hoc event and send the details out to the Egroup? (mailto:mkivc@yahoogroups.com)

As you all know, the bulletin is made up of events arranged by the members for the members, so if there is something you fancy doing don’t put it off, remember to send it out to the Egroup or come along to Club night and put it on.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC, whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member - please let me know what you think. I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout.

Have a fun January.

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chair.

You can now view events online for December.

Callum
MKIVC Webmaster

Welcome to the December bulletin and the month of Christmas Joy, again we have another fun packed bulletin. So thank you to all the members who have contributed by putting events on for the coming month.

With now two thirds of the tickets sold for this years MKIVC Christmas party at the Cock Hotel on Saturday the 16th of December, this is sure to be a great event, so if you haven’t got yours yet, time and tickets are running out.

The remaining tickets will be on sale over the next few weeks, so please see a member of the committee.

Finally I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think. I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout

Have a fun December.

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chair.

November's events have now been uploaded and are available to browse.

Webmaster.

Welcome to the November bulletin and the first from the new committee.

May I say thank you to Aileen and the team for their hard work last year, and also a big thank you to everybody who attended the AGM at the Hogshead.

This year's MKIVC Christmas party will take place at the Cock Hotel on Saturday the 16th of December. Tickets for this excellent evening are now on sale at £25 for members. This includes a three course Christmas meal, coffee and then a disco. Spaces are limited this year so please see a member of the committee for your tickets.

Finally, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC - whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think. I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin so please feel free to give me a shout

Have a fun November.

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chair

Hi All and welcome to July!

The bulletin is stacked full of summer events - BBQs, cycle rides, walks and THE ANNUAL SUMMER DO!!! Tickets are on sale for this now and they're selling but it would be great if we sold all of them so go on, buy yours today! At only £15 members are receiving a £5 subsidy. The menu itself is an absolute treat making you salivate just on reading it - looking forward to the tasting on the night. And remember non-members are welcome at the non-subsidised rate of £20.

Don't forget that this is a bumper month for subsidised events - two house based BBQs and the interclub trip to Bletchley Park. Get the most from your membership and get along to as many of these as you can.

Note that July's first Club Pub night (the one to sort out August's bulletin) is shifting venue and will be at The Swan in MK village - suggestions for your preferred venue for August can be made along with some other events and a chat and a drink!!

Click here for a map courtesy of MKWeb.

See ya

Aileen

MK Chair

Two teams in pursuit of nothing except the honour of winning at Jens home quiz: "No F in Clue" battled it out against the charming "Rose Buds".

As a lure for the event - more Female orientated questions were promised… Well?

How many men can correctly put their finger on a woman's G spot? (luckily only on a photo) Some of us now know a few who can’t. Or what the G actually stands for? Also female oriented (??) - How many women died of Toxic Shock Syndrome in the US in 2005? Answers/guesses (without looking it up on Google) on a postcard to Jens!

After an entertaining evening - with some other rounds on sound clips from films; some very obscure "What happened next" clips; places on earth to identify from pictures from space (No - Jens hasn’t been up there yet - he got those off the internet); and a picture round to try and identify people when they were younger - the scores ended up with “No F in Clue” living up to their name with a score of 18, whilst the “Rose Buds” blossomed to victory with 31.



On 31st May, ten of us went for a game of 'Retro' Quasar.

Most of us had not played this since the early Nineties! Although the games were only about 20 minutes long, it was plenty of time to get shot, A LOT! Someone who would like to remain anonymous even managed to get such a large negative score, that it cost his team the game!!

Donna managed to negotiate 3 games for five pounds, a real bargain! A fun and exhausting night was had by all so we finished the evening off with diet coke all round.

01/07/2006 - Summer Jazz Spectacular in Cambridge
14/07/2006 - Walking Weekend Extravaganza Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales (Oxford IVC)
28/07/2006 - Weekend in Manchester
05/08/2006 - Norwich and Norfolk IVC Fire and Ice Summer Ball
25/08/2006 - Bank holiday in Belgium (Birmingham IVC)
11/08/2006 - Weekend in Amsterdam
24/11/2006 - Manchester IVC's Autumn weekend

Details of another event in July from Cambridge IVC - a boat cruise with music is expected to be added any day now.

For further details on any of these items refer to the MK IVC Website

Hi everyone.

Fresh back from our day trip to Brighton by bike I just want to do an early reminder about this Wednesday - it's the second pub night of the month and despite what it says in the Bulletin it isn't in the Secklow 100. Based on feedback from some people after last month and also based on the completion of a slightly Mediterranean refurbishment to the Ship Ashore in Willen, we're back there this month.

Tickets for July 14th will be on sale - £15 to members, £20 to non-members (cheques to MKIVC appreciated, or exact change).

People will be there to chat too. Alcohol and soft drinks will be available, as ever, from behind the bar!!!

England can't be playing another game so why not take the chance to come up for a breather from football before England's next match at the weekend!

See y'all

Aileen

Social night (formerly known as 'Club Night') has changed venues as of August.

It is now at Wolverton House, opposite Wolverton Mill at the north west end of MK.

A map from MKWeb can be found here.

Hi Folks,

Just in case you were wondering all 11 of us completed the British Heart Foundation's London to Brighton Bike Ride on Sunday 19th June.

It was tough going in temperatures well into the 30s/90s and cycling though melted tarmac just before Ditchling Beacon was a new and unpleasant experience for most of us…but we did it!

A big thank you to our support crew: Emily, Steve and Anita - we couldn't have done it without you!

So, if you pledged us money for the BHF we'll be hassling you soon to hand it over and if you didn't we'll be hassling you politely to make a retrospective donation….believe me we earned every penny of it.

See you soon,
Jennie
MKIVC Club Chair

A forum has now been installed on the website where you can talk to and exchange information with other members at your leisure.

You will have to register and be approved before you can post. Everyone who is a paid up member will be automatically approved.

Please read the very basic rules before posting.

Please don’t post changes to events or ad hoc events here but do so with email list instead - as not everyone who has access to email has access to the web.

Due to our previous webhost, 100WebSpace, forcing large banner ads on us without warning we have moved to a new free webhost called, ecwhost, which has no ads at all.

The bonus is that the new host seems at first glance to be a lot better than the old. :-)

You will not notice any difference if you use the www.mkivc.org.uk address but if you use mkivc.hollosite.com, it will soon no longer exist. So remember to bookmark the former, which will always point to the right address.

The hogmanay party went off with a bang and a g'day at Luke's house. Revellers gathered to celebrate the birth of 2005 with an Ozzie theme - as in down under, not the Osbournes! Many dressed for the occasion and much food was consumed from the barbie.

Nick triumphed in the final by playing the best golf of his life - despite buckling under the pressure to miss a series of very short putts. In the end his 40pts stapleford was too difficult to match and he was duly awarded a large, shiny, tin cup.

Tickets are now on sale for this year Summer Party on 28th of July, which we’ve named, “A Day at the races.” This is going to be a great opportunity to dress up if you wish, and drink Pimms if you dare, but time is now running out, so if you want a ticket, please give Luke or myself a shout.

The first “measure-in” [sic] for the inaugural MKIVC sunflower competition took place at Club Night in June. With over 25 people coming along, it was a great evening at Il Barista. One member even decided to bring their entry along for an evening out!

Currently Shaun is winning with “Sunny”, but there is still much to play for. Remember, Phil S. is the official judge and he will be out with his tape-measure in time to announce the results at the summer party.

As ever, I would be most interested in hearing your views and thoughts about MKIVC. Whether you are a prospective, recently joined or long standing member, please let me know what you think, I will be at lots of events over the coming month and my phone number is on the back of the bulletin, so please feel free to give me a shout - I will even buy you a drink!

Have a great July.

Remember, “Strangers are friends we are yet to meet,” or even, “Feel the fear and do it any way. What do you have to lose?”

Andrew Jenkins MKIVC Chairman.