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.