October Meeting - Update

“It’s Hilary Devey”

I can’t believe how quickly this year is going. It doesn’t seem like two minutes since our January meeting and here we are with 47 sleeps till Christmas. Halloween had come and gone and, in just a couple of days it was going to be Bonfire Night. I was shattered. Having had a particularly nasty bout of flu, I was feeling wiped out and knackered and the amount of make-up I was having to apply in the morning in order to not scare small children was going to rival Boots.Stress, illness and just a general feeling of tiredness had also affected the other witches, but we were all looking forward to a great evening and Dani was back with us !!!

After a frantic journey, we made it to the Weavers in Golcar. The Weavers has been a successful restaurant for 40 years and has recently undergone a refurbishment. The conversion is stunning, with a cosy seating area for the bar and an ample, luxury space for diners. Amanda particularly coveted the union jack chairs and I had my eye on the very funky wine coolers!

Even though we arrived late, the staff kindly let us have the early bird. The starters were lovely. We had the Yorkshire Ham Terrine, Salmon Gravadlax and the spring roll (not all at the same time!) The food was beautifully presented and very tasty. Conversation turned to new phones, our childhood cuddly toys (Ken the Dog!!) and the fact that Pringles have a new flavour. The mains arrived promptly after – Fish and Chips, Stilton and Leek Strudel and mushrooms and clams. I had the strudel and it was yummy and very light, I didn’t feel over-faced by it.  Catherine was in danger of not finishing her main as we had a particularly meaty conversation about eyeballs which only ended when we realised Catherine had gone a peculiar shade of green!!! The desserts looked particularly yummy, and we settled on sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and custard. Thse were delicious. Dani decided on a coffee and it arrived with a homemade truffle. As Danielle doesn’t like chocolate, she tried to divide her truffle into 4 pieces with a spoon for us to share. 

James, our waiter, seeing the fact that a very expensive truffle was threatening  to fly across the restaurant into another diner’s lap, offered to bring us a truffle each. We all thought this was a lovely gesture and agreed that the service for the evening as well as the food had been really great. 

And so to our theme, I had asked the ladies to each read a book from the Big Read list composed by the public in 2005. We all picked very different books and then to compose our own top 10s.  The books we opted to read were Good Omens by Terry Pratchett (Phoebe), Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer (Amanda), 1984 by George Orwell (me), Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (Catherine) and Perfume by Patrick Suskind(Danielle). Years ago on the Fast Show, there used to be a character who presented a jazz show. He dressed in a black polo neck, corduroy jacket and every now and then would turn to the camera and go “nice”. We all became the female version of this character during our reviews , with heads on one side, thoughtful faces, intellectually placed fingers and saying “Interesting”a lot. But do you know what? It proper was. We had all picked books we would not normally read and for Catherine, had picked a book she had been meaning to read for ages and ended up loving. Our own top 10’s were a real mixed bag and it was brilliant seeing what my fellow witches loved to read. 

We decided to take some pictures of the lot of us. When we handed the camera to James, we did not realise that we were in the presence of a photographic genius! Catherine was sat on a high backed chair with her coat on the back. The angle of the picture taken by her made her look like she had shoulders worthy of an American linebacker! Amanda took one look at the photo and said “It’s Hilary Devey” from Dragon’s Den. Suddenly all the stresses of the past month were forgotten as we all completely lost the plot, laughing so hard, with tears streaming down our faces. I laughed so hard tears, my sides ached the next morning. Priceless!!

And so ended another brilliant evening in lovely company, roll on the next one!!





Can you spot Hilary?





October's Dinner

The theme this month is called 'The Big Read Challenge.' It's a challenge in four parts and this is what we have all had to do:

1. What's your number? Go through the Big Read list and count up how many books you have read.

2. Read one of the books off the list that you haven't already read

3. Review that book and present your review to the group

4. Do your own top 10 books of all time

The Big Read was shown on the BBC in 2003, it's aim was to find Britain's best-loved novel and the British public voted for the books that they loved the most! Click on the link here and have a look for yourself www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

This month we will be dining out at The Weaver's, which used to be known as The Weaver's Shed. The Intellectual Dinner Club visited The Weaver's Shed back in 2009 when we first began our club and since then it has been sold and re-launched as The Weaver's...we thought it only right that The Intellectual Dinner Club pay them a visit and have a nosy around! We can't wait!

September's dinner

I love autumn. It's my most favourite season of the whole year. I love the nip in the air, the nights drawing in and any excuse to cosy up at home with a good book or some telly goggling. September is still the beginning of autumn right? Or am I much mistaken, the really crazy high pressure that came swooping over the country gave us a serious Indian summer to remember. I had already got my boots and opaques ready for the new season when suddenly I was having to shave my legs so I could wear skirts and shorts again, it was so hot! Not that we're complaining, we all enjoyed a last glorious blaze of sunshine. So the evening of our meal began with us heading out in Catherine's car with the windows open, wearing something summery and listening to some cool Portuguese tunes, it felt a bit like being on holiday. We were optimistic for some enjoyment; despite being a member down again (Dannie's work commitments meant she wouldn't be joining us).

Off we went to the Golden Cock in Thurstonland, a nice friendly pub with a reputation for good food. After soaking up the beautiful country views in the last rays as the sun went down, we went into the pub which was bustling. We were given a choice of where to sit and went for the quieter dining area which has an attractive bar with stained glass decoration. As we ordered and settled down with our drinks the conversation was pleasant and relaxed but to be honest we were all a bit tired. For some of us work had been stressful this month and we all had stuff going on either at work or at home, so the mood wasn't quite so boisterous as usual, we were all just enjoying chatting and forgetting our woes. Whilst we waited for our main courses, the young waiter came and told us that one of the meals would take a little longer, we said that was ok but could they bring us some olives or something to nibble on. We got a basket of bread and vinegar and some amazing olives, all free of charge – fantastic. This kept us going until the meals arrived. Catherine and Amanda had chicken dishes and Caroline went for a lovely pie, all of which was delicious. I ordered sticky ribs, wedges, corn on the cob, coleslaw and salad, wow it was enough for four at least. But i was starving so I dove in and it was great. Of course there was a little room for pudding and I had a mango and passion fruit parfait which was lovely and Caroline and Catherine both went for a blackberry bakewell tart which looked really good. Amanda ordered her usual latte but was disappointed when it arrived. It didn't look like a latte and she told the waitress so. The second attempt looked better, but it still wasn't up to scratch! I think the coffee machine let them down a bit. However there were absolutely no other negative things about our evening at the Golden Cock. The service was fantastic, the atmosphere was buzzing and the food top notch and reasonably priced too. We would recommend it.

So to the theme, I had asked the ladies to relax this month. I had in mind a nice easy theme which everyone would have no trouble getting on with. I thought we could all do with a spot of R and R. We all talked about what helps us to relax: for me it's yoga and meditation and the odd cheeky glass of wine, for Caroline it's clearing her mind with a good run, Catherine enjoyed the delights of a TV program called The Real Housewives of New York and chilling on the sofa and Amanda found peace on an early morning walk through Honley. Though we all had one thing in common...it's not easy to make time to relax. Life seems to take over and we found that relaxing or making time for you is not high on the list of priorities, in fact we often found ourselves doing other things when we were meant to be relaxing! And when you do get time to do something just for you, there’s the tendency to feel a bit guilty. We decided that it is really important to chill out now and then and we must not feel bad about it!

Our conversations for the evening drifted from the joys of wearing giant underwear to suck you in to people with funny laughs (not saying any names!) and my cat Boris' new girlfriend. Enough to say that we had a lovely evening and one of the best ways to relax is to hang out with your mates eating lovely food and having a good laugh. I went home feeling refreshed, particularly full up and relaxed until I realised that I had forgotten my keys and was locked out at 11pm. Anyway, it turns out that stargazing on a balmy night while you wait for someone to turn up with a key is quite relaxing too!    
                                                     
                                                      Phoebe xx

Phoebe xx

Tackling September's Theme

It's been a tricky theme and with the next dinner now less than a week away I'm starting to panic when I should actually be relaxing. In my attempts so far I have managed to glue my eye together with a face mask and then I fell down the stairs...what can I say it's not really going very well. Any tips or suggestions to help me chill out then please leave a comment...they will be greatly appreciated!

Catherine xx

September's Theme

Sit back, relax, chill out, kick back, unwind, take it easy, hang loose, mellow out…

…whatever you want to call it. This month is dedicated to the art of relaxation. Maybe try a new way to do it or stick to your tried and tested ways. Be prepared to share your experiences with the group.

August's Meeting

August is always a tricky month for the Intellectual Dinner Club, someone is always going on holiday or doing something exciting and so it was only natural that we decided to move the next dinner in to September. We did the same thing last year...although the memory of that is quite disturbing...an empty restaurant, Jamiroquai playing on a loop and a nice big hair in our chocolate brownie dessert! This year however the restaurant looked more promising, a friendly pub set in the picturesque village of Thurstonland, which promised us a homely atmosphere with some good pub grub!

Caviar of the North!

The first couple of weeks in September had been hard and we were all feeling slightly exhausted from hectic weeks at work. In some ways it was no real surprise that Amanda had decided that for the first time ever she just couldn't face a night out, and so Caroline, Phoebe, Danielle and I made our way around the windy roads of Holmfirth towards the Rose and Crown. We were greeted at the door by a little dog who willingly accepted our cuddles as we slowly made our way over to the bar. The staff were friendly and relaxed and the restaurant was buzzing with people enjoying themselves. This looked good! It was the first time that we had seen Dani since the magazine article came out and so of course we brought a copy with us to once again laugh at our picture and dissect the other groups featured. We all agreed that the magazine had saved the best group until last! Amanda's absence was strange...there was something a little unsettling about not having her with us...who would argue with Dani? Purse their lips in disapproval? Order a latte? It just wasn't the same. We ordered our food from the blackboard and squealed with delight when we discovered that we could have three courses for the bargain price of just £13.95! We were all starving and so we decided to order up big! Phoebe and I ordered creamy garlic mushrooms, Caroline the vegetable soup and Dani ordered the chicken liver pate of course. They all arrived quickly and we delved in to the mountain of delicious food. For our mains it was a unanimous decision 'Caviar of the North' as the waitress put it...or rather fish and chips. It was a good choice, although a rather large choice...gigantic chips accompanied a Moby Dick sized fish topped with mushy peas, tartar sauce and lemon wedges (to add an exotic twist!) The food was delicious and given the price we were definitely getting our money's worth...with excellent service thrown in too.

Our conversation tonight had somehow turned to growing old...depressing I know but with Dani there it had started to become hilarious. We all discussed what we would be like as old women...Phoebe would be a straw hat wearing, rosy cheeked, slightly senile old lady, whilst it was determined that I would be a Marks and Spencer loyalist, wearing my odd clothing covered in flower prints, a rain bonnet for every occasion and wrinkly pop socks. Caroline wouldn't change a bit...still youthful but with a full head of silver hair.  Danielle would be exactly as she is now but old...trapped in the noughties with her style, energetic, flirting with the old men and wheeling a very old and grumpy Amanda around in her wheel chair...the pair of them still arguing and debating! Amanda when not in her chair complaining would be speeding around on her shop mobility scooter, knocking people out of the way...not a care in the world...but still looking fabulous of course! Our conversation carried on throughout dessert, sticky toffee pudding and raspberry tarts all served with cream. It seemed wrong to be squeezing a pudding in but it was included in the price and so was absolutely necessary.

 And so we turned to our theme 'Discover Your Inner Child' as selected by Danielle. It had taken me a while to figure out how I was going to approach this theme and after begging my husband to take me to Moomin Land whilst we were on holiday, and failing to convince him it was vital for the successful completion of my theme, I settled on a project that I had started a few years ago called 'Mr Cow.' As a little girl I always loved writing and illustrating my own stories so I dug out some old pictures I had drawn of a well loved toy called Mr Cow. For my theme I produced a picture book, which told the story of Mr Cow the travelling cow and I presented it by reading my book to the girls and introducing them to the real Mr Cow at the end of the story...who was quietly hiding in the bottom of my bag. I loved this theme and couldn't wait to see how the others had approached it. Phoebe went back to her childhood days of Saturday morning television, sitting in front of the TV, her T-shirt pulled over her knees and eating her cereal. Phoebe talked about how she discovered a new kids TV program called 'Almost Naked Animals!' But it still didn't compare to the days of Button Moon, Thundercats (Hooooooo!), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and

Fun House...complete with Pat Sharpe and his big, long, hairy mullet! Caroline had prepared her theme before she jetted off to Barbados (she just had to remind us for the millionth time that she had been to Barbados) and talked about the childhood excitement of going on family holidays to Scarborough. Packing up all of their things, which usually ended up being four T-shirts and a pair of knickers. The smell of the hotel, donkey rides on the beach and playing bingo in the arcades. Even thirty years later she still gets the same excitement and anticipation before going on holiday as she did as a child...but then you would if you were going to Barbados, all-inclusive with cocktails served on the beach at ten thirty in the morning! Finally Danielle presented her theme and in true Danielle style she admitted she hadn't done it...tonight she was free styling! Dani admitted that even now she still considers herself to be a child...her holiday this year was to Disneyland, she watches a Disney movie nearly every day and earlier this week she had thrown a huge temper tantrum. So she decided to turn the theme around and find her outer adult...it's time to grow up a bit she said. But before she finished she told us some stories about her childhood...and then presented us all with a ginger bread man, because that's what her Mum always bought her as a little girl when they were out shopping.

It was time to pay the bill and make our way home. It had been another fantastic evening, despite Amanda's absence and we had tried to make the best of it even though it felt strange to be there without her. A few more cuddles with the dog as we left and we descended into the dark, chilly night, our bellies full and feeling content. We climbed into the car as Phoebe frantically searched for her glasses only to realise she had never brought them with her. What were we saying about the slightly senile Phoebe as an old lady...could it have begun already?  Another month had been put to bed, personally it had been a difficult one and I was glad to say goodbye, but knowing that we have the Intellectual Dinner Club at the end of each month gets me through the difficult times. I just hope that next month we will all be back together...here in our honey pot for any kind of bee! ;-)

Catherine xx

Missing our Amanda!

August's Theme

With less than a week to go I think I've set myself an over ambitious task to find my inner child. I'm slightly worried...I don't know how I'm going to get this done. We've put the dinner back a bit, which is why we are having August's dinner in September. We have all been away, Caroline finally returned from a very la-dee-da holiday in Barbados on Tuesday with a very nice tan but horrible jet-lag so we thought it only fair we postpone our next dinner. This you would think would give me plenty of time to finish the theme but sadly not...it's going to be a last minute rush to try and piece my inner child together. For the first time ever I may have to present a half complete theme...I'm so ashamed! I can't wait for Thursday...I'm so excited to be back with the girls and I'm really intrigued to know what they have done for their themes and how they've all found their inner child. I've definitely found mine...in fact I don't think it ever went away!

Catherine xx