Minute of a Meeting of the SPG held on 13th November 2015.

This was the Autumn Dinner held at Poon’s restaurant on Salter’s Road, Gosforth. We met at 7.30 for 8pm. Those present were Chris and Kath Wright, Yvonne and James Henry, Brian Angus, Judy Sunter, Mary Clare and David Robinson, Maureen Angus, Catherine, Tom and Margaret Ashcroft and David Appleton. Apologies were received from Adrian and Jean Morley. Catherine Ashcroft was attending as our very welcome guest.

Adrian has previously announced to members by email that he was participating in an exhibition with a number of fellow artists at Newbrough on 28-29 Nov 2015. For the convenience of members the poster publicising this event is reproduced at the foot of this minute. Adrian has suggested that friends who wish to come consider visiting on Saturday or Sunday as the gallery was small. Brian guesses that this is because most visitors are expected at the preview on the Friday (6 to 8pm).

Mary Clare had booked us in to the private room at Poon’s, where the round table was conducive to cross table conversation. Service was excellent and this may relate to Mary Clare and David being regular patrons of the venue.

Members as always, asked after Jean Morley, and Brian said that, having talked to Adrian a week before, she was improving satisfactorily after further therapy.

The topics covered were wide ranging, but one that this note-taker remembers was the usual enquiry to Judy about the current animal population of her farm.  (*see addendum 3)

 Judy said she had 2 Jack Russell dogs, 3 feral cats (to catch mice), 3 horses, all in foal and 3 cows (beef rather than milking type). Judy had recently hired a bull for the cows (portrait below). When being delivered to her farm he was reluctant to leave his trailer, but as soon as he spotted his ladies he was out like a shot. The apparent ardour was not fulfilled, however as only 2 cows fell pregnant and the poor fellow had to be hired for a second time to complete his romantic ambitions.



During the bulls’s tenure, a small band of workmen men arrived to service a pylon in one of Judy’s  fields. She told them she had cattle in the field. “That’s OK”, said the foreman, as long as there are no bulls”.  “Well actually I do have one” said Judy. The men jumped back in their van and departed, dust rising from their wheels as they sped away down the farm track.

We had ordered a banquet and as usual this was excellent, a favourite dish being the salt and pepper king prawns recommended by Brian, who managed to get one or two of the delicacies  himself. The dinner ended sometime after 10pm after a very enjoyable evening.


Addenda. (both repeats from previous minutes)

1) Strawberry Story
Following David R’s recent foray into the famous bar (see Oct minutes), this story,  probably true, is repeated:

“Newcastle are about to play Sunderland in the first match at the Stadium of Light between the two teams and Alan Shearer tells the rest of the Newcastle team to take the afternoon off as he will take on the Makems on his own. The Mags thanked him and went off down to the Strawberry for a couple of pints. They switched on teletext to follow his progress, 26th minute 1-0 to Newcastle, scorer Shearer . Second half starts and in the 85th minute, 1-1 appears, scorer Clarke. The game ended 1-1. When Shearer gets back to the pub the boys asked him how he could only manage a draw against the Makems and he replied. "Sorry lads I got sent off after half an hour ."
2) Aberdeen Thief Video (request by Mary-Clare

www.youtube.com/watch?v=42zwmObh4qc

3)* Details may be slightly inaccurate