Rutland Meet Up - Jelly Belly Roulette, and a plan. In theory

[Antarctican]

^^^ Oh, reeeeeeeally nice ferny! :er:

 

[Antarctican]

On the first full day of the meet up, the group met up at the Grain Store pub. This is (far side of table) Hertz, Tangerini, Chris of Arabia, and his wife Anne-Marie; (near side of table) Jeff Canes, and the backs of tb2 and his wife Kathleen

Fangman drove in from Ely to meet us

Jeff Canes

Notegraphics (and Hertz): the Men in Black

Notegraphics and his big camera

 

[Antarctican]

When hunger set in and there was no food being served at the pub, we grabbed the fixin's for a picnic and headed over to Rutland Water. Here Fangman and Tangerini enjoy the fare

Even Colin and his cousin from Colorado, Declan, got in on the act with a Melton Mowbray pork pie, and strawberries

After the lovely meal, we wandered over to the partially submerged Normanton Church, which was decidedly NOT "just around the corner" as Notegraphics was told! Here, tb2 and his wife Kathleen are glad to have finally reached the church

Tangerini also shows signs of relief in having successfully made the trek

While Hertz just grinned 'sheepishly'

 

[Antarctican]

After leaving Rutland Water, most of the group went back to Hertz's where we awaited the arrival of Lil Loui, and sampled some fish and chips. All too soon Tempra and his wife Sandie and their three kids had to leave as they were on their way to Scotland.

Don't try this at home, folks. ..............(Try it at Hertz's home).

 

[Antarctican]

The next day ferny met up with part of the group (which had been joined by L'il Loui the night before). Here are Jeff Canes, ferny, Lil Loui, Anne-Marie and Chris of Arabia

Lil Loui shows off her 'killer demon' face

Tangerini shows off her killer smile

While Hertz does everything but smile when I aim my camera at him. (This was the closest to a smile that I could get)

 

[polymoog]

Reallly great to see everyone pics from the meetup

 

[Antarctican]

So, I'll start at the beginning as it relates to my trip to Rutland. After arriving in London on Saturday, I met up with Jeff Canes for the drive to Oakham. In the lovely Mercedes he had rented. With a GPS. We were off to a slightly rocky start, though, as it took us a few tries to make it over the Tower Bridge. The extra loops did let me get some pics from the moving car though!

Ornate base of a lamppost

The Clock Tower at Westminster (home of Big Ben)

And finally, Tower Bridge!

 

[Antarctican]

Some Rutland trivia I found at one of the URL's provided by Hertz in the first post of the meet up organizing thread:

* Rutland is the only county in England without a McDonald's restaurant.

*The Jackson Stops Inn at Stretton hosts the World Nurdling Championships every Late May Bank Holiday, in which 13 old pennies are hurled into a hole drilled into the seat of an oaken settle. The tradition game of Nurdling dates back to the Middle Ages. The 2009 Champion, or 'Best Tosser' is Don Bentley.

*Rutlanders were proverbially called Raddlemen.

*In 2006 it was reported that Rutland has the highest fertility rate of any English county - the average woman having 2.81 children, compared with only 1.67 in Tyne and Wear

* In the first episode of The Black Adder, the title character claims that if his side loses the Battle of Bosworth, Rutland would become the new location of part of his anatomy: " If we lose I'll be chopped to pieces. My arms will end up at Essex, my torso in Norfolk, and my genitalia stuck up a tree somewhere in Rutland."

 

[polymoog]

Nice pictures and cool trivia I must say I had never heard of Rutland before reading about the meetup

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Rutland is England's smallest county and we have the UK's oldest newspaper.
But don't feel bad. It doesn't ever appear on the BBC's website.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

TPF-type activities in Melton Mowbray.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Ditto at Barnsdale Gardens.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Surveying the damage caused to Manse Hertz by the over-zealous TPF freestyle dance contest Tangerini decides it would be better if she and the Canadian baggage made themselves scarce for a while.
So forcing Hertz to drive them at gum point to Whitby the brave and resourceful van Rental wreaks his revenge by assaulting them with fish, chips and mushy peas.

 

[Antarctican]

It was worth the lineup for the fish n chips n mushy peas!

So forcing Hertz to drive them at gum point to Whitby ...

Teehee, 'gum point'.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Well, I seem to remember that the first question asked whenever we got in the car was 'who wants some gum?'

Tangerini peering wistfully into the teddybear shop as the populace of Lincoln drifts by.