Carlisle Xmas meet - 11th December 2021

Are we thinking about this for 2021?

My door will always be open for you guys and galls.

T, what date do you prefer? 5th and 12th still available for up to 25 people, the 19th is already booked up but I suspect that's too close to Christmas anyway.

I can provisionally book this slot for now if someone can agree on a date, there might be a surge in early bookings once the restrictions are eased. Just let me know and I can hold this until something concrete develops nearer the time.

The 19th is a Sunday Rob, did you mean the 18th? We usually book for a Saturday, so people can recover on the Sunday

I'm happy to go with the majority regarding the dates as it doesn't revolve around my weekends off since I changed jobs a couple of years ago.

I'll just book the time off when a date is set

How about the 11th December?

11th should be good for me

Oooooh!!! Depending on things being OK I certainly would make the effort to attend…

List for those ok with 11th December

1.Edinburgh
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc





Theresa, would you like to start a new thread?

Sorry, my mistake, 4th and 11th are the available dates

List for those ok with 11th December

1.Edinburgh
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in

List for those ok with 11th December

1.Edinburgh
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in
5. Theresa

1.Edinburgh
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in
5. Theresa
6. CC
7. Ballypete

1.Edinburgh
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in
5. Theresa
6. CC
7. Ballypete
8. Rosso + 1

10 already and only halfway through July!

At this rate we'll need the entire floor Rob

If we have the numbers you can all have the upstairs dining room with a great view of the scantily clad Santas trying to negotiate one foot in front of the other

Hi all, We are assuming Carlisle 2020 Xmas actually means 2021? Just like the Euro's and Olympics!! Please had StupotShazB to the list of joining, Thanks

Will be great to see you both again

1.Edinburgh
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in
5. Theresa
6. CC
7. Ballypete
8. Rosso + 1
9. StupotShazB

11th December

1.Edinburgh +2
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in
5. Theresa
6. CC
7. Ballypete
8. Rosso + 1
9. StupotShazB
10. mattB

Thread split from Dec 2020 thread... should have done this with my first post

Neil

I was looking for a way to do this!

There isn't one. The forum code is broken. It claims that one can move a message and all replies to a new thread, but it seems to move only one post at a time, and it maintains the original title so you need to change that individually as well.

Took me bloody ages.

Possibly...

It’s a definite for me attending. Coop will go through the MOT a few weeks before. Hope the weather and road works are kind to me.

I’m a definite for this and looking forward to it

Everyone got accommodation booked? Only two months now!

I’m booked into the County Hotel, was there the last time I made an appearance. Handy short walking distance from Robs.

Good point.

Changed the thread title back to correct date.

Ok. Hotel booked. Going with the train again so I dont have to worry about being sober on Sunday....

B&B now booked

Room booked likewise

11th December

1.Edinburgh +2
2.G_Man
3.jimboy tbc
4 Barnacle + 1 assuming we're allowed out and in
5. Theresa
6. CC + 1
7. Ballypete
8. Rosso + 1
9. StupotShazB
10. mattB

Hotel booked

Me booked too. Five bookings in three hotels in ten days

Neil

Well done guys!

I couldn't get booked into the Corner House this year, so booked Abberley a while ago. So used to the Corner House, it feels like I know my way home, so someone might need to spin me in the different direction this year

Ibis and County used to be really cheap years ago, but not now Corner House has been great for the last few years, but somewhere new for me to go this year

I'll have to leave at an earlyish time again this year as I have no one to let my dogs out

Ha! We're in the Abberley too Yes surprisingly the Corner House was fully booked some time ago..


Anyway folks it would greatly assist Rob this year if we could pre-order so please could you choose from either menu attached.

List your preference as (from)

Starter
Main
Dessert not required

Are we allowed to forget what we ordered when we get there?

Neil

By all means, the rest of us will eat your share Neil

Starter: Prosciutto e Rughetta (no balsamic!)
Main: Risotto al Pollo

Starter……Gamberetti Allaglio
Main………Spaghetti Bolognese sauce on top.

Simon, do you have a readable PDF link to the xmas menu please?

Neil

Agreed, I struggled at first with the photo I received, but try saving it to your desktop then opening it with whatever you use (Mac uses Preview) and enlarge it - that worked much better for me. It doesn't seem to translate well to the forum software?

If folk are still finding difficulty I'll ask 'em to send me another pic.

I'm glad you're at the Abberley too Simon, even after me thinking you had booked all the available rooms at the Cornerhouse Will be strange walking to Robs a different way to the usual

As for food, I have no idea with the menu, usually some deep fried mushroom dish to start and a bolognese for mains. Rob calls me boring Desert - yeah, anything

Starters: 1 x Salsiccia e Fagioli, 1 x burrata
Main: 2 x Filletto di Maile

Neil

It's the only to keep the riff-raff away T and ensure there's plenty of extra breakfast

Literally every year i've been.

For me:

Funghi Ripieni
Pizza Napoletana

+ Beer, but we'll sort that out when we get there.

Hope this is all going to work for you and Anita, Neil

It's started looking, um, interesting. We'll see. We've booked all the hotels on three-day free cancel rates, so if it doesn't work we're only out the cost of the tunnel.

But we have hopes. We're currently both vaccinated against covid - thrice - and shingles and flu. So we'll probably come down with yellow fever or dengue or something... but hopefully the bug that bites us dies a horrible death.

Neil

Ben - Pollo Piccante and Penne con Salsiccia

Kip - Funghi Ripieni and Tortelloni Napoli

G_man
CC+1
Ballypete
Rosso+1
StupotShazB

can we have your menu choices please

Starter 2x Burrata,
Main 1x Ravioli Verdi, 1x Orata

Things progress; we have about fifty pages of documentation, and as of noon we're covid free (can't think why - obviously three vaccinations had nothing to do with it, right?) and we start moving at dark o'clock tomorrow. Then we're under house arrest until we get the two-day test results... if they're fine, so are we, but if they're not we're either under more house arrest, or we may leave. Only none of transit systems will have us and neither will France. It's all ein bisschen stressig...

Neil

The very best of luck Neil on the Journey over

Neil if it's any consolation you've done the worst bits - the actual travel knitty-gritty should be fine. The officials in our experience (we did Spain in July and Dubai in October) have all been great and just glad that you've made their job a lot easier and they can get you on that plane.

We didn't even receive our day 2 test kits until day 3 so it was day four when they got sent away from a priority post-box (google where your nearest is). My daughter in Holland reckons this is a common occurrence and as long as you complete a test they're happy even if a day or so late.

Looking forward to seeing you both on the 7th, hopefully

Well, we've made it as far as Folkstone... got a bollocking from the immigration person who insisted that coming back was a really silly idea and they were trying to discourage it and none of the tests worked and blah blah blah - I restrained myself from asking (a) why they just didn't put that at the top of the covid page at gov.uk and (b) then what was the point of the two-day bloody expensive test?

And the French immigration (emigration? exmigration?) bod didn't like that our UK passports were suspiciously free of EU entry stamps, and insisted on seeing Anita's DE passport and my residency permit...

Jobsworths. As if you don't have enough to do in preparation
- you were only following instructions. What's the point of a one-person crusade? "welcome to the UK".
Quite the contrary of our experiences.

I didn't realise you weren't flying...

I'm still trying to work out the logic of (a) two day covid test and (b) everyone should have parties and kiss strangers...

"Welcome to the UK"


I take it you are letting the train take the strain now you're here?

No pun intended, really

Nope, we've got a lot of driving to come... once we break out.

Are you picking up the coupé?

Not on this occasion - I'm bringing the French Thing[1] from Germany.

[1] (C) Joe Knight 2021

The au pair?

Simon,

Sorry couldn't fully make out the proper dish names so:

Soup
Spicy Italian sausage pizza

Cheers Alan

Well, it gets better... my must be done today covid tests were misdirected due to a postcode typo. They won't come until Monday...

I have had to locate a local tester who can do me tomorrow morning at a cost of somewhere between 'how much!?!?!?' and 'you must be f*kin' avin' a larf'

Mr Barnacle is currently getting his ear bent and is not in a happy place

Covid free.

Sorry for the delay with my meal choices:

Starter- Italian sausage
Main- Ravioli
Desert- Pandoro Italian sponge

We've already on the coffees

Better late then never...............

.............my life story

Yay

Aye we all have stories here, one way or another I hope this weather settles down for Saturday

Just letting you all know that I'm afraid I will no longer be attending this year Rob and Simon know my reasons.

Thought it was only right that I also inform the rest of you that I won't be attending

Sorry to hear this T Obviously I don't know the reasons but hope all is OK with you..

That’s a shame Theresa, hope things are all right.

Everything is ok thanks, just a load of crap happening that makes it hard for me to attend this year I left it as long as I could to make the decision, but I think it's just easier for me not to attend this year

Sorry you're not able to attend T

Dug the Coupe out of my garage to make sure things are OK a wee bit early. All seems fine apart from drivers front tyre loosing some air. So a trip into Inverness to get it reseated and checked. Depending on conditions and traffic, I will have a journey time of four and a half to five hours. To me this is part of the enjoyment. Safe journey to you all, and will see you on Saturday…..

Good plan Jim, my "warm-up" is tomorrow morning, the two hours travel for us on Saturday is a mere spit across tarmac compared to your trip, hope the roads are clear for you.

Is the meet still on?

Hopefully it is, so far, for us...

Some measures just introduced in England have been standard fare north of the border throughout, e.g. mask-wearing indoors (wherever) and on public transport, so for us porridge-gobblers it'll be pretty much more of the same.

Unfortunately not for me. I'm in a position of at least waiting for pcr test results if not also having to go and get my own done. Either way I won't have an all clear by tomorrow.

Apologies to Rob for having to pull out at short notice, and to everyone else that I won't make it.

I need to square some stuff away with you Simon but I'll pm you.

That’s a shame some not being able to attend. In all honesty I’m not really all that surprised. I’ve been triple jagged plus flu jag. My wife was not keen for me to go because of our son who has to be shielded. However I’ve managed to negotiate when home I will isolate myself from our son for a few days.

I took the Coop into Inverness this morning to remedy the front tyre loosing some air, it just needs reseated. Five garages later, all too busy, next week at the earliest. This was me into town at eight. Loosing the plot, I decided to purchase a can of tyre sealer and try that. In the middle of Halfords car park I did the deed. So far so good. You just couldn’t make it up, every place I went, young lad on the phone, then when I asked about just needs reselling the tyre, sharp intake of breath and barely words that are difficult to understand followed by a laugh and no chance until next week. Aaaah!!!!

So when's kick off for the screaming lash ?

Me and the lads will be checking in around 4.30/4.45 and will probably head out to the Howard Arms 5.30ish - meal starts 7 pm

I was wondering about this Simon. Sound good to me…

Jake and I are o route, eta 15.30, drive safe everyone.

We're (Carlisle Chavs) leaving at 2.30

Setting off now via the obligatory Gretna outlet stop. Eta 15.30.

Have a great evening everyone.

Joe and me both at the Premier Inn on Warwick Road.

I’m here at County hotel, took me four and three quarter hours. The weather was very wet and busy. Entering Carlisle in the Coop was an eye opener for me, very busy…..

Sorry we missed you this morning Jim, perhaps it slipped your mind we were convening at Rob's this morning as the restaurant wasn't opening I tried phoning you several times after you called!

Otherwise many thanks to Rob and his long-suffering staff for delicious food and looking after us so well, the lads and I had a terrific time - they especially look forward to it immensely. Also in spite of limited numbers there was no detraction in quality company and craic, and thanks Rob for your hospitality this morning

Had a really good run back, and even the recalcitrant widget, after being given a "fright" in all probability by the amount of welding it underwent during restoration, actually started to work, not cutting out after reaching 1200 rpm

However if it misbehaves again I have a couple of potntial remedies up my sleeve....

Good to see everyone and can't wait till next year

Oh, and the Abberley House accommodation was roundly approved, very clean, pleasant staff, nicely situated for La Mezzaluna and the Howard Arms

Aye Simon I was at the restaurant, I wouldn’t have known where Rob stays. Anyhoo, good night right enough, good food and company. I had to stop in past my granddaughters in Perth. I’m a bit knackered after all the driving. The motorways were a bit busy and it was spraying water. Concentrating and keeping your wits about you and watching for numpties that switch lanes at the last moment, and some who don’t indicate. Another thank you to Rob and his lovely staff…..

Hope everyone got home safe n sound today and thanks to Rob and all the staff for an enjoyable evening

Neil - Anita feeling better now?

Glad everyone had a good time and gutted I couldn't be there

Typically, this weekend has been one of the calmest weather weekends for travelling to Carlisle over the years, as there's usually snow, heavy rain or lorries blowing over in the wind on the M6

Jimboy, if it helps, whenever I do a long journey like Carlisle, I put RainX on the windscreen as it helps disperse the water and crap on it. One year, porkypaul thought my wipers weren't working as I didn't use them throughout the rainy journey, but I didn't need them most of the time

Good to know the Abberley is another option to book for the future too

Theresa, I’ve been using rain x for years. Good stuff. Hardly used my wiper’s either……

Matt, sorry I missed your post about not being able to attend.

I've posted off your calendars this morning.

A huge thank you to all who made the annual pilgrimage for a Xmas get together, even the staff say it wouldn't be the same with the Coupe Club making an appearance. It's a shame we're a bit out of the way up here in the north so I'm especially grateful for all your efforts, none more so than Neil and Anita for their epic journey.

It was great to see everyone again, Theresa you were missed. Maybe something could be organised for a summer meet, where travelling might be a little less precarious due to the winter weather?

Can't wait for the new season of meets, hope to see you all again in the new year.

Thanks again everyone

Summer meet

/me is back in Fahrland, 4300km since we left Anita has had no recurrence (or explanation) though the cold meant we only got about three hour's sleep on Sunday night

The journey was only improved by the lorry that shed its load and closed the M20 just before we got there on sunday, me falling asleep in the driver's seat while queueing for the tunnel loading, meeting Keyjay at Zele (though sadly the rest of the family were out at school and jobs), and Anita driving for three hours so I got some sleep.

Really enjoyed meeting up with everyone, Jim especially
.....food was awesome, thanks Rob

So... a date for 2022?

T?

10th December?

That's do'able before my Winter sunshine

Good for me too.

Yes, any date suits me these days as I'll just book the time off work. A few years ago, I used to try and work it to fit in with my weekend off work as I used to be off every other weekend.

I suppose we need to hear from Rob then

I’m in

New thread started