It was nice to get back into the room so that we could discuss our Plus Spring Break weekend in the Cotswolds, which some of us had just returned from. Once we had settled down, we got into the entertainment quiz, drawing on our fairly wide ranging levels of exposure to it. Some members really know a lot about musical theatre, it turns out – some time after we played the joker. Eventually the quiz was won and lost and the chocolate that someone had brought back from Spring Break was shared out. A tasty ending to a lovely evening.
Coming up, we roller-skating in WGC.
If you like what you are reading in this blog, and could do with an award winning upgrade to your social life, you are welcome to drop in on us at Postles in Stevenage High Street any Tuesday evening at eight. The first night is free. Check out our https://www.stevenageplus.co.uk/ website.
There are often cold light of day references about the Monday mornings of Plus weekends. Not this time, with the drizzle making it the most overcast of the weekend. We loaded up the cars and checked out of the hut before gathering with Plus massive in the venue for breakfast. There was eggs and bacon and chatting. We looked back on a lovely weekend and looked forward to the next one before hitting the road to get back to reality.
If weekends away like this sound just your thing then why not come on down and meet us in Stevenage High Street one Tuesday evening at eight. https://www.stevenageplus.co.uk/
We had better nights of sleep and were up earlier than the previous morning, having agreed to do the treasure hunt at ten sharp. Our battle with the Narnians had spilled into a second day. They continued to sneak into the wardrobe with the consumer unit in it and switch the power off from time to time.
We set off into the environment, treasure hunt worksheet in hand, seeking this clue and that. It was a lovely morning, but by the time we got back, we had lost one of the team members.
There was a very quick turn-around for lunch before we returned to the venue for the Spring Break Quiz. Plus being what it is, most teams scored 10/10 on the round that was about Plus. We didn’t do so well on the other rounds and finished in sixth place, winning chocolate. We did better on the treasure hunt with our 46.5/50 earning us third place and winning us a small cash prize.
Back at the hut, it was time for the battle of the pizza. The plan was so simple; take the pizza out of the fridge and put it in the oven. There was some concern that we might have to take the pizza over to a neighbour’s oven like last night, when ours would not heat up. We overcame this by realising that it is a gas oven and actually lighting it. Good to go, we went to take the pizza out of the box. It turned out that it was of the raw dough, keep frozen type. This presented a very floppy challenge to get onto the baking tray after a day in the fridge – which hadn’t always been on and sometimes beeps the left open warning while closed. A rolling and unrolling process, which might have risked a calzone, proved successful – in a flat way. Just when we thought that we were making some progress, the Narnians stuck their oars in again. The electricity went off twice, each time requiring a return to the wardrobe to flick it back on before relighting the oven. The not uninterrupted cooking process took rather longer than those naive box authors seemed to expect. The truly astonishing surprise was that the crispy, cooked pizza eventually lifted cleanly from the baking tray. It was alright. We’ve had better.
Many of the Plus massive went out for an Indian meal tonight. We could have done that. Instead, we were able to get over to the venue in time to see the start of Brad from the ents team’s set – with its David Brent style continuity.
After a bit of chatting, it was soon time to return to the hut after quite a full day’s Plussing. The lights were still on but then there was somebody home.
We didn’t get up too early as we were both tired and on holiday. When the time came, those who had thought to bring provisions fried up a partial Monty – while others walked to the shop. It was a lovely morning for a stroll, both with the weather and with the world of Plus at Spring Break. Not only have we got friends in our hut but the neighbours are our friends too. There were enthusiastic wavings and wishes of good morning, like an implausible holiday camp Truman Show sitcom for the new century. Some of us may never forget the member who came into the lounge, dressed only in a hand towel, to fetch a tea towel to use as a flannel in the shower.
Channelling our inner Allstars, we got up and got out (eventually). Some walked around the lakes while they were waiting. Others made unscheduled coffee and looked for things around the place.
We drove to the Cheltenham park and ride, just in time for the bus to leave without us. A later bus took us to the centre of the formerly glorious spa town. Some of us walked a short distance to buy a fancy had-crafted discount coffee shops and buy a small, hand crafted cup. They then smashed the cup and ordered a late lunch from a café. The others made more progress around the town, seeking out geocaches and reviewing statues.
The bus and the car and the supermarket got us back to the hut where we turned our attentions to the oven and the hot tub. The idea was drinks in the hot tub and lasagne for tea. It turned out that it was difficult to turn the oven on and then the hot tub off. The instructions are very clear on a whole load of thing that we shouldn’t do, much less on what we should. With dinner ovening outsourced to the neighbours, we turned our attentions to things like finding the keys, viewing the sunset and getting over to the venue for another night with the Plus massive.
Katie Ellen (vocalist) was our headliner of the weekend. She really can belt them out while bringing a whole new monochrome twist to sparkling. Her encore was “This is me” from “The Greatest Showman”. After that we chatted with friends from other groups before returning to the hut to wind down at the end of quite a day – still only half way through our weekend in the Cotswolds.
Stevenage Plus Social club 