May's Ramble initial arrangements

Dear NERDS,

Sandyballs is taken up with other matters this month so has asked me to organise a "ramble"

The May ramble will therefore take place on Wednesday 15th and will start at between 11 00hrs and 11 15hrs from Newhaven Station.

We shall probably end up lunching at The Hope so if you can come please let me know so that I can book.

Hope to see some of you there.

Lafayette.

April Ramble News

 

Happy Saint George’s Day

As April’s ramble has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances we hope May’s will be itemised shortly.

Regards to all.

BT

Reply to Sandyballs' suggestion for April Ramble date

Sorry, Harry. I can only do 17th and 19th that week. I know the following week is out for you but the week after that is still technically April.

Charlie.

April's Ramble first arrangements

Hi,

This month there is a problem choosing a Wednesday, for me anyway. Anybody have a problem with Tuesday 16th?

Harry

April 1st 2024

 

Towards April

 

                                         So: March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day Ramble - Non Event!

                                            Oh to be in England 
                                            Now that April 's there,
                                            And whoever wakes in England
                                            Sees, some morning, unaware,
                                            That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
                                            Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
                                            While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough

                                                 

                                             In England—now!

We all hope April’s ramble will be much better with participants, perambulation and the weather. I don’t think that it will be on All Fools Day, but who knows what Sandyballs will arrange? Froggy should be back from the far east should the arrangements be later in the month.  Our local flock of sparrows are busily feeding on the bird balls preparing for their parenthood.

Here in southern France the apricot, cherry and pear trees are in full blossom

and one can hear the bees busily collecting nectar from the flowers. Our local vines are still just sticks 

jutting out of the ground but will soon be putting forth green shoots and hopefully the wine this year will be fantastic. French Catalunya still has water restrictions as we are in the third year of a drought but it is not as bad as in Spain. I’m sure Paco has more up to date information on that score.

Saint Patrick's Day Gathering 17th March 2024

In lieu of a Ramble this month, Charlie and I plus a Mystery Guest

will be celebrating St. Paddy in Brighton this Sunday. Meeting in Wetherspoons - The Post and Telegraph in North Street - at about 11.15ish. Then to The Fiddlers Elbow for traditional music and the wearing of silly hats.

All are welcome.

Harry

2024 March Gathering of The NERDS

 

Hi all,

This month we are not walking anywhere (so what is new, I hear you cry). Instead we are joining forces with the millions of people throughout the world who identify with the Irish diaspora

( Joe Biden for example) and celebrate St Patrick's Day.

In Brighton. The day - March 17th - falls on a Sunday but that should not detract from the fun.

I am envisaging meeting for lunch in Wetherspoons

at lunchtime for a spot of grub and then moving on to The Fiddlers Elbow

for some Guiness and didlee-dee music. I am not expecting a huge turnout for this event but there may well be one or two non-NERDS to boost our numbers.

Back to normal next month. Whatever normal means these days,

More details to follow.

Harry

Budget Day 2024 for the NERDS

Budget Day and the NERDS

Not such a good day for us, as none of us are actually working and would be eligible for a National Insurance payment reduction! All the other adjustments do not effectively mean anything to us. We all have our own homes, cars, children, pets and alternative lifestyles!! So; until next month, when the increase in the OAP and CSP come into force we will just carry on and keep calm! Froggy is off to the “Far East” but has a return ticket! BT is complicating travel to Laos and Cambodia if the conflict abates otherwise will continue drinking wine and Calvados in the South of France. Harry will probably be chauffeuring his children around Sussex and Charles will hibernating in his “man cave” leering at the scantly clothed wenches on ‘Vevo’. Paco will be recovering from his latest holiday in the Mediterranean being cared for by sultry NHS district nurses! The Admiral will be covering his back in the light of the problems with the RNLI. The Bish will be drumming up money to pay for the slavery reparations of the CofE

The NERDS will continue and make the best of the UK except BT who is immured somewhat in Pyrénées-Oriental.

Regards

BT

February's 2024 Ramble

Yes. it was wet and ultimate very windy!.

Seaford station ticket kiosk was closed. So usual old git struggles to work out R/T

to Cooksbridge. Train delayed by 6 mins. Thinking about a kraken in Steamworks

when El Almirante appeared looking decidedly wet and bedraggled,

quickly followed



by the Bish,

with tales of woe about passport and the entire contents of his fridge theft

from outta Hilary's bag in Lisbon. Their trip to Cabo Verde was consequently cut short.

Delayed train at Newhaven took on board Steve and we 4 met Harry on platform 2

as arranged. Stepping out at Cooksbridge into light but insistent rain.

Timed the

walk along the noisy road to 12 minutes to the Rainbow. [That is 5 miles per hour!]. Somehow I don't think

that this is anywhere near a mile (though it felt like it in days of yore).

So, table for 5 in the backroom together with another group of 13 at another table. Noisy

enough to out-shout usual Nerds volumes but not enough to be in the face as was the

last lot next to us in the Rights of Man for Charlie's 77th birthday ramble. All plumped for the carvery.


No wine, only Harveys and Long Man. And no dessert. Quick walk back and thence to Lewes.

Parted from Harry, who had grandad driving duties

as none of his family cared about the

fact that he was on a ramble, and as such the sacred "allowed all one could drink and excused

of all duties" adage went truly out the window! Not that Harry or any of us seemed to care anymore.

Missed Charlie and Paco and Matt. And had they came, we would have had the maximum attendance

of modern day Nerds, at 8. The cords have a similar maximum number, so we must count our blessings

for such modest maximum turnouts and not worry too much when the average attendance dips to 3/4.

Sadly Brian, I never once thought to take any pics. It wasn't the kind of ramble to encourage it. Sorry!

Froggy

Tomorrow's final line up and arrangements.

Hi,

We meet tomorrow, Wednesday, to visit The Rainbow Pub at Cooksbridge. I have been informed that both Charlie and Paco have reported sick with (Man) flu. Fear not, Matt is going to attend, albeit by car and The Admiral has promised to be there as well. With Tony and, hopefully Steve we should be 5 or 6 at table.

There is a very good chance of rain tomorrow so wear something sensible or take a brolly!

Cheers
Harry

February's Ramble arrangements

Hi,



First of all, very sorry to hear about Paco. Hope for a speedy recovery and a safe return to Blighty. Via a luxury hotel suite with hot tub perhaps! Paco – stay away from the Canary Islands!

Anyway, this month we meet on Wednesday 21st. A gentle stroll to The Rainbow

in Cooksbridge beckons. We will be enjoying the carvery which was excellent last time. I have booked for 5 or 6 as I don’t know how many we will be at table. Steve hopefully will be joining us.

I’m not sure if Matt will be driving or taking the train but I have booked the meal for 12.45. Those arriving by train should take the 11.24 from Seaford. I will meet you on Platform 2 at Lewes station.

Cheers

Harry

Happy Chinese New Year 2024

 

Malcolm's Wake

 

                                                                   Malcolm (Bronco)

Yesterday we waked Bronco although it was anything but woke. He had sadly died on January 5th and had been cremated by Maria a day or so ago.
The Bish alerted the NERDS to the wake which was to be held at Malcolm's favourite (and nearest) pub, The Anchor at Ringmer.
Lafayette got on the phone and managed to round up Steve Gorilla Brown, Colin MBE Crowe, and Roger and Ed Coombe from The Darkside ( a minor rambling group). Surprisingly they all managed to make it (one with only a couple of hours notice).
The grand meeting took place at Lewes station where Lafayette, Paco and Froggy met Les Autres and were then bundled off quickly to Waitrose to get the 28 bus.
With five minutes to spare we got the bus and Laf. telephoned Sandyballs so that he could be picked up at the end of his road.
Getting a bunch of NERDS and Les Autres into the same location from disparate places is a logistical nightmare but finally we arrived at The Anchor just as things were starting to kick off. Apparently the whole pub had been reserved for this special occasion and there were lots of people we didn't know there who had come to celebrate Bronco. Maria was not there, however, even though she must have paid for it all.
The NERDS et Les Autres grabbed some tables by the fire and got served drinks by a jolly waitress. Then more drinks, then more drinks. The waitress service was pretty impeccable and in addition there was a hefty brandy ration doled out to everyone so that we could drink to Bronco's memory.
Then we had more drinks and laid into the free sausage rolls and sandwiches and took lots of photos of each other so that we could remember who we were. At one point a small delegation arrived from Newhaven Port. There was Shirley and another nice girl plus Can of Beans and somebody else called Simon. It was all very jolly which is what a proper wake should be.
Finally someone thought we ought to pay for the vast number of drinks we'd had and then, since we were probably in the middle of Storm Zebedee and there was a bus to catch which only turned up once a week, we wound it all up and departed.
Lafayette has vague memories of leading everyone into The Lansdown Arms but after that things got a bit misty.
It had been a good wake with lots of people there all of which testified to Bronco's popularity and in his favourite pub too. We shall probably all remember him for different reasons but especially for his good nature and bawdy humour; he was the Rabelais of The NERDS.
All for now.
Lafayette,

Rest in Peace Malcolm (Bronco)

Very sad news about Malcolm 

- a one time NERD, don't forget. There are so few of us left now.......

I have been in touch with Charlie and he and I will be attending the wake at the Anchor in Ringmer on Tuesday. Charlie will be getting the 2.00 PM train from Newhaven and I will meet him at the station and taking the 28 bus from Waitrose. I think Tony is going as well. Anybody from the dwindling band of NERDS is welcome to join us.

Regards

Harry

February 2024 Ramble initial arrangements

 

Hi. Shall we set a date for the February Ramble? I'm thinking about Wednesday 21st. Perhaps a short stroll to The Rainbow at Cooksbridge for the Carvery?

Any probs let me know.

Cheers

Harry

Seems alright to me (famous quote).

Charlie.

January 2024 Birthday Ramble

 

It was Lafayette's 77th birthday, the only time when for a short period he was two years older than Sandyballs,

 There was to be a cast of thousands - well twelve since it was a special occasion. There were, representing the NERDS: Sandyballs, Paco, Froggy, Dio and Imogen (minus dog) plus Moi. Then there were, representing The Darksiders: Marion, Jane, Debbie, Roger, Ed and Peter Thompson.

The NERDS waited at 12 at Lewes for the Gatwick lot who were wasting time sitting about in the Runaway cafe. However Laf rounded everyone up and passed the baton to Sandyballs

who had organised the brief walk. The weather looked ominous, it was warmish but threatening heavy rain so we all set off past the Lewes Football Club and down in the direction of the Town Dump.

After about half a mile Laf called a halt so that he could have a brief rest (bad legs).

 By now we were near to The Mighty Ouse which was showing signs of raindrops beginning to fall. 

We hurried on. Lafayette had another brief calvados stop thanks to the kind attentions of Ed who knew when to oil the wheels. There was a brief photo stop by the river where we admired the back of the posh flats near Harvey's Brewery Bridge.

At this point it started to rain like hell so we all legged it fast for The John Harvey Tavern, aka the
BrewerTap.

There were lots of pints of Old ordered and we all managed to cram into the back room for our pitstop. Imogen got bored and went to the Harveys shop where she bought all next year's Christmas cards and a bottle of cider. (Another NERDS' alchy.....)

After one or two pints and because it was nearly time for lunch Laf. whipped everyone up and out into the
now pissing down rain with the prospect of scampering up the length of School Hill to get to the pub.

The stars were aligned for Lafayette who got to the bottom of the hill with Paco and spotted a number 28 bus

which obligingly took them both one stop to the Rights of Man.

There we met Dio who had been keeping a bar stool warm and had had the sense to bypass the walk and go straight to the pub. Marion was startled to see Laf and Paco ahead of us in the pub since they had definitely been behind her at one stage. Nobody mentioned buses.

We settled in and Laf got some prosecco going which made everyone feel in the mood.. Then the rest of the festivities began. As usual the food in the R of M was magnificent, although pricey. But there again What the Hell...... There were scallops and pheasant and beefy things and panna cotta and lots of red wine and coffee and illicit calvados and it was a real swinging party.

Finally we all poured outside about two hours later when fortunately the rain had more or less stopped and Laf led a bunch of hard cores down to the Depot where more coffee cognacs were drunk. The Gatwick lot made for the trains.... hope they got home because......Dio returned with Imogen from the station to say most trains were not running because of flooding on the line. However, Froggy and Paco took a dry train to Eastbourne and a number 12 bus back to Seaford, and Dio, Laf and Imogen took an expensive taxi back to Newhaven and Seaford so the day did not end in total disaster.

It had been eventful and thanks to Sandyballs for organising the "ramble" pity he had to leave the pub early to attend to familial duties but I expect he managed to get home ok.

Thanks to all those who came and made it exciting. Hope they all got home as well.

Lafayette.

(Bowles Club)