2013
3rd January
First meeting of the New Year and we had two new ladies join us for a meal at the Blacksmiths Arms.
It was a brilliant evening.
11th January - Springfields
Six of us joined the Fen Fatales for Coffee and Chat at Springfields, Spalding. It was lovely to see our friends again for a natter. Some of us then did the shops and we all had a fabulous pub lunch. A really good day was had by all. Thank you Queen Pat for inviting us.
7th February
Another brilliant meeting with four new ladies joining us at the West End Restaurant. Good food, lively banter and great company. What more could you ask?
11th February - Angelsey Abbey
Eight of us went to Angelsey Abbey to see the snowdrops. We had a coffee first before strolling round the route to see so many different kinds of snowdrops, then back to the warm for lunch. It was cold but fine and we had a brilliant day. Thank you Kountess Knit 'n' Knatter for organising it.
14th February - Swaffham Sparklers
Six of us went with three Fen Fatales to Swaffham for the Sparklers 1st Birthday party. It was a brilliant night. Fantastic food (fabulous hat cake), excellent company and entertainment by 'Cyril' of X Factor fame. A really good night.
7th March
Another fabulous evening at the Black Bear. Lots to talk about and sign up for. Duchess Free Spirit caught with her mouth full!
8 - 11 March - Gathering of Queens
Queen Margaret and Vice Queen Sandra had a fabulous weekend in Norwich at the Gathering of Queens. Lots of new friends made and lots of chat and ideas exchanged.
Friday night dinner was followed by the Norfolk Broads entertainment. It was hilarious! A very interesting guided tour by Queen Jude (Norfolk Broads) on the Saturday culminated in a trek round the shops. It had been raining all day and this turned to snow as the day wore on. Our poor feet got wet, dry and wet throughout but had a chance to dry at last at the Theatre Royal where we saw 'The Ladykillers'. It was brilliant!
Sunday saw us get on the bus to Wroxham for a few hours then back to the hotel to dry off for the final meal of the weekend which was again followed by the talents of the Norfolk Broads chapter.
Sunday, it was farewell and back home through the snow. A fabulous weekend and definitely one to remember. Thanks Queen Jude and your ladies.
18th March - Annie Get Your Gun
Five of us plus Sandy, a super Red Hatter from America who is currently working over here, met the Fen Fatales at the Key Theatre, Peterborough for a brilliant show. 'Annie' was absolutely first class and the whole evening was great fun. It was fantastic to meet Sandy at last as she and I had emailed one another for months and this was third time lucky to meet up, mainly because of our wonderful weather! Thanks for your company Sandy. I hope your Red Hatting goes from strength to strength. With your Mom and Martha looking out for you, you'll have a Ball!
4th April - Blacksmiths Arms
Another super meal at the Blacksmiths Arms at which we welcomed four new members.
6th April - Fen Fatales
Four of us went to celebrate the 6th Birthday of the Fen Fatales at Weston Village Hall. A sumptuous buffet, brilliant entertainment and wonderful company. A feast of friends!!
10th April - 50 Shades of Red and Purple
Two of us went to the Coronation of Vice Queen Lady Knowalot which was held at Hanse House in King's Lynn. It was a really fun evening. Thank you Queen Sharman for inviting us.
18th April - Angles Theatre
Ten of us went to see 'Are you being served?' at the Angles Theatre performed by the Wisbech Players.
It was hilarious. It was doubly enjoyable as 'Mr Rumbold' was played by the highly talented son of our very own Lady Linguine. A great night to remember.
25th April - Batty Bees Tea
Six of us went to the Bardwell Batty Bees Tea in celebration of the 15th Birthday of the Red Hat Society.
As usual it was fantastic. From the canapes and champagne on arrival, to the fabulous afternoon tea with cakes on a stand made by Viv, to the toilets decked out in purple and red, to the guided tour of the village, to the games for those who stayed behind, to the entertainment by the talented Batty Bees, to the brilliant birthday cakes, it was a fantastic afternoon. Thank you so much Dorry for inviting us all and congratulations and well done to your excellent hatters.
2nd May - The Gallery
Another fantastic meeting in the newly refurbished Function Room. A lively meeting and good food and another fabulous evening.
10th May - Swaffham
The Swaffham Sparklers invited us to a coffee morning where we enjoyed scrummy bacon rolls and cakes and the company of other chapters. There were jewelery, craft and stalls selling other items and a raffle. We seemed to clean up on the raffle with five prizes between the six of us. We then went to the Assembly Rooms to the indoor market where there were lots of goodies to choose from. Some came home but bargains were still to be had from the charity shops. A brilliant day. Thank you Queen Bez and the Sparkler for inviting us.
14th May - Purple Sale
Six of us went to the home of Ros, a Fen Fatales, for a Purple Sale where all the profits went to Macmillan. A magnificent £450 was raised and we all got some amazing bargains to boot. A fabulous lunch with Ros' famous cupcakes rounded off a lovely day.
23rd May - Dreamboys
Eight of us joined with four Fen Fatales to see the 'Dreamboys' at King's Lynn Corn Exchange. It was lively, very loud with apparently 95% of the audience girls in their late teens/early twenties, and very entertaining. Now we know what we were missing in our carefree youth. We had brilliant seats and didn't miss anything!
6th June - Blacksmiths Arms
Another superb meal at the Blacksmiths Arms and another lively meeting.
7 - 10th June - Red Hat weekend
Queen Margaret and Vice-Queen Sandra enjoyed another weekend at Mundesley with 196 other Red Hatters. Out came the swing dresses, mini skirts and bling for the evenings. Saturday was a coach into Sheringham to take the train on the North Norfolk Railway to Holt. The town didn't know what hit it and the charity shops ran out of red and purple! A great day. Sunday morning we joined some Fen Fatales in a trip to Cromer and despite the brisk wind, enjoyed an ice cream in true British spirit! In the afternoon there was a riverboat trip at Horning on the Southern Comfort. Not such good weather the entire weekend as last year but that didn't spoil it too much as we were prepared for it.
19th June - Gadabout's birthday party
Eight of us went to help the Gadabouts celebrate their 5th birthday at Mendi's. It was brilliant. Good company, truly scrumptious desserts prepared by the Gadabouts themselves, a very large raffle and good music. All in all a superb evening. Thank you Queen Carol for inviting us.
21st June - 50 Shades of Red and Purple - Christmas dinner
Nine of us couldn't resist the temptation of a Christmas dinner on Midsummer day. It started as soon as we got there when Lady Laugh a Lot and Kountess Knit 'n' Knatter were spotted by two lads who thought that their early Christmas presents were beautifully wrapped in red and purple! The evening was really good fun with the random seating and it gave everyone a chance to talk to members of other chapters. The food at the Deers Leap in King's Lynn was superb. Crackers were pulled and Santa , sweating his socks off bless him, gave everyone a gift. Well done Queen Sharman and Vice Queen Kathy for allowing us to experience so much fun and laughter , not least at the 'knicker tree'!!
19th July - Posh Tea at The Delph
Eight of us enjoyed a fabulous Posh Afternoon Tea at the home of Queen Pat of Fen Fatales. The weather was scorching and the food wonderful. Plenty of lovely sandwiches and very scrummy cakes were washed down with cups of tea and coffee. All in all a brilliant afternoon. Many thanks Queen Pat for inviting us and congratulations to your team of ladies for putting on such a wondrous spread.
22nd July - Afternoon Tea at The Orchards Tea Rooms
Seven of us enjoyed another afternoon tea at the Local Orchards Tea Rooms. Plenty of sandwiches, scrummy scones, sausage rolls and strawberries made it a memorable afternoon.
25th July - Sluice Women Birthday Party
Three of us attended a fabulous party at which Queen Ros crowned new Queen Julie as she was stepping down. The weather was brilliant, food wonderful and the cake superb. The afternoon also included a visit by a local ice cream van which was greatly enjoyed by many.
31st July - Sandringham
Six of us ventured out on a very wet Wednesday to go to the Sandringham Flower Show. It really didn't stop all day. We didn't see Prince Charles or the Duchess of Cornwall but we got plenty of interest from people and really enjoyed the day. We did however gain Countess Cupcake which was a bonus.
12th & 15th August - Afternoon Teas
Kountess OvenReady and Lady Pavlova met us for afternoon teas at Poppyfields and the home of Princess Patterpaws respectively and had joined by the end of each afternoon - fabulous!
30th August - Queen Bez's unbirthday party
Queen Margaret went to help Swaffham Sparklers Queen Bez to celebrate her unbirthday. Her actual ???birthday is later in the year, but like the Queen that she is, she wanted an official and an unofficial birthday. Chapters at the evening included Fen Fatales and Queen Dorry of the Bardwell Batty Bees. A fabulous night!!
5th September - 2nd Birthday Party
We were joined at The Gallery by the Fen Fatales, Swaffham Sparklers and 50 Shades of Red and Purple to help us celebrate our 2nd birthday. It was a brilliant evening. The room looked stunning, the food (including the cake baked by Duchess Free Spirit), was delicious, quizzes, raffle, everything was brilliant. Thank you to our visiting Chapters for coming to our special evening.
11th September - 50 Shades of Red and Purple
Five of us went to King's Lynn where we were entertained by the 50 Shades to a Murder Mystery evening to celebrate their 1st birthday. It was extremely well done and enthusiastically acted - some budding thespians there!! Well done Queen Sharman and your ladies for a really interesting evening.
18th September - About Time
Four of us went to The Luxe in Wisbech to see the film 'About Time'. It was really good and we certainly caused some interest in our red and purple.
23rd September - Tydd St Giles Golf Club
We had a fabulous meal at the Golf Club. It was treat not to have to cook!
4 - 6 October - Convention
Vice Queen Sandra and Queen Margaret went to Stratford on Avon for the 10th Red Hat UK Convention. It was absolutely brilliant. On the Friday evening we (nearly) all dressed up in Elizabethan, Shakespeare costumes. The ballroom was a sea of purple and red and a banquet was followed by a Barn Dance enjoyed by those who hadn't been up early or had a bottle of Baileys waiting in the room.
Saturday morning we went on four open top sightseeing buses and then paraded down the street heralded by the Town Crier accompanied by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Stratford. Saturday evening was bling night so we (nearly) all went to town with the sparklers.
Sunday morning was handover to Queen Opal of the Liver Birds for the Convention next year in Liverpool. The whole weekend was fantastic and Queen Globetrotter and her team deserve a large pat on the back for the effort that went into organising it. Roll on next year!
10th October - Quiz at Peckover House
Eleven of us took part in the quiz and did the best we could although there seemed to be some very serious teams at the quiz. We had a really good laugh and the whole evening was brilliant. Well done Kountess Knit 'n' Knatter for organising it.
18th October - Royal Chelsea Hospital
Countess Cabernet and Baroness Bolinger joined the Vermillion Vixens for a visit to the Royal Chelsea Hospital. It was very enjoyable experience and they were made to feel very welcome. This was followed by Afternoon Tea in the infirmary Café. A very worthwhile visit. Thank you Queen Hils for organising it.
21st October - Purple sale
A Purple sale was held at the home of Kountess Knit 'n' Knatter. It was a fun afternoon and much chat amid the nibbles!
7th November
Another monthly getogether at our new venue The Sportsman at Elm. A fabulous meal with very lively conversation resulted in a super evening. Thanks to Keith for accommodating us at such short notice.
15th November - Swaffham Sparklers
Two of us went to support the Swaffham Sparklers Christmas Coffee Morning. Not as many people as last time but still a fabulous morning. Thanks for inviting us Queen Bez.
18th November - Chit and Chat
Lady Laugh a Lot hosted a Chit and Chat. Much scrummy food was brought and together with the Swaffham Sparklers, we had a really lovely time 'chitting and chatting'! Thank you VQ for suggesting this. We must do it again.
20th November - Jimmy's Memorial
Nine of us met up with our very own Princess of the Nile and joined with her class at a memorial service for Jimmy the Donkey who was born in the First World War and buried in a park in Peterborough. The standard bearers, words, verses by the children and their sticking of the poppies on Jimmy's headstone and attendance by the Mayor, were unforgettable sights. Afterwards we went to the school for tea and cakes. A brilliant day.Thanks Natty for inviting us.
5th December - Christmas meal
Twelve of us enjoyed a fantastic meal at Dobbies of Peterborough. The food was superb, the service excellent and to have our pressies given to us by Santa himself was just the icing on the cake! A fabulous chance to get some really lovely Christmas gifts afterwards just rounded off a brilliant afternoon.
9th December - Panto
Eight of us went with the Fen Fatales to see 'Beauty and the Beast' at the Corn Exchange in King's Lynn. Four of us had a meal first at the Globe which was excellent. The Panto itself was absolutely fantastic. It was a laugh from start to finish and the whole cast were brilliant. We all left with a smile on our faces and we're still smiling!
16th December - Christmas Market
We were joined at our annual photo shoot by ladies from the Fen Fatales, Swaffham Sparklers, Sluice Women and Ruby Reds. It was lovely to see so many enjoy the Wisbech Christmas Market. Stilt walkers, carol singing, hot chocolate and Baileys, lots of craft stalls and Santa and two reindeer to admire. We were even joined at one point by a portable brain! A lovely day and lots of photos later we had lunch and staggered home with our goodies. Thank you all for coming and making the day so special.
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