Browncoats

Well, the last book wasn’t popular for all sorts of reasons. A shame as Adam Kay’s books have always entertained in the past. This month we’re reading Daphne du Maurier, The book is The King’s General. It’s set in the seventeenth century and tells the story of a family and a family riven by war and features one of fiction’s most original heroines.

UEL will be hosting a “Community Open Day” on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May. As the resident Badminton Club, we have been allocated a 2-hour session from 2:00–4:00 pm, with 5 courts available. The aim is to invite existing members to come and play, as well as to welcome members of the public to try badminton. We will allocate 3 courts for games. The session fee is £8 per person. Payment must be made before the session starts. Bank transfer details will be shared by email once you RSVP. • There is a large car-park at UEL. • Nearest DLR stations are Gallions Reach and Cyprus, then a 5 minutes walk to UEL Sports Dock. • Session are more suited for Intermediate to Club standard players. Simple "If"Rules: • If you want to attend, you must RSVP • If you want to bring a friend you MUST RSVP for them • If you do not RSVP, you will be turned away If you RSVP and DO NOT attend you will be fined £20, unless you remove your RSVP at least 24hrs before the session start time. Please respect the session limit, they are for your own good as over crowding means less games for you! The organisers decision on all matters is final. Important Note: Your are responsible for your own well-being. Black Arrows Badminton Club or the management at UEL are not responsible for any injuries or loss of items.

**Meet at Tottenham Court Rd tube outside exit 1.** **"Tottenham Court Road**, a market road, or street, leading from Oxford Street to the prebendal manor of Tothill, Totenhall, or Totenham Court, described in Domesday, and originally appertaining to the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's. In 1560 the manor was demised to Queen Elizabeth for ninety-nine years, in the name of Sir Robert Dudley." In 1639, twenty years before the expiration of Queen Elizabeth's term, a lease was granted to Charles I., in the name of Sir Henry Vane. In 1649, being seized as Crown land, the manor was sold to Ralph Harrison, Esq., of London, for the sum of £3318 : 3: 11. At the Restoration it reverted to the Crown; and in 1661 was granted by Charles II., for the term of forty-one years, in payment of a debt, to Sir Henry Wood. The lease was next possessed by Isabella, Countess of Arlington, in the reign of Charles II., from whom it descended to her daughter, the Duchess of Grafton; and in this way was inherited by the family of the Fitzroys, Dukes of Grafton, descended from Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, the notorious mistress of Charles II." **Check out the Flying Horse pub (1793) opposite the tube exit. Previously " The Tottenham", this is the only surviving pub in Oxford St. See pics below.** This is another of our many outside Picture Hunts this year. If any issues with weather, we’ll switch to our 50-50 Trivia in the nearby Wetherspoon Magnus Pyle, so turn up as something will be on regardless. If you’re new to Picture Hunts, check the previous weeks for winners and clue sheets. This time, the event will be centred around different buildings, shops and features on one side of Tottenham Court Rd, so there’s no crossing of busy roads. This road is not touristy like Charing Cross Rd opposite. Please aim to turn up for 1:00-1:30 when teams are being arranged. The Hunt starts at 1:30. You're losing search time if you're late! Bring a pen please. As usual, portions of the road are split up into four areas where teams search for the locations of photographed items in the street, buildings or shop windows, and then record where they found them. Picture Hunts are a great new way to get up to speed with slices of London history while sleuthing around the area. Everyone is presented with twenty partial photos of objects around an area. Your team mission is to find them. Some well known, some well unknown! This makes Picture Hunts more interesting and challenging, bringing out the best of your teams detecting skills. You will also have a map of the area. It will be sub-divided into four sections, P, Q, R, S. Each photo will come from one of these. Four players max per team, but the lower number teams get a point per player start from the biggest team. For example, four teams of one, two, three and four. Four player team, no advantage, (the biggest and theoretically the more knowledge between them, except it doesn't always work like that). Three player team, one point start. Two player team, two point start. One player team, three point start. Scores are always close and around the 15-20 points mark. How many players do you want in your team? There's a dilemma! The clipboard holder enters one of the letters to note its area location. Dead simple, right? 90 minutes to do the hunt. We have the usual prizes of chocolate, including some great new varieties. There is also an equal prize for the funniest team name judged by Sue, my glamorous assistant. Names win prizes too! So there’s everything to play for. We mark up at the quiz finish point. The Wetherspoon Magnus Pyke. Hunts are good fun and the proven experience so far is that members get to know each other better after working in teams as you all have to communicate. Great icebreakers. This is what Meetup is all about. Come and join us. **There is a £7 cash/card charge for this event. Pay on the day.** Contact number is 07422334411 if your transport is delayed. **If you can’t make it, please cancel using the “Edit RSVP Button”.** **Your consideration is greatly appreciated.**

We are a group of writers of all kinds of work - novels, short stories, academic work, scripts, poetry, flash fiction, and more. We meet once a week, on Tuesday evenings, predominantly in order to write but also to talk about what we are working on. The standard format of the group is heads-down writing until around 1940, then whatever else anyone wants to do or talk about. Everyone is welcome, regardless of what you are writing. [The Brownswood](https://thebrownswood.co.uk) is a fantastic local pub, located close to Clissold Park/Highbury/Stoke Newington/Finsbury Park. It has a large - and quiet - upstairs area. Please grab something to drink/eat from the bar, and join us upstairs at 1800. [271 Green Lanes, London, N4 2EX](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Brownswood/@51.5639546,-0.0948438,608m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m9!3m8!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d51.5639546!4d-0.0926551!16s%2Fg%2F119x6mkyr?entry=ttu). * Tube: [Manor House](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Manor+House+Station,+Green+Lanes,+London/The+Brownswood,+271+Green+Lanes,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2EX/@51.5675099,-0.099653,1216m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761b89bd91cc59:0x392f2396b4532b!2m2!1d-0.0965018!2d51.5711189!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!2m2!1d-0.092655!2d51.5639516!3e2?entry=ttu) (Piccadilly line), [Finsbury Park](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Finsbury+Park+Station,+Station+Pl,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2DH/The+Brownswood,+271+Green+Lanes,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2EX/@51.5635898,-0.1044051,1216m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761b9b2b4d19dd:0xc061583facc2ae39!2m2!1d-0.1058553!2d51.5646425!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!2m2!1d-0.092655!2d51.5639516!3e2?entry=ttu) (Piccadilly and Victoria lines) * Overground: [Canonbury](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Canonbury,+Wallace+Rd,+London+N1+2PG/The+Brownswood,+271+Green+Lanes,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2EX/@51.5563195,-0.1017644,2433m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c82f2cf823d:0x79587280293ef16!2m2!1d-0.0920922!2d51.5486853!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!2m2!1d-0.092655!2d51.5639516!3e2?entry=ttu), [Harringay Green Lanes](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Harringay+Green+Lanes,+London/The+Brownswood,+271+Green+Lanes,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2EX/@51.5705266,-0.1058508,2432m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761b8b3971e23f:0xef5cf25ed3f59caa!2m2!1d-0.0979994!2d51.5771902!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!2m2!1d-0.092655!2d51.5639516!3e2?entry=ttu), [Stoke Newington](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Stoke+Newington+railway+station,+London/The+Brownswood,+271+Green+Lanes,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2EX/@51.5640471,-0.0930668,2432m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c67a8c80565:0xd116f4b1ef01e4e5!2m2!1d-0.07286!2d51.56523!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!2m2!1d-0.092655!2d51.5639516!3e2?entry=ttu) * National Rail: [Finsbury Park](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Finsbury+Park+Station,+Station+Pl,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2DH/The+Brownswood,+271+Green+Lanes,+Finsbury+Park,+London+N4+2EX/@51.5635898,-0.1044051,1216m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761b9b2b4d19dd:0xc061583facc2ae39!2m2!1d-0.1058553!2d51.5646425!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761c7893476fc5:0x9ba8e21a1cf2fee9!2m2!1d-0.092655!2d51.5639516!3e2?entry=ttu) * Bus routes: [106](https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/106/), [141](https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/141/), [341](https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/341/?direction=inbound) * On-street cycle racks are located outside the pub. If you've any queries, you can message me through MeetUp - please don't contact the pub directly. I hope to see you soon, Adam.

**What we are about:** Life drawing sessions every Wednesday 7.30pm-9.30pm This class is for all drawing levels, aiming to improve your own drawing style and learning about drawing the human form and anatomy in a relaxed and friendly environment. The class invites you to study guided or untutored with professional models in a variety of different poses. Usually we begin with a series of short poses and warm up exercises from 1min to 5mins. Followed by longer studies of 10, 15 and 20mins. We have a small break and the we’ll continue with a 25 min pose and concluding with a 20 minute pose. A different model each week All levels welcome Guidance given/optional Drawing materials and paper provided and included in the price. We are a friendly, welcoming, sociable group. Price: Drop-in, single session £15 - weekly sessions art materials and paper provided You can pay by cash or use this pay pal link : // [paypal.me/CreativeLifeDrawing](http://paypal.me?CreativeLifeDrawing) please choose - pay friends and family members If you like to secure your spot you can pay via this meet-up site but they will add some additional fees. CreativeLifeDrawing [J_wolfmail@yahoo.com](mailto:J_wolfmail@yahoo.com) Jennifer Wolf

\*\*\*\*\*\* STRICTLY NO BEGINNERS \*\*\*\*\*\* Join the Broomfield Badminton Meetup Group for an exciting Badminton Club night, whether you're a seasoned player or looking to improve your skills, this event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your talent and meet other badminton enthusiasts in the area. Bring your A-game, competitive spirit, and get ready for a fun-filled day of friendly games. Don't miss out on this chance to test your abilities on the court and enjoy a day of thrilling badminton action with like-minded players. Let's smash our way to victory together! Please contact Naren on 07967 672212. \*\*\*\*\*\* STRICTLY NO BEGINNERS \*\*\*\*\*\*

Join us to meet Mark O'Connell as he shares insights and stories about his new book. As the world’s eyes look to the next 007, **Bond, Queer Bond - The Fabulous Other History of a Spy** is an original, warm-witted and illuminating chronicle about the queer talents, beats and personalities that have shaped the James Bond phenomenon in all its forms. Blending historical insight with new observations and interviews, **Bond, Queer Bond** is a dynamic and entertaining **James Bond** compendium - full of new insight, imagery and an alternative timeline of 007 history few know exists. **Bond, Queer Bond** is not just the fascinating story about the LGBTQ creativity, temperaments, battles, and voices behind the openly straight James Bond. It is a distinctive, energetic, and original story about identity in pop culture, the difference between gay history and queer expression, and how the deceptively diverse Bond world has always operated alongside both. Joining O’Connell in the book itself are guest contributions from the likes of **Barbara Broccoli**, **David Arnold**, **Mark Gatiss**, **Putter Smith**, **Peaches Christ**, **John Glen**, **Ann Magnuson**, **Jon Lys Turner**, **Jany Temime**, **Maud Adams**, key Bond and queer alumni, and more. Tickets can be purchased here (£15); https://www.outsavvy.com/event/33536/meet-the-author-mark-oconnell-bond-queer-bond-the-fabulous-other-history-of-a-spy

Venue: Civil Service Club Date/Time: Sunday 31 May 3-8pm and possibly beyond! First timers - please kindly read below about bringing your board, meetup fee, purchasing drinks and food, etiquette etc Please RSVP - CSC requires names of guests Intro Dear Backgammon Lovers, We had a decent turnout on Sunday with 14 backgammoners showing up at Waterloo Station. We'll be returning next to the Civil Service Club that is moments from Trafalgar Square. Social & Fun Backgammon at the CSC Whether you're a seasoned backgammoner or a newbie looking to learn this fabulous game that is thousands of years old, our social event is open to all. This is the perfect opportunity to sharpen your game, and share a laugh (or a lucky double six!) over backgammon. Add in a drink, maybe dinner, and you’ve got the recipe for a fun and relaxed evening. Venue Food and Drink Just a little reminder that when we use the Civil Service Club, we’re asked to buy at least one drink whilst we’re there, and hopefully food too. The Club has a nice range of food and snacks on offer, all at good prices, so it’s a great chance to relax and make the most of the day. About our backgammon social group Our group has been running for nearly 11 years since June 2015 and we have held nearly 500 official backgammon meetings - along with a further 300 off-grid (non meetups) since then. We are the largest backgammon group in the UK with nearly 2,500 backgammoners as members. What makes our group special are its members and the warmth, humour and friendliness whilst playing this splendid social game over a few drinks... usually fortnightly, and on a Sunday. We have about 30-odd regular members who play socially and we very much welcome new players too - so do come along. Dinner Time and Drinks and Food In between the rounds of backgammon many of us sit for a meal around 6pm, but you can order drinks and food whenever you like. RSVP Please RSVP asap - Often I need to provide the Club with an indication of numbers. Bring your own Backgammon Board - no problem if initially you don't have one. Love seeing the different styles and size of boards - my boards have somehow gotten larger over the years. Please bring your own backgammon board and should you not have one please let us know in advance via the Meetup message board so that others can make the effort to bring theirs. Meetup Fee I will ask for £4 as the meetup fees etc have increased substantially over the past year or two. This also assists paying other admin costs including Club membership and tips. Other Games We sometimes play other games in the evening such as Rummikub, Yahtzee, and a type of Gin Rummy... so ask and watch this space! Etiquette Just a quick reminder- it’s always nice to say thank you to the staff at the CSC when you can. Let’s also keep things warm and friendly with each other and enjoy this splendid game. If anything comes up, please feel free to have a word with me or whoever is hosting on my behalf Backgammon Rules With one or two exceptions our group plays international backgammon tournament rules. I have outlined these rules on our meetup page. My Contact Should you get lost or need to get in touch my number is: 07956 263451. Would advise you not to post messages two hours before the meetup commences as there's often chance I will not see it. Best wishes and have lots of fun on Sunday! Chris Sattaur

The New Season Of 2026 Spitalfields Tea Dances are Back with a Bang to Celebrate Global Dance Day more Commonly known as International Dance Day . The First one Take Places From 29/04/2026. A free tea dance inside Spitalfields's market with the Covent garden dance orchestra. Come Rain or shine This Outdoor Dance always goes ahead with Great Quality as the Dance is Under Covers in Crispin Place Free dancing, tea and cakes from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm. Many good dancers, who are friendly and will happily dance with newcomers. [) George Tudor Hart Says about this Dance "There's a nine piece dance orchestra in white tuxedos, an area of the floor sectioned off as a large dance floor and seats for around 120 people. Free tea and cakes are served at around 1.30 pm, The dancers are a mix of locals who many of whom have lived in Spitalfields for yonks, and visitors from other parts of London. The music is good, quicksteps are in abundance, and there's some, but not too much, sequence dancing. When I was there the crowd were friendly, all could dance and were easy and obliging when asked to dance to ask to dance. Several were very good dancers. The area was sheltered and tea and cakes were served efficiently, and with style in China cups, not styrophone. There are clean public loos within in the market. The stalls in the market are interesting and varied, Some good hat shops are there, and Tracey Ermine's shop is around the corner outside the market. This event is held every month on Wednesday afternoons from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm on the They don't do it in the colder months after September " We do aim to list other events for us to go to. I Make a Suggestion to Make it easier for a meeting point That We meet Between 12.15 -12.30 pm Outside The Alfie Restaurant which used to be called Leon's ,before We Find Suitable Seats at Dance Late Comers can join us at The Dance By looking for The meetup sign we are sometimes near the Tea and Coffee tables, but nowadays we are by the Leon restaurant side opposite The Tea and Coffee Tables near the Band Please Note this is a lunchtime Dance So Please Spread The word and If You Can get time of during your lunch hour and work near by do join us. Below in the link is One of The Jive Songs That is Going to be played to give you a taste of What is to come. [https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:3JBWPoi0BXqOdU5Xt5r334](https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:3JBWPoi0BXqOdU5Xt5r334)

Come out to Improving for our monthly iOS and Mac meetings. This Month's Presentation: Nothing yet. (You should volunteer). What is Cocoaheads (http://cocoaheads.org/)? CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple Computer's Cocoa Framework for programming on MacOS X and iOS (including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch). During monthly meetings, members present on their projects and offer tutorials on various programming topics. What is BuckeyeCocoa (http://buckeyecocoa.org/)? BuckeyeCocoa is a group of Objective-C/Swift developers/enthusiasts. We host monthly Cocoaheads and near-weekly NSCoder meetings in Columbus, Ohio. The meetings are free to attend. Presentations! Presenters welcome! We are always in need of people willing to present material. Any Swift and/or Objective-C related topic is welcome. Times can be 5 minutes (i.e. lightning talks) to a maximum of 2 hours. Interested? Contact info is on the BuckeyeCocoa website. To volunteer for a presentation contact us at @BuckeyeCocoa on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter! @BuckeyeCocoa (https://twitter.com/#!/Buckeyecocoa/) For more information: http://buckeyecocoa.org/

🔥 Lincoln Street Salsa HAS MOVED TO EVERY FRIDAY, NO MORE SATURDAYS! 🔥 Lincoln Street Salsa @ 1717 Brice Rd, Reynoldsburg 43068 🔥 Salsa, Bachata, Merengue Dancing! 🔥 NO PARTNER OR EXPERIENCE NEEDED! 🔥 Every FRIDAY, 8 pm - 1 am 🔥 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm = Registration 🔥 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm = Beginner Dance Class 🔥 9:30 pm - 1:00 am = Open Dance Party 🔥 LincolnStreetSalsa.com 🔥 Questions? Text Todd 614-774-8146

Do you sometimes feel like you do well in life then something happens and you slide back, never quite getting ahead. At this Meetup you'll find out how to identify what actually causes the lows, the highs and everything in between. More importantly you’ll get the secret of how to gain control over your life so the highs are higher and the lows go away. Wouldn’t it be nice to stop the wild roller coaster ride for good? Or at least make it a fun roller coaster ride, with more ups and downs. There is a hidden factor that will be going over and you’re going to be quite surprised what it is and how much it affects your life. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to the event. We look forward to seeing you there. This group is hosted at the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center.

Join us as we get together to see the top-reviewed comedy-drama, I LOVE BOOSTERS! The film comes from writer/director Boots Riley and follows a group of shoplifters who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. Here are details, trailers and our plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: The film follows a group of shoplifters who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It is written/directed by Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore. BUZZ AND ACCLAIM: I Love Boosters was the opening film at this year’s SXSW Festival and premiered to rave reviews! It is currently earning a tremendous 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes where critics call it, “an unexpected celebration of friendship, community, and solidarity.” Others call the film “an exercise in radical empathy,” a “masterful” and “optimistic” film designed to “provoke discussion” while making the audience laugh. TRAILER: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4lPRISgr9c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4lPRISgr9c) SUMMER OF ICE CREAM: GRAETER’S! Established way back in 1870 in Cincinnati, this historic, family-owned brand is famous for their delicious small batch ice cream and any chocolate chunk flavors! They are currently the only commercial ice cream maker using the French Pot method that they’ve been using since they first opened! Plus, those chocolate chunks, oh my goodness! Vegan options are available. PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing and will meet in the lobby area about 20 minutes before the show. Advance ticket purchase not required for this theater but Showtime and complete details will be confirmed/announced as the date gets closer. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan