Not so much chat

And his alter-ego, the mysterious Bentley...

And Mick, Berdie and we did have Frank for quite a long time!

And what happened to Pete'

You'd be surprised what happens on here!

Didn't know I'd a undergone a sex change!

Feetle you do indeed plough a lonely furrow! Along with papaoscar I think you are the only 2 men on this forum.More would be nice, for balance.

I think I joined in either May or June 2011, after being inveigled into it by Marelli, so I`m a bit of an old hand now.

I've just met Ariadne who popped into see me on their way back from an (almost) foreign country.
It was lovely to put the person to the name.
Her husband is lovely as well I'm

I have been here from the very beginning

I was one of the people who thought meetups would spoil things - I don't think they have. I've been to two rather low key East Mids ones but I don't feel excluded.

I think there is probably a sense of familiarity from those of us who have been on here for a while, that's natural! But, I also think we are quite welcoming. I do feel slightly offended when 'new' people come on and complain about regular posters but then, it turns out, they are not new after all and are just continuing where they left off. I am more than slightly offended when that happens!

For the most part we are a great bunch and I'm sure things will pick up again as soon as the weather turns and C*******s looms large. My lot are making plans for the Street Fair so it can't be too far away,

I'm another comparatively recent joiner - only a bit over a year - and certainly to begin with I felt a bit of an outsider because many people obviously knew each other. I'm not sure if it is quieter than before, but there are some really lovely, supportive GNers, and some fun, give-and-take, fast moving threads at times. For personal reasons, I hate the sarky, 'you're a fool, what do you know?' kind of posts, and just cut and run whenever one or two posters come on. I think the answer is, post more yourself, whitewave and keep things moving!

I first posted in Feb 12. I can't believe it's been so long. I don't really think there are cliques as such. People who post a lot get to know each other virtually if not in the flesh, and probably have more to say to them , as in any community. Some of us , I am aware, are more sensitive and introspective than others, and that's OUR problem, not GN.

I joined in the first few weeks and remember well the members who welcomed me: numberplease, notsogrand and glassortwo. I immediately felt very much at home.

Ooh Galen - looks like we are acquiring senior status

November 11 me!

I have been a member since August 2011 (blimey - how time flies) and my contributions are sporadic, depending on what else is going on in my life, so I tend to dip in and out of GN, although I will often read the threads even if I have nothing to contribute. The accusation of cliques is not new and I think is generally without foundation, although of course there are people who hold similar views. Members come and go on GN, as on any forum. I sometimes ask myself I wonder what happened to so and so but new people come along and so the ball keeps rolling. There is inevitably some degree of repetition in the threads as new members raise topics that may have been discussed at length before their time, but so what? So I don't think there is generally less chat, but that GN goes in cycles, some quieter than others.

I agree with you Elegran and I personally have never noticed cliques. There is familiarity with those of us who have been GNs from the early days. Could this then be misinterpreted as "cliquey"? I don't know - just trying to see why some posters clearly feel that there are cliques.

To anyone feeling left out I would say "get posting" - you are sure to get a response. There is no reason to stand back and feel as if you don't count because we all have the same value on here. There is no hierarchy!

Gagagran It probably does seem so now, when there are lots of people who have met in the flesh and therefore do know one another better than those who haven't, but some people were talking about cliques before that. In fact, there was opposition at first to posters even meeting socially, because others could not. Some did not want to change the situation where no-one knew what anyone else was really like, just keeping the online impression.

I don't think that there are really cliques on here. There are posters who have met and become real friends and meet outside the forum. The Scottish Grans are an example. When we meet, we are old friends. But we are not excluding anyone else.

I think it is those who easily feel left out who think there are cliques, because as far as I am concerned, a clique is made up of people who do just that - deliberately keep out those from another group. a bit like racism, I suppose.

Thanks glass I agree totally nice to see you,I've been busy and missed you.

My Mum used to tell us when we were very young and sighed that, "every time you sigh, you make an angel cry". Not sure where she got that from or if she made it up but I've never forgotten it!

I wonder if the impression of cliques comes from GNs who have been to meet-ups and therefore do know each other better than those of us who lurk on here but haven't yet met?

(sigh) Good thing we make our blood ourselves then, isn't it!

I was told that every time you sigh you lose a drop of blood, not sure where from, but that is what I was told!

I'd better stop writing now, or I'll be followed round by jingle's sighs.

Jingles sighs carry an awful lot of weight