Glad to see the back of you

North-east grannies are meeting up next Thursday and I intend to consult my advisor (aka glassortwo) to make some sort of decision. (We shan't be dancing, colliding and shoving nails up nostrils.) I have a note of the dates various grannies can manage (Marelli you are okay for the 21, 2, 23 April according to my chart). Any grannies who would like to come and haven't mentioned when they would be able to, would they like to consider the weekend of 20–21 April (hot favourite right now) or possibly the Monday of 22 April. Bags are you paying attention?

By the way and for the record, this is my invitation and my treat.

Weekends are tricky for me.

I am OK for that weekend. Can I come please?

I am paying attention. Can't do more than that at the moment but I have this thread marked!

Elegran Yes please. Both days of the weekend?

Sorry Bags. I don't mean to bully. It's just that I would love to see you at the GTSTBOY lunch.

I think one or the other, absent Have you fixed on a day yet?

No prob, absent. I'd love to come! . There has been talk of a special centenary scout camp that weekend that I'd probably need to be at if it happens, but Monday might be poss. Hope so.

Fingers crossed you can still make it.

And toes.

Best days for me currently are any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

I like my new title absent

Blimey glass you are now officially the Absent Advisor ! RESPECT

Bump.
Any idea of dates yet? I go to Oz on Wednesday and it would be good to book travel for Darlington before I leave!!

Gally I'll have a quick check on the dates various people have said later today and see if I can make up my mind. I shall probably need to ask glass's advice, too. It looks increasingly like the weekend to ensure that the maximum number of friends can come.

That would be good, absent, if you could decide on a date, because I think Gally, Elegran and I will be travelling down together. We can organise our tickets together before Gally leaves on Wednesday.

it would be good to have a date, for train ticket purchase and for me to see if I can tie it in with visit to school pal in York!

It seems to me that Saturday 20 April is the day that suits most people so that's the one I am going for. According to my list the "definites" for that day at the moment are Gally, moomin, Marelli, baubles, glass, gillybob, harrigran and Elegran. I hope some other friends will also be able to join us. I haven't yet booked anywhere but when I do, it will still remain flexible enough to include more guests. Indeed, the more the merrier.

I'll be in Perth WA by then. Hope you will carry on posting after your move absent

JessM I intend to but I haven't got round to checking with GNHQ about quite how I can do so from absentdaughter's computer but without an e-mail address of my own for 12 weeks. (Maybe she can put me on her machine?) And whether I can keep being absent then and when I do set up my own computer and e-mail account again. It's on my gargantuan list of THINGS TO DO FOR THE GREAT UPHEAVAL. Maniacal emoticon

absent I thought you would have your email where ever you are, I can access my email from any computer by signing in, but I talk out of my hat most of the time so ignore me if its rubbish

I suppose if its tied up to a broadband account you would have a problem, see talking myself into something and out again in a blink of an eye

glass My ISP is BT Internet – they don't operate in New Zealand and I shan't have a British base to operate from remotely. I shall be closing my BT phone and internet account when I leave the country. When I just visited NZ, of course it was no problem. Also, I shall not have access to my own computer for 12 weeks – the time it takes for all my goods to be shipped over there. I don't especially want to buy a laptop or some other substitute given that I am spending ridiculous amounts of dosh just getting to NZ in the first place. The cats alone are costing nearly £4,000 in air fare (plus over £1,000 for the cattery here, plus whatever the brief quarantine period in New Zealand costs.) I think Mr absent and I will have to be packed in crates and travel as freight.

You could open a hotmail account and get GNHQ to transfer your account to it before you leave. I'm pretty sure you can use hotmail anywhere in the world.

Absent you don't need 'a British base to operate from'.

All you need is access to a PC, laptop, etc.

Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo is available worldwide, as is Gransnet!

Hotmail or Yahoo were going to be my next Suggestion, Forgot you Are Bt. Ha ha we wont let you off posting we will find a way