Tuesday evening BBQ, croquet and petanque...

Although the sun seemed to have abandoned us we had a great evening with good food a little to drink and some games.  Some of our members are getting quite good with mallet and metallique boule.

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Nothing outrageous, just a bunch of people having a good time.  We even had bean burgers, yum.  The recipe for bean burgers is available from Jayne.  

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What's this all about? SOUPE AU PISTOU - Saturday 15th August 2015 12noon until 7.00pm-ish.

In the Provençal dialect, pistou means "pounded".

The sauce is derived from the Genoese pesto, which is traditionally made of garlic, basil, pine nuts, grated Sardinian Pecorino, and olive oil, crushed and mixed together with a pestle and mortar. The key difference between pistou and pesto is the absence of pine nuts in pistou.

Soupe au Pistou

Pistou is a typical condiment from the Provence region of France most often associated with the Provençal dish soupe au pistou, which resembles minestrone and may include white beans, green beans, tomatoes, summer squash, potatoes, and pasta. The pistou is incorporated into the soup just before serving.

Gruyere cheese is used in Nice. Some regions substitute Parmesan Cheese. Whatever cheese is used, it is preferred that it not be a "stringy" cheese, so that when it melts in a hot liquid (like in the pistou soup, for instance), it does not melt into long strands.

So, once this vegetable soup is made the addition of a spoonful of pistou [pesto] gives it a good kick up the rear, that certain ooomph often lacking in purely vegetable soups.

In the part of France we tend to visit, near Montelimar in the Drome department, right down through Northern Provence villages have a day in August when they all put to and have a communal meal, generally in the village square.  This meal typically consists of [vegetarians look away for the next word] charcuterie, olives, soup au pistou, desert and cheese course.  This is washed down with Cotes du Rhone or something very similar and, of course, some decent coffee.

The plan is for us to emulate this French tradition right here in our very own secret garden.  As this is very much an experimental project tickets will have to be strictly limited to around forty adults.  Children are very welcome although they may have to be catered for by their parents as the grown up meal may not be to their taste.  

In the traditional method the soup itself is made by a band of crones which in our case will have to be WAGs from the tennis club.  They chop, slice and shell various veggies and boil the bejesus out of them in large saucepans.  Meanwhile the men check out the wine and, perhaps, the odd beer.

The whole thing depends upon a decent weather day.  So long as the sun shines all will be well, honest. 

Stonehouse tennis club on a fine August afternoon in 2015

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If you are having a go at this you will need:-

• a soup bowl
• knife, fork and spoon
• a glass
• bottle of wine [my personal preference would be a Cotes du Rhone Villages]

We do not intend charging for children as it is felt that most of them will not eat this sort of stuff.  We suggest you bring a sandwich or something the children will like and we hope to set up a pique-nique especially for them.

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 We are hoping to have some Fun and games from around 2.00pm and sit down for the serious stuff around 4.00pm.  Who knows when it will all end ?  I guarantee there will be lots of sitting around chatting and putting the world right.

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Tickets will be £10 per adult and they are strictly limited as we can only cater for a about forty people at this stage..

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à tout à l'heure !

adl...  

Summer Fête 2015

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN

" Sometimes The Gods can be kind.

Had the date of our summer fete slipped by just twenty-four hours, the whole event would have been a drizzly, windy wash-out. As it was, your club with those stunning views at the end of the road basked in warm sunshine and a light breeze. Thanks to a lot of generous people, we bettered the day to the tune of twelve hundred pounds profit after expenses. Which, as the man said, ain’t hay.

None of which, of course, happened by accident. Though the sunshine helped, our annual summer fete was eased on its way by dozens of willing volunteers : stalls littered both lawns, pergolas do whatever it is pergolas do,  and long trestle tables creaked and groaned beneath an unusual weight of pizzas and pasties [thanks Carol and Royston], cream teas and sticky cakes, strawberries and cream: at least one overweight seagull had trouble taking off. Serves it right.

The seagulls remain but the cakes and the stalls are gone now. What is left is a kaleidoscopic memory of happy faces and friendly strangers; of small children on big toys, of stalls run for nothing but giving plenty; of frenzied, tipsy-turvy horse-racing that left everyone a winner, of friendship and laughter and short tennis and long tennis and raffles and story-tents and tombola and bric-a-brac and things paid for and change declined and...well... a lot of the good things that make Stonehouse such a special place to live. So time perhaps, to call the roll and thank some of those who made our summer fete 2015 such a success. And helped put that £ 1,200 in club coffers.

Our thanks to:-

Yo Wood and St. Paul’s church for the generous loan of tables; Pierre’s and River Cottage at RWY  – for generous prize donations;  Roo and Flo Bell and Dr.Olivia Mantoura for their swift and gentle support of  our three small road traffic casualties when  their mother’s car came to an involuntary halt outside the club; Maggs’ Angels:  Maggs Bell - Celia, Amanda, L, Amanda P-J, Eila Godhahn, Wendy Rees and Rose Harman:  For teas and cakes and endless washing up and smiling all the while; Jean Woolridge: For nifty cut-price footwork; Paul and Amanda Lettington for generous help and loan of a gazebo; Sue Harley and Rose Smale for Tombola help; Hilarie Medler,  who spun stories of magic  on the lower lawn; Roo Bell for the Pirates’ Treasure Hunt - and lots of sweeties. Arrrrgh ! Harry V for the prize-winning (for some !) Tombola; Richard Crocker for wall-to-wall hilarity and tumbling odds on the steeplechase; Maggs Bell (again!) and Sue Chaney, our bake-off judges; ( Sue also baked 100 scones ! ) Chicken-chucker Nicholas Dvorznikovski and and Barry Edmunds, Ron Smith, Mark O’Loughlin, John Harman and finally – to you !  For reading this far.

Thanks everyone including a special thank you to Margy for putting up with me and doing more than her share on the bric-a-brac !"

                                                        Tom Keene                                                       Chairman, SLTC

COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP

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 MANNING THE GATE

 CATCHING UP ON THE CHAT

 EVERYONE A WINNER

 NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

 CREAM TEAS

 CAR RALLYING

 CHATTING AND ENJOYING THE DAY

 TENNIS FOR ALL AGES

 TOMBOLA

 PIZZA EATING CONTEST

 REFLEXOLOGY

 BREAD JUDGING

 FOLK SINGING - MAKING THE MOST OF MARY

CROWDS OF HAPPY PEOPLE ENJOYING THEIR DAY

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Countdown to Stonehouse Lawn Tennis Club's Summer Fête 2015

All the planning and preparations are coming together now. Throughout Stonehouse and beyond bric-a-brac is being gathered and last years raffle prizes are getting yet another airing.  THE day is almost upon us.  Twenty four hours from now the queue to get in will be backed up to the RWY via Devils Point and yet all the attendees will be well behaved and jocular.  The day of the year has, at last, arrived.

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 the queue as of this morning

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the A38 is already looking a bit dodgy, must be the bridge repairs

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Not forgetting the bread makers planning their fabulous focaccia, magnificent muffuletta not to mention brilliant brioche, immortalised by Marie Antoinette's urban legend, 'Qu'ils mangent de la brioche', works for me Marie !

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A good time will be had by all as there are some terrific stalls with lots of things to buy, lots of things to do and loads of free things as well.  Make a wish or a profound statement at the 'Wish Tree' who knows the tree might just look kindly upon you.  The perfect afternoon out for families and friends indeed anyone and everyone.  12 noon until 4.00pm. See you there!

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Tennis coaching for Children.

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Please pass this around to any family or friends you think may be interested in this exciting project.  As can be seen during the present Wimbledon England needs some new talent, why shouldn't it come from Stonehouse ?

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adl...

The Staff of Life - this is manna from heaven for some people

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DUE TO OVERWHELMING PUBLIC DEMAND !!!

We are adding a last-minute Bread-Making Contest to Saturday’s scrummy Summer Fete at the Club grounds , just a scone’s throw from The Sound.

Entries to the main marquee by 2pm; Judging will take place by 3pm.

Eye-watering prizes to be won !

So – can you rise to the occasion ?

See you there. At the marquee. Saturday, 2pm.

[Further information distributed strictly on a knead to know basis]

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'it's not just about the tennis'

TK...

Allons-nous jouer à la pétanque ?

Because now we can get to grips with heavy metal balls, a glass of pastis and a pack of Gauloises.  Yes, today the 'piste' was finally put into place by a group of worker bees who did a splendid job.   I suggest you get down there and not only marvel at the hard work and artistry that has gone into this new club asset but have a go while the sun is out.  I guarantee that you will be instantly transported to somewhere in Provence.   It is as if we have an old Police Call Box in the corner of our secret garden.  

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 NB: the nosey neighbour looking over the gate!

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A good effort by all concerned

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Rules for playing petanque...

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adl...

Tennis coaching for adults...

Have you heard that the adult tennis coaching has started.  Last Wednesday in fact and what an enthusiastic and super keen bunch they are.  I went last night to get a few pictures of them doing their respective thing and I admit I had to have a lie down.  What a great time they were having and as someone remarked to me, 'They all look as though they are thoroughly enjoying themselves'.  They sure did.

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 F and H, the organisers, keeping an eye on proceedings

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a final pep talk from the trainers before the doubles matches

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As you can see there is plenty of action and as well as learning a few strokes they are also keeping fit.  Double wammy [a tennis term]. And a beautiful evening thrown in at no extra charge.  Game, set and match methinks. 

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By the way, there is a great SUMMER FETE in the above pictured grounds on SATURDAY 11th July between 12noon and 4.00pm.  A great family day out.

adl...

Forget ye not.....

A glorious day has been ordered for Saturday 11th July for the you-know-what-you-know-where.  Be there or be square!

Tennis club lottery-win loadsa money!

Can you afford not to be in it ?  Better odds than the national lottery and only £1 a week.  The Draw is made quarterly with generous cash prizes.
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the small print
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The Stonehouse Lawn Tennis Club Lottery
Lottery Objectives, Method and Rules
Objectives
To raise funds on a regular basis that will go towards improvements to the Club's amenities.
Targets for improvements to the Club’s amenities will be published at each AGM or as required with progress reports to members.

Method of Operation
A maximum of 200 shares will be issued.
A waiting list will be maintained on a first come first served basis for allocation of shares once the Lottery has become fully subscribed.
Shares are not transferable, but are cancelled if payments fall into arrears as follows: if full payment fails to appear in the Club account by the due date, one notification will be sent to the shareholder to advise him/her. If two consecutive complete payments are missed then the corresponding share holding(s) will be cancelled.

Any UK current bank account holder may apply to buy shares. There is no need to be a member of The Stonehouse Lawn Tennis Club in order to buy shares in this Lottery.
Individual holdings are limited to ten shares, and no more than twenty shares at one address.
An application may be made on behalf of another person, but prize money will be sent to the person and account or address detailed on the application form.

On receipt of the accepted application and the first quarterly payment in full for the number of shares applied for, a successful applicant will be given a share certificate showing how many shares he/she holds and the unique number of each share which will be the number on the token entered in the draw. No token for any unsold share will be entered in the draw. A token number will be randomly assigned to each share; subscribers cannot specify their token number(s), and the same token number will stay with the share throughout the life of this Lottery.
Share subscription payments to be made via one of the following options:
Standing order, internet bank payment or, exceptionally, by cheque. Cash payments will not be accepted.

Draws will take place four times per year after the end of each quarter at a time and place to be notified at least one week in advance, by email to those who have provided email addresses on their application form, and on the notice board in the Club House.
Quarters will be 1st January to 31st March, 1st April to 30th June, 1st July to 30th September and 1st October to 31st December, all inclusive.

The draw will be by way of "blind" manual selection from a receptacle in which all tokens are hidden from view, made by an independent party in the presence of committee members and any shareholders who care to attend. The names of witnesses present will be recorded. There will be one token per share sold entered in the draw and all tokens will be similar in shape, size and weight and their number will not be ‘readable’ by touch.

• Each shareholder will receive a copy of the rules, normally with the application form.
• There will be 3 prizes per draw, one of £500 and two of £250, provided that all 200 shares have been sold. Prizes will be scaled down pro rata if fewer than 200 valid shares are in existence at any one draw.
• No share may win more than one prize per draw.
• Prizes will be paid to the named shareholder by cheque as detailed on the application form, within seven days of the draw if at all practicable. (cash payments will only be paid on special request and may incur a charge).
• Winners will be notified individually.
• Results of each draw will be sent to all participants who have supplied an email address, on the website and will also be displayed on the notice board in the Club House.
• In the event of the death of a fully paid up winning shareholder, his /her winnings will be paid to his/her estate, or to his/her executors upon validated request. It is the responsibility of the executors to advise the SLTC committee.
Rules:
1. Cost of a share: £1.00 per week, payable as £13 per share, once per quarter, no later than two weeks before the end of the quarter, until further notice.
2. The draw to take place in a publicly accessible place in front of witnesses. the numbers will be drawn by a person thought fit by the Club committee and who is not a shareholder in the Lottery.
3. Any share not fully paid up two weeks before the end of the quarter will be disqualified from the draw at the end of that quarter. If more than one share is held by a person and there is a shortfall in the payment for the total number of shares held, then any payment received will be set against the lowest numbered share(s) held which are covered by payments made, and any shortfall will cause higher numbered share(s) to be disqualified. Payments two quarters in arrears will cause corresponding share holdings to be cancelled.
4. Once a share is cancelled, it will immediately be offered to the waiting list. The former shareholder, if he or she wished to rejoin the Lottery, would have to go to the current end of the waiting list.
5. No money once paid to the SLTC for shares in this Lottery will be refundable.
6. In the event of any dispute, the decision of a majority of the SLTC committee is final. In the event of a tied vote, the Chair will have the casting vote.

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Stonehouse Lawn Tennis Club, Secretary, Mrs Marilyn Lean, 154 Durnford Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth PL1 3QR, Tel: 01752 213038 email: stennisclub14@gmail.com Regulated by Plymouth City Council Licence.

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So, there you have it, 'GORRA BE INIT TO WINIT' and every little helps the club get new kit and tools for looking after the grounds.  Good Luck.

PS. Don't forget the SUMMER FETE 12noon to 4.00pm SATURDAY 11th JULY!

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