by W Bro Philip Marshall

Those intrepid travellers of Forest Lodge No 1852 have been back on the road again. With R W Bro Stewart Hill soaking up the rays in Cyprus, the mice shot off to drink from the cup of culture with a long weekend in very sunny Stratford-upon-Avon.

Under the watchful eye of the Worshipful Master, W Bro Bill Bennett and his wife Sue, a total of 16 brethren, wives and family took up residence at the 500 year old White Swan Hotel. The Friday evening started off with an informal cocktail party to celebrate W Bro Philip Marshall’s birthday and he seemed genuinely surprised when no-one believed he was 39 again! This was followed by the whole group descending on a nearby Indian restaurant where all were well fed and watered. There was no doubt that the waiters were more than a little bemused by the several rounds of “Mr and Mrs” which followed an excellent meal.

Saturday saw most of the party descend on the RSC’s temporary home for a matinee performance of As You Like It, a play with a plot which is as complex as some of the north Notts Lodges’ Installation ceremonies. There was an unexpected bonus when 3 of the brethren had their marital knots re-tied in medieval style.

Saturday evening began with the now traditional No 1852 cocktail party before a black tie dinner. Whilst not wishing to comment on the group’s capacity to consume alcohol, the point has to be made that the hotel’s entire supply of what was a decent Rioja was exhausted.

After what for some inexplicable reason (see preceding paragraph) was a relatively slow start to the Sunday, the day seemed to be spent in a quest by the Lodge to tackle the recession head on through visits to the town’s ladies wear shops.

Watch this space for the next instalment!

Enclosed Photograph - “All the world’s a stage” and Forest Lodge are on it!