Welcome to Genesis Sci-fi Club

Good afternoon, and welcome back to Genesis, for the first time in Olympic Year! I hope you all enjoyed Christmas, and the really good news is now that Christmas is over, it's now just a straight run to the cricket season....

Thank you to all who attended the Christmas Meal on 29th December, a nice meal and a pleasant afternoon of chat ensued at Longbridge Mill, no doubt we'll be back again at the end of 2012.

Last month's timetable was decided by Committee....sorry, by the Committee, although I was also right the first time, with inevitable technical troubles sponsored by The Silents (which is a really bad joke so it's just as well you will now inevitably forget that The...erm...what was I talking about?)  The only other thing I can say is that Janet and John Will Return.  I can't guarantee it will be to here, but they will return.

A couple of forthcoming theatre productions have caught the eye, which we will be going to.  Firstly, at the end of this month, at the Progress Theatre in Reading there is an amateur production of the Neil Gaiman urban fantasy tale Neverwhere.  We are planning to go and see this on Friday 27th January, the cost is £10 per ticket and with a bit of luck the details may now be on the website, or somewhere around the front desk today.

A bit further ahead, we will be off to the Corsham Sci-Fi Family Fun Day again at the end of April, where this year they have managed to scoop none other than the Sixth Doctor himself, Colin Baker (minus the Coat of Many Colours, we hope), as one of the guests, along with John Levine (Sergeant Benton in classic Doctor Who alongside the late Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney), and comic artist Mike Collins.  If you want to check out some more details please visit their website at www.corshamscifi.co.uk. And slightly further into the future, on 14th June, The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show – Live! is coming to The Anvil in Basingstoke.  This features , the original cast, led by Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, and according to the blurb on The Anvil's website is “packed with laughter, robots, really wild sound effects and drinks with extremely silly names”.  Tickets are a bit pricey, £25 each, and we are thinking of doing this as a group booking, but to do that we are going to need money for tickets in advance.  Please can you therefore, if you want to go, put your name down on the list at the front desk today and pay your ticket money to a member of the Committee either today, or at the next meeting in February.  I should also mention that this falls on a pub meeting date, so we won't be having a pub meeting in June as a result.

Please don't forget that next month is the AGM, and your membership renewals will be due also. So be sure to be at next month's meeting if you want to have your say in what happens in the coming year.

Lastly, this month Louise is charge of the timetable, which contains various examples of other genres crossing over into science fiction, and a film which re-tells a an Eastern European fairytale.

That's all from me, enjoy the meeting.  

At The Swan in Sherbourne St John, 7:30pm till 11:00pm as usual. (map)

Later Thursday meetings:
23rd February, 22nd March, 19th April, 17th May, 14th June, 12th July, 9th August, 6th September, 4th October, 1st November, 29th November, 27th December

At The White Hart Inn in Basingstoke, 3:30pm till 9:30pm as usual. (map). We meet in the function room upstairs, which can be accessed by the outside stairs at the back.

Later Sunday meetings:
4th March, 1st April, 29th April, 27th May, 24th June, 22nd July, 19th August, 16th September, 14th October, 11th November, 9th December

At the Anvil, Basingstoke, 7:45pm. You know it, you love it and don't forget it started as a radio series. Contact Jeremy soon before this sells out or email info@genesis-sf.org.uk.

Visit a LOTNA meeting and maybe go to the IMAX cinema first. Nothing finalised at this stage.

The treasure hunt is back with an Olympic theme. Bring a digital camera or camera 'phone. Starts at 12:00pm then meet at the Toby Carvery at 7:00pm with your pictures. More details nearer the time.