11 October 2011 - Dow, Fonseca, Graham and Taylor

[RAYC]

I am currently tasked with printing placemats and the constructing four original decanter labels

I am now making the required forty-eight decanter labels. (Four?!)

Obviously(...) i meant four for each flight!

I had proposed to print the 2 rounds of "masking" decanter labels on paper/card thick enough to disguise what was underneath, but had thought business cards might be overkill...(though the stapler would cope). If you are taking this task on, I will not be complaining!

[jdaw1]

Most recent draft of placemats.

Blinding: The Plan

1. Four decanters are wrapped in tin foil, so that fewer of those involved in decanting see the colour, and those that do see it less clearly.

2. They are labelled with preprepared decanter labels on strings:
”‚ ”‚ ”‚
(In case needed for bottles, these are also available as sticky labels.)

3. Yummy juice goes into the decanters via the usual means.

4. Alone, nobody else watching, somebody who didn’t do the decanting then shuffles the decanters, and staples over these labels four further labels:
”‚ ”‚ ”‚

5. Again alone, another somebody, different to all the previous somebodies, then re-shuffles, and staples over these four further labels:
”‚ ”‚ ”‚

Decant the four 1977s into decanters labeled 77 Shipper. Somebody overstaples with the 77s. Somebody else overstaples with m77, n77, o77, p77. Twelve labels for each of four vintages is forty-eight total: made, sorted, boxed.

[jdaw1]

One quarter of the set:

[RAYC]

One quarter of the set:

An admirably selfless use of your last weekend prior to recommencing the grind.

[jdaw1]

Somebody visited his cellar:

A selection of these will be delivered to the RAF club on Monday evening. Please remind me: into whose care should they be placed?

[jdaw1]

For those not involved in set-up, at what time will drinking start? Rephrased, when do I need to be there?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Now that's a photo from a man who looks to have returned from a port desert - the comfort blanket is back!

Festivities start at 7pm sharp, try to be there after 6:30pm and before 7pm.

PM sent on what to do with your bottles.

[jdaw1]

Apparently a recent posting was ambiguous. I visited Sussex and retrieved six bottles. Four of these are for Tuesday. Two are for subsequent use, chez moi, on a day on which I deserve them. They will not be brought as extras to Tuesday’s event.

[RAYC]

Placemats printed.

Last opportunity for further changes (if i am to print) will be tomorrow by 9.00 pm.

Obviously, though, i don't have the .ps file so couldn't amend myself.

[jdaw1]

Placemats printed.

Which has given rise to a question in the software thread.

Obviously, though, i don't have the .ps file so couldn't amend myself.

I do, and can amend now, and will be able to amend again just shy of the deadline. Requesting soon would help.

[Andy Velebil]

Placemats printed.

Last opportunity for further changes (if i am to print) will be tomorrow by 9.00 pm.

Obviously, though, i don't have the .ps file so couldn't amend myself.

If you could add one more blank sheet of all, it would be appreciated. There may be a very special guest joining us. AHB has been consulted already, but we prefer not to announce who in case it doesn't happen.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Placemats printed.

Last opportunity for further changes (if i am to print) will be tomorrow by 9.00 pm.

Obviously, though, i don't have the .ps file so couldn't amend myself.

If you could add one more blank sheet of all, it would be appreciated. There may be a very special guest joining us. AHB has been consulted already, but we prefer not to announce who in case it doesn't happen.

Actually, it wouldn't be a guest as Cynthia is our guest and will be there to tell us all about the wines and the harvests. However, there was a last minute enquiry from a fellow port lover who pleaded that he had been rather busy over the last few weeks and hadn't noticed that there was a spare place until a few days ago and asked whether it might be possible to squeeze an extra seat around the table. Normally I would politely decline, but on this occasion I decided to make an exception if the late addition is able to make it.

More will be confirmed on the night, if necessary.

[jdaw1]

Most recent draft of placemats.

• There was (there always is) a blank name, but, as requested, now there are two.

(Andy knows about this plot. So it isn’t the Prime Minister, nor the entertaining Boris Johnson. A mystery!)

[DRT]

Most recent draft of placemats.

• There was (there always is) a blank name, but, as requested, now there are two.

(Andy knows about this plot. So it isn’t the Prime Minister, nor the entertaining Boris Johnson. A mystery!)

Does this mean there are 16 mouths to feed?

[RAYC]

Might we need another tray of glasses as well if there are 1 (or 2?) extra attendees?

[PhilW]

What time would it be useful for me to be at the venue to help with preparations? At the moment I'm assuming to be there by 2pm but can adjust as needed. Also if there is anything it would be helpful for me to bring, please let me know. Looking forward to it.

Phil.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Most recent draft of placemats.

• There was (there always is) a blank name, but, as requested, now there are two.

(Andy knows about this plot. So it isn’t the Prime Minister, nor the entertaining Boris Johnson. A mystery!)

Does this mean there are 16 mouths to feed?

No, it doesn't. Julian is simply pointing out that there is always a spare set of placemats included as standard in a placemat pack.

Since there has been a spare requested and added to the pack, there is now a spare spare placesetting. We will only need to use one spare place setting if our last minute addition is able to join us.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Might we need another tray of glasses as well if there are 1 (or 2?) extra attendees?

No - if there is one extra attendee we will still have enough glasses as glasses had to be ordered in trays of 36.

[Alex Bridgeman]

What time would it be useful for me to be at the venue to help with preparations? At the moment I'm assuming to be there by 2pm but can adjust as needed. Also if there is anything it would be helpful for me to bring, please let me know. Looking forward to it.

Phil.

I'll send you an email.

[jdaw1]

My Graham’s bottle bag is now on Sue’s desk. It contains the four bottles promised by me, and a plastic box over-filled with decanter labels.

Please return to me the Graham’s bottle bag and the plastic box.

[jdaw1]

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1963: Graham, Dow, Fonseca, Taylor;
• 1966: Graham, Dow, Fonseca, Taylor;
• 1970: Graham, Dow, Fonseca, Taylor;
• 1977: Graham, Dow, Fonseca, Taylor;
• Planning and arrangements;
• Placemats;
• Software changes requested.