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I would like to propose Thursday 19th December 2013 as the date for the 8th Annual TPF Christmas Offline, with a theme of "The Unknown Shipper and His Peculiar Friends". Subject to Tom being happy to organise the venue (The Bell) and the food (big steaks), I suggest the same arrangements as usual.

A reminder that space around the table is tight at the Bell. It is most comfortable with no more than 10 attending so places will be limited and we will run a reserve list, if needed.

CONFIRMED ATTENDING

1. Uncle Tom;
2. AHB;
3. RLC;
4. RAYC;
5. CMAG;
6. JDAW;
7. PW;
8. MDJ;
9. AP;
10. WS.

RESERVES

1. CMAG's +1 (who is a member of TPF)
2. CSD

If you require accommodation, the Saffron Hotel is a convenient place to stay and will see many of us there that night.

yes please

CMAG is in

JDAW please.

[original post edited]

In my haste to announce my desire to attend, I failed to realise (in time) that the event is not in London. Hence, i hereby withdraw my application for a seat at the table.

PW is in, please.

Yes please!

Please may I make a provisional 'booking'.

Wow we are early this year! I would like to come if there is still space!

regards

WS1

Wow, very early,

please get me in if possible.

Axel

I forgot to ask. Reserve list please..?

1. I know what I will be bringing. Should I reveal?

2. Every year I find myself searching for this thread with ⌘F Bell, so please could the name of the thread include the words ‟The Bell”?

Don't know if the date works, but can I get on the list as a placeholder?

Thanks, money.

jdaw1 wrote:1. I know what I will be bringing. Should I reveal?

It is not usual to do so.

jdaw1 wrote:1. I know what I will be bringing. Should I reveal?

2. Every year I find myself searching for this thread with ⌘F Bell, so please could the name of the thread include the words ‟The Bell”?

1. I will be bringing an unknown port. I have revealed.
2. Done

Chris Doty wrote:Don't know if the date works, but can I get on the list as a placeholder?

Thanks, money.

You can have a reserve, but there are 3 people ahead of you so don't make any firm flight bookings just for this tasting!

I am very pleased to announce that The Bell has reopened.

New faces, but business as usual, booking confirmed, 14oz fillet steaks ordered.

uncle tom wrote:I am very pleased to announce that The Bell has reopened.
New faces, but business as usual, booking confirmed, 14oz fillet steaks ordered.

Excellent; nice one Tom.

Perfect, Tom, thanks for the info.

Much looking forward to this.

Axel

Can you please add me to the wait list...thank you.

Cookie wrote:Can you please add me to the wait list...thank you.

Done.

JDAW - would you mind creating some Bell Tasting stickers? I can then print a few days before the event.

AHB wrote:JDAW - would you mind creating some Bell Tasting stickers? I can then print a few days before the event.

First draft of the paperwork.
(In following diagram lilac is edge of label, green is boundary of writing zone; neither of these colours will print.)

Gentlemen,

It is with great sadness that I have to announce that I will be unable to join you at The Bell as I will be confined to barracks following knee surgery.

I believe this results in CMAG's +1 being promoted from the reserves but can the organiser please confirm this to CMAG.

I hope you have a wonderful evening and look forward to sharing more port with you all in the new year.

DRT

Vulture-like, I am circling.
Derek, good luck with your knee. Rest and have a very good Xmas.
In the meantime, if CMAG's +1 can't make it, I believe the MDJ listed next is actually me. It would be a long shot at this stage; but not entirely impossible. But I presume CMAG's +1 will jump at the chance.

Derek
Very sorry to hear that.
Daniel assuming you can make it please switch above my CMAG+1 but keep mine then top of the reserves.
You have been a key person on the site this year and you should attend.

Thanks

I'm very flattered. I'll check flights (etc) in the morning and confirm whether I can attend.

Flights booked. Saffron Hotel booked. See you all the 19th.

Derek, this is sad news.

I sincerely do hope that everything will be allright. Be assured that I will toast the WotN to your health.

Hope to see you soon in good condition.

Axel

Axel P wrote:Hope to see you soon in good condition.

Thanks, Axel. I am sure the knee op will go fine but I'm sorry to say that after nearly five decades I, like most vintage ports, am unlikely to see an improvement in my general condition with more age

DRT wrote:

Axel P wrote:Hope to see you soon in good condition.

Thanks, Axel. I am sure the knee op will go fine but I'm sorry to say that after nearly five decades I, like most vintage ports, am unlikely to see an improvement in my general condition with more age

Not at all. Now that your knees are being racked into new barrels, they'll have years ahead of them.

DRT wrote:Thanks, Axel. I am sure the knee op will go fine but I'm sorry to say that after nearly five decades I, like most vintage ports, am unlikely to see an improvement in my general condition with more age

This is for sure, Derek, but like all of us, the only thing we can do is trying to stop the downhill path a bit in speed since we are all past our prime.

All best

Axel

Thanks, Axel. I am sure the knee op will go fine but I'm sorry to say that after nearly five decades I, like most vintage ports, am unlikely to see an improvement in my general condition with more age

Have you considered arresting or slowing down the maturation process by living somewhere cooler, a fridge or Scandinavia perhaps?

Hope the op goes well and that you are back on your feet soon!

Magnus

edited to show Derek's text as a quote

DRT wrote:It is with great sadness that I have to announce that I will be unable to join you at The Bell as I will be confined to barracks following knee surgery.

Am sorry to hear that, especially since you also missed last year's event. Hopefully you will be making up for it in the new year; in the meantime I hope the surgery goes smoothly,and take care of yourself.

Sorry to hear that - from memory you don't seem to have much luck with the Christmas tasting (even when you do attend!).

AHB wrote: JDAW - would you mind creating some Bell Tasting stickers? I can then print a few days before the event.

I have loads of sticker sheets left-over from printing last year....if you don't, i can either send to you or print myself if helpful?

jdaw1 wrote:First draft of the paperwork.(In following diagram lilac is edge of label, green is boundary of writing zone; neither of these colours will print.)

Despite a minimal amount of waste, having 2 sets to each sticker sheet (with a blank column) means that certain people do not have to juggle two individual (and fiddly) strips of stickers during the tasting. For some reason i adopted Ray's stickers last year and had to deal with this - was not ideal. If the blank column could be the middle column, that would be perfect in terms of a quick "chop and distribute". Obviously disregard if it requires a lot of code.

Hmm. Question asked in thread about the software. For the moment, failing sudden enlightenment, please assume that it would be too much coding.

@jdaw - did you notice that something seems to have gone wrong with the names along the top of the "what is it?" page, either orientation, font size or both?

PhilW wrote:@jdaw - did you notice that something seems to have gone wrong with the names along the top of the "what is it?" page, either orientation, font size or both?

No. What’s wrong?

The code tries to save space by putting the horizontally, unless that is too much of a squeeze, when it flips to vertical. Or is the problem that the What-is-it page has an extra row?

jdaw1 wrote:

PhilW wrote:@jdaw - did you notice that something seems to have gone wrong with the names along the top of the "what is it?" page, either orientation, font size or both?

No. What’s wrong?

The code tries to save space by putting the horizontally, unless that is too much of a squeeze, when it flips to vertical. Or is the problem that the What-is-it page has an extra row?

It was (sort of) a non-problem, to do with the fact that all of the names are christian names rather than initials, but where they do not fit on the "what is it" page they have been shortened to a single initial. At first glance I saw "Rob C." which appeared to have overwritten the next column heading, but in fact it was Rob, C., as two successive column headings; just looked wrong, but strictly wasn't.

PhilW wrote:but where they do not fit on the "what is it" page they have been shortened to a single initial.

Deliberately, by me, to save space.

RAYC wrote:Despite a minimal amount of waste, having 2 sets to each sticker sheet (with a blank column) means that certain people do not have to juggle two individual (and fiddly) strips of stickers during the tasting. For some reason i adopted Ray's stickers last year and had to deal with this - was not ideal. If the blank column could be the middle column, that would be perfect in terms of a quick "chop and distribute". Obviously disregard if it requires a lot of code.

Done, at least mostly.

Updated draft of the paperwork.
(In following diagram lilac is edge of label, green is boundary of writing zone; neither of these colours will print.)

Please could you replace DRT with Daniel and then I will print on Thursday or Friday of this week - unless anyone can print next week and bring the paperwork with them?

Thanks.

AHB wrote:Please could you replace DRT with Daniel and then I will print on Thursday or Friday of this week - unless anyone can print next week and bring the paperwork with them?

Done. Please re-check before printing.

jdaw1 wrote:Done. Please re-check

Linked PDF still shows Derek as participant, unless link/PDF still pending update.

PhilW wrote:Linked PDF still shows Derek as participant, unless link/PDF still pending update.

Sorry, my fault. I dragged from the wrong directory into my FTP client. Should be good now. Please re-check.

And I’ve just remembered to book myself a hotel room.

jdaw1 wrote:

PhilW wrote:Linked PDF still shows Derek as participant, unless link/PDF still pending update.

Sorry, my fault. I dragged from the wrong directory into my FTP client. Should be good now. Please re-check.

Names good. Are glass labels supposed to be columns of 13? (I thought 12 on label sheets?). Tasting note sheets look fine, provided they print (since they occur after distillation log, unchecked).

PhilW wrote:Are glass labels supposed to be columns of 13? (I thought 12 on label sheets?).

5×13.

PhilW wrote:Tasting note sheets look fine, provided they print (since they occur after distillation log, unchecked).

Err, tasting-note sheets are on pages 1 to 48, so the ‟after” is puzzling me.

jdaw1 wrote:

PhilW wrote:Tasting note sheets look fine, provided they print (since they occur after distillation log, unchecked).

Err, tasting-note sheets are on pages 1 to 48, so the ‟after” is puzzling me.

I was only seeing the tasting notes sheets in the "re-ordered" section, rather than ahead of voting sheets in the "in print order" section. All looks fine on re-checking; assume reviewer error.

Splendid, because Alex is printing today, after which I’ll add the parameters to the review section.

I will be arriving at Audley End around 4 pm. Who will be there then?

djewesbury wrote:I will be arriving at Audley End around 4 pm. Who will be there then?

Please could we be reminded of the name of the train station at which I should alight, if coming from London.