The deadline for Friday has passed – it’s high season and difficult to make a restaurant booking less than 3 days in advance, and many guest houses / hotels have “ No vacancies “, despite the weather so far.
This sort of meeting does require effort to arrange – and far more effort / expenditure to actually attend. Obviously there’s many factors involved – distance, cost, and other commitments, which I fully understand. But they’re not formal occasions – the purpose is to meet for real, get to know members and their partners / friends / relatives better, and enjoy ourselves!
