The Official Definitive Correct Norway Reunion List (apparently)

Looking through all the photographs on ratboy, I realised that I'd forgotten several of the Norway reunions which have gone on since July 2001. Now, although making obsessive lists of things clearly doesn't mean that you have an indelible copy of the day, it does help to trigger memories of things that otherwise might be lost. As a result of this, I'm trying to put together a list of reunions- so that I can fact-check when people say, do you remember the time when.... This list will need significant adding to, particularly since I wasn't there at half of the reunions which have taken place. So if anyone wants to update the list for me, please do so.

 

Qualifying rules: In case anyone really cares and is still confused. To qualify there must be three people who went to Norway in 2001, simultaneously in attendance. I'm aware most stuff is done in terms of Team Elgar nowadays, but it's too complicated to go back and try to re-write this. There are therefore a few vaguely Elgarian moments which have fallen down the slats, for which I apologise.

(I recently tried to add to this, but then realised that stuff didn't fit into the inclusion criteria. Muh. SFL)


Here goes then:

2002


 Tuesday April 2, 2002: Hilperton- at the Hodges' house

Sunday July 15, 2002: Bowling, Pizza Hut, the water-throwing incident, Shula's house and dogs

Thursday August 8, 2002: Shula is 16. Party at her house, includes Darz and Stephen.

Sunday September 1, 2002: WSYO concert- Steph's house, barbecue 'I always support the underdog', Beauty and the Beast

Sunday September 8, 2002: Darz, Steph and Toby to The Oval, England v India, Dravid's double-century.

Tuesday, 24th September 2002: 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. Steph, Darz, Toby, Miranda, David Hodges, (ish).

Saturday, 21st December 2002: Shula's Christmas Hootenanny at Heddington Town Hall.

2003

Saturday, March 15, 2003: Katy and Shula join Darz and Stephen in Cambridge.

Easter, 2003: Darz says We went to that school (was it in Calne) to watch Shula play in battle of bands with the mighty Psychadellic Armchair. As well as me and Shula, Stephen and Meg were there so I think it qualifies.

Sunday April 6, 2003: [I didn't realise how many of these were on Sunday], Longleat, (a), plus Risk at Steph's house- vicious arguments about atheism.

Sunday July 6, 2003: England v Zimbabwe, driving round Wiltshire trying to find people who we didn't know the addresses of, curry.

Sunday July 13, 2003: WWYM concert at Dauntsey's, attended by Stephen who studiously attempts to ignore Steph. Apparently.

Sunday August 3, 2003: Bournemouth, 24 at Steph's.

Friday August 8, 2003: Shula's birthday and peregrination to Goatacre, post music at dodgy Tony's

Saturday September 6, 2003: Longleat, pre-The Oval

Sunday September 7, 2003: England v South Africa, Flintoff's 95, my favourite reunion ever.

Tuesday December 23, 2003: Love, Actually. Miranda's house for mince pies and stealing.

2004

Saturday 3rd- Sunday 4th January, 2004: Sleepover at Shula's, (WSYO weekend)

Wednesday, April 14, 2004: Stephen writes: the Big Gathering at Katy's where we made pancakes and watched ER and Shula and I went out for pizza. Katy, Shula, Meg, Steph, Miranda, Dave Hodges ! plus guests, Shireses minor and major and (eventually) Darz. And me. Several slept over, though I don't know if there was something on the next day - I believe this was the week *before* the WSYO course.

Saturday, July 3, 2004: The Boater and the Boater- Shrek, the fete, Pizza Hut, the bill.

Sunday, July 4, 2004: England v New Zealand, Stephen Fleming's 99.

Saturday, July 10, 2004: Dauntsey's concert by WWYM attended by Darz and Stephen

Wednesday July 28, 2004: Anastasia, Communism never happened

Saturday August 7th, 2004: 20:20 final etc (I'm not sure this counts, as only Toby and I were present until we got to Calne. SFL)

Sunday August 8th, 2004: Shula's 18th Birthday at the Talbot

Friday, August 20, 2004: 'The Village' in Bath. Shula and Darz and Miranda in Italy forming Team Elgar

Monday August, 30 2004: Weymouth and Kill Bill at Darz's

Thursday September 2nd, 2004: Bath, Green aftershock, pub crawling

Tuesday September 14, 2004: Orchestra Crash, meal in Bradford, walk in Bradford, phone box in Bradford

Saturday September 18, 2004: The Oval, the West End, Kill Bill 2

Sunday September 19, 2004: Stephen and Toby go walking, (shouldn't really be in since it's only two people, but anyhow) (See, Toby is a dirty cheat. SFL)

Friday September 24, 2004: Italian food and Wimbledon

Thursday, December 9th, 2004: Steph meets Darz and Stephen in Cambridge.

Monday, December 20, 2004: The Phantom of the Opera, Thai food, penguins, Bath

Friday, December 31, 2004: New Year's Eve in Calne

2005

Sunday, January 2, 2005: Gathering at Steph's, Risk

Saturday 22nd- Sunday 23rd January, 2005: Miranda's birthday in Nottingham

Tuesday 22nd March, 2005: Orchestra Crash, Part Deux. Thai Barn

Wednesday 23rd, March, 2005: To Calne. Lemon drizzle cake. Tea. Fire. Ministry of Steph's funny walks. Big Rock.

Wednesday 30th March 2005: Steph's party, Southwick. Magnum, music, mischief.

Thursday 13th April, 2005: Sahara, Shula penguin, Bath.

Monday 13th- Tuesday 14th June 2005: Toby to Cambridge to meet Stephen and Darz post-examage; punting, museums, copious foods, obscure art-house movies.

Friday 8th July, 2005: Bath- Victoria Park, more penguins Batman/War of the Worlds

Monday 8th August, 2005: Shula's birthday at The White Hart, Calne. Pete not completely sober, Mike plays the piano as Toby sings not entirely in tune.

Monday 22nd August, 2005: Stephen, JackandShula, Steph, Miranda to Marlborough

Sunday 28th August, 2005: Party at Darz's. Trent Bridge victory, further cricket, much confusion with text messaging.

Tuesday 30th August, 2005: Pubbage in Bath, at which, it appears, everyone text messages Toby.

Friday 9th September, 2005: Cricket party, Steph's.

Friday 21st October- Sunday 23rd October, 2005: Shindig Weekend. The Wharf and The Reservoir, Birmingham. Cracker. Diskery. Sushi. Corpse Bride. Bill Bailey. Shindig. John. Salt cellars.

Saturday 5th November, 2005: Whilst Steph and Toby are irrelevantly in Liverpool, Katy, Darz, Shula and Stephen see fireworks in Bath.

Wednesday 16th November, 2005: Franz Ferdinand at the NEC.

Monday 12th December 2005: Darz to Birmingham to meet Shula and Toby.

Thursday 22nd December 2005: The Christmas Film, take 3. Ish. Thai restuarant and then The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Saturday 31st December 2005- Sunday 1st January 2006: New Year's Eve comes to Freshfields after WSYO concert and interlude at 'The Rising Sun'.

2006

Friday 20th January, 2006: Steph comes to Birmingham to join Shula and Toby for- well all I can remember is using the new wine glasses and being surprised by how dirty the conversation was. So yeah.

Saturday 18th March, 2006: The triumphal final performance of Miranda's 'Pirates of Penzance', in Nottingham. Toby, Jack, Steph in attendance. Gigantic pizza and mazes, Frankie and Benny's. Jack being manhandled.

Friday 7th April, 2006: Katy's party in Calne. Shula, Jack, Stephen and me present. Much, much wine.

Sunday 9th April, 2006: To 'The Swan' after Shostakovich, Mahler and Britten.

Saturday 15th July, 2006: Dinner at Martini's at Bath and then a surprising amount of swinging. Innocent version, obviously. 5th anniversary of Norway sojourn.

Saturday 8th August, 2006: Shula's 19th birthday party in Calne. Barbeque, Czech liquor, (for some reason) and almost-sunniness.

Friday 3rd- Sunday 5th November, 2006: London weekend. Every Acton in the world. Fireworks. Britney Spears. Covent Garden, Camden, Clapham, Canary Wharf, Cockfosters. The Thames. Sparklers.

Friday 22nd December 2006: Christmas film IV. For my money, 'Eragon' was worse than 'Love Actually' and Narnia, but perhaps still slightly better than Phantom, if only because some of the bad bits were actively funny rather than just drab. Lesson of the film: never confuse the Vardan with Ergles... Dinner at Martini's, Cecil.

2007

Saturday 17th February- Monday 19th February, 2007: Steph's 21st birthday in Liverpool, with her Top of the Pops birthday party on the upper deck of Revolutions in the Cavern Quarter. I think I have to say, for a variety of reasons, this is probably one of my favourite reunions ever. Definitely top three.

Friday 23rd- Saturday 24th March 2007: Darz to Birmingham where he, I, Shula and Dan spend virtually our entire weekend in pubs watching cricket. Which is all of the good.

Monday 30th April 2007: Stephen in Birmingham, Shula and Toby go with him to eat at Locanta.

Friday 8th June 2007: Stephen in Birmingham, Shula and Toby go to eat in the Thai restaurant, where it's everyone in the world's birthday.

Friday 6th July- Sunday 8th July 2007: And talking of birthdays, my 24th- various people scattered to the four winds regather in Birmingham for expensive black coloured risotto, the bible (or Jonah, anyway), sense memories at Ikon and Tunnel Vision, cricket and tennis watching, 'Driving Home In Sandals (To You)', and subliminal Conservative propaganda.

Thursday 12th July- Monday 16th July 2007: Darz, Steph and Toby meet in a field in Suffolk for the Latitude festival. Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Arcade Fire, Simon Armitage, Roger McGough, Bill Bailey, Dylan Moran, and much, much more. Including a lot of meat, very little rain or mud, and many, many tents.

Saturday 4th- Sunday 5th August 2007: Shula's 21st, (there seem to be more birthdays this year than usual...). The usual: Shula's garden, dogs, the White Hart, including pool, and lots of alcohol and meat.

Thursday 6th September: Spamalot in London! Darz, Shula, Katy, Toby.

Friday 2nd November: Shula's recital in St Phillip's Church, Birmingham.

Saturday 15th December: Dinner at Locanta once again: Megan, Shula, Dan, Toby.

Sunday 23rd December: The Golden Compass, Bristol; Severn Shed. Shula, Stephen, Steph, Darz, Alex, Jack, Martin. I think. (And Toby. SFL)

2008

Sunday 21st December: Christmas reunion in Bath: Steph, Stephen, Darz, Shula, Shiremonator. Not quite sure of any other details.

2009

Sunday 23rd August: Steph, Toby and Stephen sit in the sports bar of the Royal Hotel for 8 hours watching England regain the Ashes.

Friday 18 September - Sunday 20 September: Liverpool weekend. Karaoke, silent disco, the docks in all its glory, Guitar Hero, tea, renaissance.


TCH