Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Sheffield SF Group's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
11:45 pm [the_dark_womble]	Monthly Meeting Schedule of Events! Well here are the details of the Friday night meetings right through to the end of the year. Fri 31st July :- Radio plays. Where we'll be doing our best to either have scripts on hand to read from from old plays or we'll do our best to procure a vintage Science Fiction story for you all to listen to and enjoy a moment when we had to use our imaginations to see what the authors presented to us. Friday 28th August :- Bad Film / Quiz with added Unlucky Dip!! I know we all know what the 'bad film' is, where we basically try to find a razzy we all love and get the equipment together to watch it or we have a torturous quiz we can do with the added 'bonus' of an unlucky dip. And here's the love....we all bring something we have around the house (sf related of course), the book you bought and regretted, the novelty socks someone bought you for your birthday, anything of that ilk. Wrap it up in the most awful paper you can find and bring it along. The loser of the quiz gets first pick and no one goes home empty handed either, still the box is empty folks so beware of what you bring....you might go home with something worse! Friday 25th September :- Author TBC Here's where we use the contacts we have and try to drag in an author for our verbal dissection, so any takers for who we can get, there have been Charlie Stross mentioned but we may have to get confirmation and a sub just in case so get working on it folks!! Friday 30th October :- Halloween Games / Zombie Plan Organisation / Secret Satan Presents Yes well, we kind of went a little overboard at this one but we all love a few games don't we? But we're talking the old fashioned kind, bobbing for apples, toffee pulling etc, the old 'what am I putting my fingers in' game. We're still open for ideas about this part of the night so please feel free to add your ideas. The Zombie Plan organising was forwarded by a new member, this is where 'the adults' among us get to plan the downfall of society and who'll we be shooting when the zombies attack! Now onto Secret Satan...what we want you to do is to find the most tacky, awful gift you can find for under £2 and we will be checking. What you do is then wrap said gift and bring it to the Secret Satan for safe keeping who will then give them out to everyone throughout the evening. Yes this is a way of collecting 'unlucky dips' for next year but no you can't just recycle the one you got in August. We will remember. Friday 27th November :- Whovian outreach TBC Here we're hoping to get in touch with the Whovians who are out there in Derby and hopefully get them to come and talk about all things 'Doctor'. Friday 18th December :- HOGSWATCH Right this is the blowout! If you can't make it any other time of the year this is the chance to show your face and let us know you exist in reality still. If you need crash space you'll need to contact one of us about it. As usual we'll be having the pig racing, maybe a pinata (that this year will break more easily than the re-enforced one we had last year-it's our own fault we asked a modeller to make it!) There will be food provided but you must pay for in advance. Numbers will be needed as to who is eating and we will cater to that number alone, so you have been forewarned. Ideas are needed for the sculpture of Spam, we've had the Tower of Art, The Discworld in it's entirity (including elephants) so any ideas please post them here and we'll pass them along. Or just tell us when you see us. There will be the usual fun and games like last year and hopefully we can get a even more scary Hogfather. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
2:56 pm [the_dark_womble]	Next Friday Meeting Could we have an A.G.M at the next meeting please, as I need to sort my diary out for the rest of the year and we don't want to miss anything. Current Mood: cheerful (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
9:28 am [steverogerson]	Blake's 7 Forum meeting Just a reminder that the next Blake's 7 Forum meet up is a week away in Nottingham. Anyone is welcome, but please let me know if you are coming. This is just an informal gathering for science fiction fans to chat and drink. We will be meeting from 12.15pm onwards at Fellows, Morton & Clayton in Nottingham on 2nd May 2009. Fellows, Morton & Clayton 54 Canal Street Nottingham NG1 7EH http://www.fellowsmortonandclayton.co.uk/ We will be in the back bar, as that is where children are allowed. If you haven't met any of us before, let us know you are coming so we can look out for you. For those who have been to previous Nottingham meets, this is the pub next to the Canalhouse where we have met in the past. (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
11:57 am [frandowdsofa]	Visiting Australians The Sheffield Group is hosting a Traditional Sunday Lunch for the GUFF delegates tomorrow at the Fat Cat pub in Kelham Island. If anyone would like to join us, we'll be there from about 12:30. (GUFF is the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund or the Going Under Fan Fund, depending on which way you're going. GUFF assists fans from Europe and Australasia to form closer links, by providing funds for well-known fans from one part of the world to attend a major science fiction convention in the other. The GUFF winners are selected by popular vote amongst fans. This year Sue Ann Barber and Trevor Clark are visiting us to attend LX2009, the Eastercon next weekend.) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
8:51 pm [frandowdsofa]	Sheffield Group History (part 2) Thanks to everyone for their input. I've done a poster of the Group history going back to 1976, to be printed off at A0 for display at Eastercon. John will bring a small copy to the pub tomorrow, I've cut it drastically from the text some of you may have seen! and put some pictures with it. If you would like me to email you a pdf version that you can read on screen, please shout. (I don't want to clog up your inboxes ..) I'm looking for factual errors, name and date checks at this point. I'll put the fuller version on the web after Easter. (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 8th, 2009
10:37 am [frandowdsofa]	History What's your earliest experience of Sheffield fandom? I'm doing a poster paper for Eastercon ... (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 16th, 2009
8:12 pm [steverogerson]	Blake's 7 gathering, 28 February There's another Blake's 7 gathering planned for Sheffield, on Saturday 28 February. This will be at the Banker's Draft pub in the city centre, 1-3 Market Place, so all welcome to attend! 1.00pm start or so. http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/sheffield/bar-pub/1k11c81/the-bankers-draft (Comment on this)
Friday, December 12th, 2008
2:12 pm [frandowdsofa]	Group Hogswatch Party Our annual Hogswatch celebration of Pork and Pork-Related Products is next Friday, the 19th, upstairs at the Old Queen's Head. The buffet is £5.50 per head, and is pork and pig related, with lots of veggie options too. We can bring our own food to add to it, so if you have a Hogswatch speciality, feel free! That will kick off about 7:30 - 8:00. The centrepiece will be a Peter Harrow Spam sculpture of the Discworld, Turtle, Elephants and all. There will be games and prizes. The Hogfather has promised to be in attendance, and there is a Secret Hogfather present pool, with a £5 limit. Costumes are optional, Discworld themed if possible. Some kind of clothing would be preferred, though. If you're intending to come, can you let us know? so we can give the pub an idea of buffet numbers. And if you need crash space, shout as soon as poss. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008
3:01 pm [ang_grrr]	GUFF 2008   Barber and Clark Ding Krasnostein No preference Hold over Total Australasia 64 3 14 1 - 82 Europe 24 2 7 2 - 35 Rest of world - 1 - - - 1 Total 88 6 21 3 - 118=118 With more than 50% of the first preference votes, the GUFF administrators are happy to announce that barring force majeure Sue Ann Barber and Trevor Clark will attend Eastercon LX. The administrators thank all the candidates, their nominators, and more than 100 members of the various fannish communities, for participating, and in the process raising around AUD1400. It is possible that some of the regional attributions may be incorrect, and one or two votes may have been mislaid. Revised numbers may be published at a later date. Nonetheless, the administrators are confident that the decision of the voting populace is clear. In keeping with the traditions of the race, a list of voters names will be published in a paper fanzine... although obviously not how their votes were directed. (Comment on this)
Monday, November 24th, 2008
9:05 am [ang_grrr]	GUFF Voting ends 2008-November-24 23:59 UTC You've just over 12 hours to cast your vote and although it's too late to post a ballot you can still send an email vote. Details here: http://www.users.on.net/~juliettewoods/guff2008.html (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
10:20 am [ang_grrr]	GUFF Voting closes on the 24th November so you've less than two weeks left to vote and choose which antipodean you'd like to meet at Eastercon LX next year. Because of David Tennant's Hamlet I'll not be at Novacon but there will be ballots there. Alternatively you can download a voting form from here as well as a list of candidates: http://www.users.on.net/~juliettewoods/ballot2008.pdf Remember that if you are a nominator you are eligible to vote and if you have been active in fandom since June 2006 you are eligible to vote. From European fans all we need is a minimum donation of a fiver made payable to me (Angela Rosin) or sent via paypal to Damien: http://www.users.on.net/~juliettewoods/guff2008.html Please help if you can. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
10:03 pm [frandowdsofa]	Hogswatch The Sheffield Group's annual Hogswatch celebration this year will be on Friday 19th December, upstairs at the Old Queen's Head. Games, competitions, decorations, food and drink! Costumes are optional, crash space can be arranged but is limited. If you're planning to come, please let us know - Peter Harrow will be collecting numbers and money for the buffet. He'll probably start burbling about a Secret Hogfather soon. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
11:14 pm [frandowdsofa]	Geek Pride This Friday the Sheffield Group is meeting as usual at the Old Queen's Head. hairyowl will be hosting Geek Pride night. Be Afraid. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
7:52 pm [frandowdsofa]	Sheffield Group this Friday Hiya, just a reminder that it's the last Friday in July this week, so we'll all be at the pub. There's a Continental Market this week, starting tomorrow and going through to Sunday, and the weather looks good. If anyone is coming over for Friday (or longer) and needs crash space, please shout now because it's limited. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
6:33 pm [frandowdsofa]	Friday Sheffield SF Group meeting This Friday is Games Night - card, board, bring along what you fancy. Or just sit around and chat. Venue as usual, the upstairs function room at the Old Queens Head pub just below the Ponds Forge Interchange. Remember they stop serving food not long after 6:30. If you're coming from Foreign and need crash space, comment below ... (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
8:58 pm [frandowdsofa]	Friday night meeting We've not been organised about anything this month, far too many of us got caught up with Eastercon. So I guess this one will be mostly chatty and come-down from the convention, feedback and all that gubbins. Also a bit of a party, as John and Fran have been asked to be Fan Guests of Honour for the 2010 Eastercon back at the Radisson, which is kudos for the whole group, so drink may be taken ... Upstairs at the Old Queen's Head on Pond Hill near Ponds Forge interchange - there are usually people there fairly early as the pub only serves food til just after 6:30. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
11:18 am [frandowdsofa]	SF Group Friday Just a reminder that it's the last Friday in the month this week, so we'll be upstairs at the Old Queen's Head as usual. There'll be a Quiz. We also have several birthdays this month, and it's the last big meeting before Eastercon. So if anyone wanted to do anything like, ooh, discuss the BSFA award shortlist http://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa/website/awardscurrentsl.aspx , now would be the time. Also, what we're going to do as there is NO POOL at the hotel. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
1:07 pm [frandowdsofa]	Sheffield Group meeting THIS FRIDAY bonsaient says: Should have done this earlier, but have been very busy.   This month is intended to be a literary item, each person brings in a bit of something they have read in the last 6 months which has most impressed them. They are to do a reading, and a brief explanation as to why they enjoyed it and try to enthuse everyone about it to get them to read it themselves. The only preparation required is to select your excerpt, which should be between 5 - 10 minutes in length. Order will be decided by names out of a hat (Guess who will supply the hat).    It can be a bit from a novel, a short story, a comic, poetry, a novelisation, the lyrics to a song, even the back of a cornflake packet (provided it has SF/Fantasy connotations and is the written word). The only proviso is that this has to be somebody elses work and not your own. If somebody else picks your work,  fair enough. There is no reason why the picks cannot go up on the Web -site as recommendations from the group. We are a literary group after all first and foremost.   As it is the January meeting it would be appropriate to discuss future events for the year and plan ahead a bit. Here is an idea I have for February.    February is the Friday 29th February, which will only occur once every 28 years, which makes the meeting on this date a 'Brigadoon', appearing only a few times each century . My suggestion would be to create a Group time capsule of that evening to be opened at the next Group meeting on the 29 February, 28 Years Later. Everyone brings something which is supposed to define the current science fiction and fantasy of this day, and that, together with photo's of those present and predictions for the future 28 Years Later, go into the timecapsule. People explain their picks and predictions as they go into the time capsule. We don't bury the time capsule, the things always leak, (Bones, Blue Peter) we just store it safely at one of our houses with all of the rest of our stuff until the next 29 February meeting, where it can be opened and people can laugh at the clothes and hairstyles, the stupid predictions and the tat that we thought was important and defined science fiction and fantasy at the time. Now that is forward planning. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
3:57 pm [frandowdsofa]	Hogswatch bonsaient is organising our Hogswatch event this year, and has asked me to post this: Hi, Peter Harrow here to let you know that the Sheffield Science Fiction and Fantasy Group are having a HOGSWATCH night party at the Old Queen's Head on the 28th December 2007. Ideal to get away from the family over Christmas. There will be a £5.50 per head buffet (pig and pig related), provided by the pub, but the pub is graciously allowing us to bring some of our own food in, so vegetarian options and especially desserts are welcome. Drink will be on an all you can pay for basis, but the first drink of the evening will be on me, and the pub will graciously allow us to stay until midnight. Start time as per usual for the end of month meeting. Please let me know as soon as possible as to whether you are attending, please, so I can inform the pub of the numbers for the buffet. Payment on the night, otherwise TANSTAFB. Costumes are welcome, especially in a Discworld theme, but otherwise dress as you please, I know I will. Accomodation, if you want to stay overnight ask Sheffield based members nicely beforehand, please do not turn up on their doorsteps unnannounced at 1.00 am. There are several hotels available within an easy walking distance, including a Travelodge. I have been invited onto the programme team for Discworld 2008, and will be bringing one of two programme ideas with me for a test run to see how good, or bad they are in practice. In particular I am modifying a game of "Operation" to make it Igor compliant, which should be either gruesomely funny or funnily gruesome, or pehaps just gruesomely gruesome. There will be other distractions including a Christmas/Discworld Quiz, with a prize, and (if we can get the equipment) there will be a copy of the Hogfather DVD (with its extras) available to dip into. I will be bringing my "Thud" gameboard for the more seriously minded gamer. The Group normally have a Secret Santa, where people buy a gift up to £5.00 in value and put it in a pile to be randomly selected by Members of the Group. This year it is to be a secret Hogfather, and volunteers to be the Hogfather will be much appreciated. Otherwise it will be down to the special bean in the stew, and the human sacrifice thing which might be a bit messy. Any ideas for Hogswatch will be appreciated. Despite popular demand I WILL be doing another Spam Sculpture this year, any ideas for the subject will be much appreciated. Last years Tower of Art was an upstanding success. So come all ye faithful to Hogswatch, bring a friend or just bring yourself. I promise not to try to get you to join LX over Hogswatch, especially if you are already a Member. Peter Harrow (Comment on this)
Monday, December 10th, 2007
11:30 am [frandowdsofa]	Writers' Group People have been talking about starting a Writers' Group for SF / Fantasy - the inaugural meeting will be in the Snug of the Old Queen's Head pub by the Ponds Forge bus station, tomorrow Tuesday 11th at 7:30 pm. (1 Comment |Comment on this)