The UK CONNEXION

Nine of us attended the karaoke event on Juy 16 at the Streetsville Legion. If truth be told, we all probably did way more dancing than singing! The legion did manage to muster up enough courage to do a group rendition of ABBA's immortal hit, Dancing Queen. So at least five of us will be able to scratch "do karaoke" off our Bucket List :) The men most graciously declined to perform.

Richard went home happy after winning $70 in the 50-50 draw. He very generously bought drinks for our group. Thank you Richard!

The Legion was very pleased by our support and promoted the club on several occasions. All had a ball and asked if the event could be added regularly.
Lydia

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On Saturday May 29th approx 40 people attended a penthouse pot-luck patio party hosted by Bruce Buttimore, a perfect host!! The view alone of the Toronto Harbour is worth making the trip downtown, spectacular to say the least. Wonderful selection of food we all contributed to and must not forget our DJ, Gary, who provided a wide selection of music to listen or dance to, which many of us did. I think I can safely say everyone enjoyed themselves!!
Lynne

Many thanks to all those members, both old and new, who came out for mingling and dinner at the Elephant & Castle. This event, as with all the monthly pub nights, is a great way to meet new members and catch up with friends who have been made at past get togethers. I always manage to have a great old time! Thank you to Lew who took the photos. I look forward to seeing you all on May 2nd for our next get together.
Anna

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On a beautiful cloudless sunny Sunday 14 members met to stroll the 3.4 km walk around Colonel Samuel Smith Park. The weather was perfect, the company ...stimulating ... and nature abounded. We saw red-wing blackbirds, robins, swans, cormorants, ducks, boffins and even a rather friendly but reluctant snake which Judith scooped up and presented to the group for closer inspection. We were accompanied by a beautiful Black Russian Terrier, Vespa who was extremely pregnant but comfortably had the full attention of a skilled 14 person midwifery team should the blessed event suddenly occur. Another honourary UKC member vying for air time was the adorable 8 month old English Cockapoo, Lollipup. Following the walk along the lake shore trails and around many small ponds and inlets we were treated to a wonderful view of Toronto. Then, we returned to our vehicles and met at John Pettitt's glorious lakefront abode where we were elegantly hosted on the deck for a round of exuberant future planning and shared picnic goodies. Certainly, one of the highlights of the discussion was Bob's plan for a "Hippo Event". Stay tuned ...it sounded great and watch also for more puppy and ceramic buzz too. Just to say a huge THANK YOU AGAIN TO JOHN AND EVERYONE for their grand participation. What a perfectly delightful Sunday afternoon!!!
Margo & Judith

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On Sun Feb 21st, 19 members of the UK Connexion joined Klara and Kevin at the Coffee Mill restaurant in Yorkville for mingling and dining. The cuisine was primarily Hungarian although the menu was mixed. The decor was pleasant and inviting and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Yorkville had many ice sculptures on display throughout the area which added an aura of festivity to the evening. Thank you Klara and Kevin for hosting this event and for finding different and interesting places to visit.
Lew

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Sixty-seven UKC members lived it up on New Year’s Eve at the Duke of York! There is nothing like a warm, cheery greeting and that is what we received from Patricia, Anna and Shona - the women on the welcome desk. There was a real party atmosphere in the crowded room; the women looked fabulous, all dressed up and the men did too! It was good to touch base with those not seen for a while and to hear about summer travels and events.

The service was great and the menu delicious - particularly the steak and stilton pie. Dancing to the music of Gary - our DJ - got everyone up on the floor to toast in 2010. Nobody enjoys themselves like the UKCers! Thanks go to John Pettitt and the volunteers for making it happen once again! And, A Happy New Year to All!
Christine Q.

On Sat, Dec 5, 19 members of the UK Connexion ate and danced the night away at Gabriele's party room at her condo in Thornhill. Very unusual for a UK Connexion event was that there were more men than women! There was hope more would attend, but those who came greatly enjoyed themselves thanks to the food brought by the attendees and the excellent choice of music by the D.J., Gary. Eva and her friend, Brian, danced up a storm to the delight of everyone there. Many thanks to Gabriele for hosting and looking after the door and the other volunteers including John P., the organizer, Pat K. for looking after the food and Clara and Lew for doing the car pooling.
Bruce

On October 3, of this year the UK Connexion featured a very special event, a presentation on the British Trans-Arctic Expedition, held at the Royal Canadian Military Institute on University Avenue. People who had won military honours wore their medals. Fifty-six people attended what was a unique and fascinating talk by Dr. Ken Hedges.

John Pettitt introduced Dr. Ken Hedges, a member of the small team of British men who, on April 6, 1969 were the first group to reach the North Pole on foot with the aid of dog teams and helicopter drops. He showed slides as he described their challenging, dangerous journey of 16 months. The four men spent five months over-wintering in Arctic darkness at and near the Pole in a tent with no hope of rescue if needed. They then carried on to complete the first surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean (Guinness Book of World Records).

A long, interesting question period followed, bringing out further details of the trip. The UK Connexion is happy to have Dr. Hedges as a member who we hope will continue from time to time to tell us more of his travels.
Anne Barcham