Free food, wine, and a few Harry Potter puns are all you need to have a good time. This time-tested formula was proven again at the Mensa Pretoria Annual General Meeting 2018. After the refreshments were served, the 2017/2018 Committee members reported on their respective portfolios. Unfortunately, Beverley van der Merwe announced her decision to step down as Chairperson after 10 long years in the position. She will be dearly missed as chair. A new committee was elected when enough wine had been drunk and all were happy with the report for 2017/2018.

The new Mensa Pretoria committee members (2018/2019) are as follows:
Kolver Kruger was elected as the new chairperson for Mensa Pretoria. Bernard Grobler will fulfill the PR/Marketing role, Peter Smythe will continue as treasurer, Liesl Kok will be heading Events, Helen Pinkham will still do the blog, Simone Deyzel-O'Brien is the new secretary and membership person, Pieter van der Vyfer will organise the SIGs (as before), and last but not least, Pierre Naude will continue as testing officer. The new committee is pictured above.

On a warm Saturday morning, 1 September 2018, wine lovers gathered in the lovely outdoors at the Sammy Marks House Museum in Bronkhorstspruit for a celebration of Spring!  Symbolic of the new season, flowers adorned all the tables where tasty treats were consumed, including quiche, apple crumble and, of course, bubbly. If you didn't join us, you definitely missed out.


No less than NINE sparkling wines (including one actually named Mensa) were tasted and graded by our discerning members. The tasting started with the still wines, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Once some of the aromas and flavours were identified, they were tried together in a blend, seeing how the balance and impact of the whole was more impressive than the parts. 
Then, the same blend fermented a second time into a 'champagne' was tasted. It was wonderful tasting the way each change enhanced and developed the wine.


After a light lunch, the Villeria Tradition Brut, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel, and Pongeacz champagnes were tasted, ending with the Pinot Noir. Either green apple or apple pie was present on the nose and palate of each. The Chardonnay showed lemon, lime, and grapefruit. As the Pinot Noir quantity increased, hints of liquorice, brioche, strawberry, and shortbread were revealed.

To cap off the tasting, the sweet Krone Night Nectar Rose was drunk as the sort of 'pudding wine'.
It was a wonderfully fresh and refreshing wine tasting, in more ways than one, proving once again, that flowers and bubbly make a great combination.

It is finally Spring!  There is a playful mood in the air, and we are capitalising on it big time!  

Bring along your favourite board games for a relaxed evening of 30 Seconds, Battle of the Sexes, Trivial Pursuit and any other games you think might be a hit with your fellow Mensans.  To our newcomers, this might sound like a strange outing for a Wednesday evening, but don't be fooled:  our Games Evenings have consistently been the most well-attended (and fun) events through the years.

If board games aren't your cup of tea, you are always welcome to join us at the ladies bar for drink and a good chuckle.

Date/Time: Wednesday, 5 September 2018, 19:00

Venue: Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys Club, 378 Queens Crescent (c/o Queens Crescent and Kings Highway), Lynnwood

See you there!

PSST!!! If you haven't yet booked your place for the Spring Wine Tasting event, you can still do so! Email pta.treasurer@mensa.org.za now to secure your place!

More info:
You are cordially invited to join Mensa Pretoria for an "Out of Africa" Garden Party and tasting of South Africa's very best Méthode Cap Classique Wines (better known as "Champagne" to anyone who lives OUTSIDE of France...)

Enjoy a welcoming glass of Bubbly on arrival and Morning Tea in the garden of the historic Sammy Marks House Museum, before a guided tasting of a number of award-winning sparkling wines and the still-wine cultivars that they are made from... the best Bubblies to come "Out of Africa".

Those with creative flair will want to come dressed for the occasion, in keeping with the theme ("Out of Africa" or "Spring Day", you decide). Prizes will be awarded (Bubbly, of course) for the Best Dressed and the Most Interestingly Dressed people.

The tasting will continue into the mid-afternoon after a break for a light lunch and awarding of prizes.

ESSENTIAL INFO:

DATE:
SPRING DAY, Saturday 1 September 2018

TIME:
10:30 for 11:00

PLACE:
Sammy Marks House Museum

GPS:
25° 44' 59.41″ S 28° 22' 48.16″ E

ADDRESS:
Bronkhorstspruit Rd, Savannah Country Estate, Donkerhoek, Pretoria
DIRECTIONS:
Take the N4 East from Pretoria
Take Exit 11, Solomon Mahlangu Drive
Turn left at the traffic island
After 800 m turn right on the R104 towards Bronkhorstspruit
After about 1.2 km turn left to Sammy Marks House Museum (white sign board)

FOOD:
Upon arrival you will be treated to some milk tart, coffee and tea. Brunch will be quiche and salad, finished off with apple pie and cream.

COSTS:
R125.00 for paid-up Mensa-members (same price for adults and children); R150.00 for non-members.
This cost covers the food and wines to be tasted.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
The venue is child-friendly and has ample parking.
There is no a la carte menu on that day. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know in advance, so that we can notify the venue and arrange the necessary with them.
There is a cash bar available for soft drinks and other refreshments.

BOOKINGS: Please e-mail the below information to pta.treasurer@mensa.org.za to secure your booking:
Your name and membership number
Number of bookings
Your cellphone number (in case we need to reach you beforehand)
Proof of payment. Payment details are: Mensa Pretoria, FNB Lynnwood, Branch code 252 045, Account number 5103 0053 626, Ref: Name and membership number

Booking is essential!

Got something you need to get off your chest? Then you should be excited for the next "Open Mic" evening! The advantage of Open Mic evenings is that anyone can join in the conversation on the evening's topic, which means it's much more interactive than listening to a speaker and you might just change on mind on an issue or broaden your worldview.

Mensa Pretoria hosted another Open Mic evening on Wednesday 7 August and the topic was Fake News. 

You are cordially invited to join Mensa Pretoria for an “Out of Africa” Garden Party

and tasting of South Africa’s very best Méthode Cap Classique Wines

(better known as “Champagne” to anyone who lives OUTSIDE of France!)

Enjoy a welcoming glass of Bubbly on arrival and Morning Tea in the garden of the historic Sammy Marks House Museum, before a guided tasting of a number of award-winning sparkling wines and the still-wine cultivars that they are made from... the best Bubblies to come "Out of Africa".

Those with creative flair will want to come dressed for the occasion, in keeping with the theme ("Out of Africa" or "Spring Day", you decide).  Prizes will be awarded (Bubbly, of course) for the Best Dressed and the Most Interestingly Dressed people.

The tasting will continue into the mid-afternoon after a break for a light lunch and awarding of prizes.

ESSENTIAL INFO:

DATE:	SPRING DAY, Saturday 1 September 2018
TIME:	10:30 for 11:00
PLACE:	SAMMY MARKS HOUSE MUSEUM GPS: 25° 44' 59.41″ S 28° 22' 48.16″ E ADDRESS: Bronkhorstspruit Rd, Savannah Country Estate, Donkerhoek, Pretoria
DIRECTIONS:	Take the N4 East from Pretoria Take Exit 11, Solomon Mahlangu Drive Turn left at the traffic island After 800 m turn right on the R104 towards Bronkhorstspruit After about 1.2 km turn left to Sammy Marks House Museum (white sign board)
FOOD:	Upon arrival you will be treated to some milk tart, coffee and tea.  Brunch will be quiche and salad, finished off with apple pie and cream.
COSTS:	R125.00 for paid-up Mensa-members (same price for adults and children);  R150.00 for non-members. This cost covers the food and wines to be tasted.
ADDITIONAL INFO:	The venue is child-friendly and has ample parking. There is no a la carte menu on that day.  If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know in advance, so that we can notify the venue and arrange the necessary with them. There is a cash bar available for soft drinks and other refreshments.
BOOKINGS:	Please e-mail the below information to pta.treasurer@mensa.org.za to secure your booking: Your name and membership number Number of bookings Your cellphone number (in case we need to reach you beforehand) Proof of payment.  Payment details are:  Mensa Pretoria, FNB Lynnwood, Branch code 252 045, Account number 5103 0053 626, Ref:  Name and membership number
	Booking is essential!  Please let us have your complete booking information by WEDNESDAY, 22 AUGUST 2018, as we need to confirm the number of attendees with the venue and wine guides.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Are you a general knowledge buff? Fancy yourself as the next winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Do you simply retain useless facts for some reason? Or do you enjoy a fun night out with great conversation? Well, either way, you should consider adding weekly quiz nights to your calendar!

Teams consist of 6(-ish)  people so if there's more than six, we can start another team! There are quizzes at Jock of the Bushveld pub every Thursday night at 19:00, hosted by Aux Technicals. Quiz Master Leon Botha will test your knowledge about topics ranging from astrophysics to zoology, so no matter what your field of knowledge, you will be an asset to the team.

Our very own quiz team, the "Conquiztadores", regularly participates in and does very well! Tonight, the team won the quiz night at Jocks! Congratulations team!

How about joining the new quiz league? Not from Pretoria? No problem. Anyone who wants to join is welcome.

So, what are you waiting for? Reserve your place on a team by sending an email to pta.sigs@mensa.org.za right now!

Yes, the best things in life are FREE! So we're offering free membership-eligibility tests on the 21st of July! Do you have friends or family who have wanted to take the Mensa membership eligibility test, but were deterred by the cost? Use the code PRETORIAFM when they book a test for FREE test admission!

So what are you waiting for??? BOOK NOW!

"Gandalf, my old friend, this is going to be a night to remember!" - Bilbo Baggins

The clash of metal on metal! It's a fight to the death! Who hasn't dreamed of owning their own hand-crafted, rune-inscribed sword? If it's your dream to be a sword-wielding badass warrior princess (okay....or prince!) warrior, then this speaker evening is just up your alley. Acclaimed  Bladesmith, Knifemaker, designer and owner of Black Dragon Forge, Neels van den Berg will be educating us in the art of all things smithy! So gather up your armour and book your seat at the Pretoria Boys High School Old Boys Club at 7pm on the 11th of July!


You won't want to miss this one!

Notes from the editor of the Chronicle for May 2018:

"Welcome to the May edition of The Chronicle.

Two contributors, Steven and Douglas, have provided some more insights into how we should change how we do things. Reading both articles in quick succession makes me think that as Mensans, we could be asking a different question to start addressing the state of our own country.

Also, a reminder to all who want to participate in the Photocup competition: the closing date is 30 June and fast approaching! Find more details on page 11.

Have fun reading this month's edition!

Until the next issue,

Erik Lear

Editor"

Download it here