Who remembers the great weekend revels of the 70s/80s. The village came to life with great events on the playing field.
Well this will happen again after a gap of some 20 odd years, there will be loads of stalls, food, tombolas, bouncy castles, a dog show, live bands and much much more on Monday 4 June to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.
(Can you remember the great 5-legged pub race? Five pubs in those days, sadly only three left now – used to take up to 2 hours then – probably do it in five minutes today.) Anyway, all of them will be doing something special on this day!
In the evening, BACKBEAT will be playing at the Memorial Hall (there’s a licenced bar) to finish what should be a great day. They will really get things going with their great 60s’ sound – Oh and a prize for best 60s ‘style fancy dress!
Hog roast at the Dragon.
Bob & Ida Burgess took over The Green Dragon (Flaunden) in 1932 as tenant landlords to The Cannon Brewery, and later to Taylor Walker.  And during World War II, Bob was head of Flaunden’s Home Guard unit, which met in the Old Club Room at the rear of the pub – a structure which survives to this day. Their daughter, Barbara, who grew up at The Dragon, can still recall the occasions when she played in the garden with two little girls who visited the pub with a groom whilst staying at Latimer House just before the war.
Back then in the late 1930s, neither she nor, indeed, her playmates had even the slightest idea that within some 15 years one of them was to become Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

elizabeth-margaret

Yes, those two little girls were Elizabeth and Margaret, daughters of the then Duke and Duchess of York – unexpectedly, soon to be crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the abdication of the Duke’s brother King Edward VIII.

I’m sad to publish this email from RSK Leisure: –

‘On Monday 16th April, we ceased to trade at the pub, following a breakdown in our relationship with our new Landlord – it became apparent, almost from the day he bought the Freehold, that our time at the pub could be limited. The Landlord has effectively managed us out of our business, through implementing more obscure aspects of the lease. We only took the decision to cut our losses and move on last weekend, and leave behind some amazing memories of our time at the pub.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your custom, and wish you well for the future.
Sel & Rob’

Can anybody list all the previous Landlord/ladys since the WWII?

If you were at Sainsburys in Apsley on Friday you may have been wondering what a young girl was doing sitting on a motorcycle outside the front door.  All part of the Sports Relief Charity.

Fed up with congestion, dead time and wallet busting fuel prices?

Moores can make your travels fun, reliable and thrifty with our great range of bikes and scooters, making your travels enjoyable and helping you do what YOU want to do with your time rather than what you don’t!

With over 100mpg on these models, road tax at £16 and insurance deals on most Yamahas from 50cc to 125cc, call us today you’ll be pleased you did.

Moores Motorcycle Promotion Apsley 2012

Moore’s of Hemel Hempstead who have been trading at their current Apsley site in Hertfordshire since 1936, were promoting how much better off you could be on two wheels.

Visit the ‘Geton’ site at http://www.mooresmotorcycles.co.uk/  or speak directly to someone at Moores on 01442 252601.

Beacon Riders Ltd (DSA Approved) who have been instructing motorcycle training alongside with Moore’s for over 30 years –  were also there to help with information on training and licensing requirements.

Visit http://www.beaconriders.co.uk for more information or ring the office 01442 213201 or Mike on 07887 751 876.

The young lady incidentally was the lovely Aurora Galore, Performance and Burlesque Artist and Alternative Model. See more of her at http://www.auroragalore.com/ .

I’m really pleased to say that the gentle refurbishment in October to take us back to our roots as a classic village pub has borne fruit, and reactions have been really positive.

Our forthcoming Pie and Ale Week runs from Friday 23rd March to Sunday 1st April. The pie menu, which runs alongside our normal menu, features ten different pies, complemented by eight different cask ales to tickle your fancy over the week, five of which are available at any one time. And don’t forget, to keep our locals happy we have reduced prices for beer and wine on weekdays between 5pm and 7pm.

Just two other quick things: Mother’s Day on March 18th is already looking popular, and our new head chef, Justin Hetherington, has introduced a new set menu, with two courses for £13.95 and three courses for £16.95, which is proving very popular with our ladies who lunch.

Bookings are going well, especially towards weekends, so if you’d like to book a table please get in touch on 01923 270 877.  I do hope to see you soon.

David and the Cricketers’ crew

Fifty years ago Monday (Feb. 20), John Glenn (now 90 years old)  made history by circling the Earth three times.

He wasn’t the first person in space, nor the first American. He wasn’t even the first person to orbit the planet. But Glenn’s five-hour flight onboard Friendship 7 set him apart from the space travelers who launched before him and established a lasting legacy that outshone many of those who followed.

How many I wonder can remember the visit of Friendship 7 to the USSA airbase in Bovingdon a few months later in May 1962.

Herb Friedland sent me this pictures of his stay in Bovingdon back in the early ’60s which includes many pictures of their stay in Bovingdon Airfield.

Also an intesting picture of Herbie’s Fiat 500? Anyone knows who owned it?

Post or Tweet if you know!