Winter Gabfest 2001 was an intimate affair---some blamed their absence on the weather. I prefer to believe that, while so many of our members are devoted Anglophiles, they are also patriotic Americans and chose to stay home and watch the inauguration of George W.!!!! (I know one member is so devoted to the American way of life that he HAD to go see the roll-out of new cars off the assembly lines in Detroit.... But I won't mention any names!)

Even though the weather man had predicted foul weather with snow and ice, the day couldn't have been more beautiful. The sun peeked out through the clouds more than once! Those who didn't make it missed out on a great meeting!

My car was full to overflowing with all the EastEnders memorabilia. It is probably a good thing we didn't have a guest speaker at this meeting --- there would have been no room for them in the car!

It was a small group and consisted of Judy Purdee, Betty Elliott, Phyllis Metcalf, Noell Teasley, Jennifer Allen, Glennie Sewell and myself. We also had the privilege to welcome a new member, Debbie Price, who joined us from Brevard, NC! Welcome Debbie! We hope you enjoyed yourself and will join us again in April!

Our WNC EastEnders Fanatics website will soon be given a facelift, compliments of Jennifer and Chris Allen. We will be adding LOTS of new features in the near future so keep checking the site!

We discussed the fact that UNC TV will be having "Festival" and volunteers are needed to man the phones in Raleigh on Feb. 25th from 6 to 11 pm. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact me; I will pass this info along to Dave in Raleigh. This is the one night a year we have to show our support for our favorite program; and this is also when the majority of the monies are raised enabling UNC TV to keep EastEnders on the air!

I am pleased to announce that --- with Martha not present --- Jennifer Allen was FINALLY able to win a Pub Quiz (15 correct answers!!!!)! She won a tea towel featuring a British Phone Box direct from the UK. Judy Purdee came in second with 13 correct answers and also won a tea towel. Way to go, girls!!!!!

Christmas crackers, also from England, were distributed to everyone. Upon popping them open, the group donned their new paper hats, and shared their prizes and fortunes with others.

During lunch we watched the now famous "Ethel and Dot" two-hander which originally aired in July of 1987. (Remember...."It was a doodle bug what dunnit!")

The meeting ended with a delicious bakery cake --- only this time we broke with tradition: the cake featured the "London Borough of Walford E 20" street sign.

The next meeting will be on April 28th at 1:00 pm at Damon's. Make plans to be there! We have a lot of catching up to do with those members who weren't able to join us this time!

Fanatically yours!

Melissa

Photos follow.