What do you think about this idea?
As some-one who lives away but comes to Maybury Court on a regular basis for a break, but has little time to organise social things in advance, I am sometimes "stuck" on a weekend evening, keen to pop out for a bite or a drink, but with no-one to go with. I have often thought it would be nice to be able to meet up with other Maybury Courters and to organise regular informal "drop in" type evening ( or indeed daytime) get-togethers, say once every couple of months or so, which people could come to or not depending on their mood and their other commitments. I was thinking along the lines of something very small and informal, sort of "see who's up for it" and decide where to go, whether just a drink at the local, a meal or something else. Sometimes there might just be a couple of people, sometimes a small group perhaps.

If you read this and have any thoughts or comments or may be interested in taking the idea further email me

Maybury Court garden party 2010
This year we decided to hold the party in May to avoid people's holiday plans and to try to stay clear of summer events in Marylebone which compete for our attention! This proved to be a good plan in that there was a very good turn-out, and although the weather was not entirely compliant (!) we know from past experience that this can't be blamed purely on the choice of month.

There have been quite a number of new arrivals at Maybury Court in past months, and it was fun to meet our new neighbours and exchange information. Our new neighbour Howard managed to upstage most of the others it should be said, in spite of his limited conversational skills! As usual there was an amazing array of dishes from all over the world (metaphorically speaking) and the slight chill in the air encouraged a wonderful hot soup and hot pasta dish - much appreciated.

Those of us who have been on board for the long and recently successful haul towards buying the freehold for Maybury Court very much wanted to say thank you to Alistair. Not only for captaining the ship and stopping us jumping overboard in frustration at all the obstacles, but for patiently and skilfully navigating the choppy and cut-throat waters of Dewaldenland and coming out the other side with us on board! Peter had organised a way of showing our appreciation of Alistair's unstinting efforts on our behalf, and the garden party seemed the fitting place to present Alistair with a token to "mark the spot" until he has chosen the painting(s) we are to buy for him.

We managed to stay dry all afternoon, although at times it looked as though our luck might run out, and we managed a long and enjoyable meal, sweets, and even chats over (instant) coffee, followed by a fairly hurried clearup, before the rains finally came down and we continued our conversations at Paul and Becca's accompanied by some definitely superior coffee!

Some photos.......click to enlarge

Maybury Court garden party 2009
In contrast to last year's party, the 2009 party had a more intimate feel and there was a chance to talk to everyone and linger longer over conversations.There were several new faces at the summer garden party this year and it was nice to meet new residents and to welcome them to Maybury Court.   As usual people brought delicious food and we relaxed in the warm afternoon sunshine making new friends, saying hello to old ones and meeting interesting guests. We realised after the fact that the Marylebone Fayre was on at the same time, so we will be careful to plan around a free weekend for our next event. On the other hand there was still time after the party to pop down to listen to the live bands in the warmth of the early evening.

Maybury Court garden party 2008
The Maybury Court summer garden party, over the two years of its existence, has managed to clock up a record for extreme weather conditions.  Last year we were rained out and had to retreat to ground floor flats whose residents kindly offered us hospitality, so the party could go on.  This year, instead of covering the food up with plastic cloths to keep the rain off, we had to move the food tables into the shade to protect the gourmet eateries from tropical sun.The garden was bathed in glorious sunshine as people started arriving bearing gifts of food, wine, soft drinks and ice. 

As last year, chairs and table had already been lent to us, and we had a handsome set of translucent red plates, bowls, proper cutlery and glasses, that Alistair had bought for us for last year’s party.  The cooks among us did us proud, and with all the thoughtful contributions it would have been worth it to come for the food alone. (So bear this in mind next year if you are stuck for something to have for lunch and are getting bothered by a bunch of noisy neighbours making a racket in the garden) However there was much much more than just food and wine.  Everyone can probably say that they met new people as well as catching up with neighbours they already knew or had met, and meeting interesting guests from “outside”. 

Everyone seemed to have plenty of information to exchange and things to say to each other, and we lingered in the garden into the early evening enjoying the onset of the shade as the afternoon progressed.Cleaning up was a breeze with plenty of people to help clear up, move tables, carry things back and wash up.  So a collective thanks to everyone who came and helped to make it a fun event.