Little Johnny Russells are offering a Wine sale this January and February with selected bottles priced at £7 while stocks last every Sunday and Wednesday. There is a wide selection of Red, White and Rose wines from Italy, Chile, Spain and South Africa. Can’t go wrong.
This Saturday and Sunday I went on the same early morning rides over to Hayling Island from Southsea. A nice way to start off group rides so early in the year with a 20 mile jaunt with old and new friends alike. Although it was freezing, the prize of a warm pub at the end was more than enough to keep my mind off that fact that I couldn’t feel my toes and legs. Might still be a bit early in the year for shorts.
Really good days and loads of fun. Especially getting tucked into The Ferry Boat Inn over on Hayling where two meals are £5 and it’s just £1.79 a pint. Needless to say we had a few beers. To say the least…
Check out some more random pics over at my Flickr
A new Drum & Bass night at The Wedgewood Rooms backed by Baby SUMO. Get your shuffle on boys and girls. Banging.
The No.6 Cinema on Saturday 23 January at 7pm wish for you to join them for wine, music and poetry readings followed by their first screening of the stunning Keats biopic ‘Bright Star’. Bright Star is set in Hampstead, 1818 where tubercular poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) falls in love with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish); who becomes the muse of some of the English language’s most perfect love letters.
There will be live music from The House Band who play a range of music from Irish jigs, reels and hornpipes to polkas, modern folk music and popular music and well-known songs from the 50s onward. Nineveh Books of Havant, who have a strong connection to Keats who spent his last night in England at the Mill in Bedhampton, will be on hand with Keats related books and to read from his work.
Join No. 6 for a glass of wine and salmon nibbles for only £3.50.
Steve Bomford gave us the heads up on this wonderful short film made up of old film footage, from the 50s to the 70s, filmed around Portsmouth and Southsea. If you like looking at some vintage Portsmouth and Southsea you will love this (really interesting to see the Guildhall before it was pedestrianised and the buildings were demolished for the council offices). › Continue reading
Blueprint Skateboards recently put up an interview with the guys at Bored as part of their advocacy program, profiling the shops that have supported Blueprint the hardest. Pop over to the Blueprint website to have a read.
Best skater employee?
Toby Taylor, some people may say the wrong side of thirty for a skater but still we put our chips on him every time.
(The Blueprint team having a kickabout on Southsea Common)
It’s fair to say that we all loved The Tricorn outside of it’s it intent. A classic example of people reinventing architecture far beyond it’s original purpose. This short film doesn’t delve too deeply in to the many uses and inspirations The Tricorn had to offer, but it’s still a nice watch.
“An imaginative portrait of a futuristic concrete experiment of a shopping centre (‘the ugliest building in the world’ according to Prince Charles), built in the 1960s coastal town of Portsmouth, England. Loved or loathed, it developed a passionate cult following of artists and skateboarders but has now lost the battle for life.”
Directed by David Ferrone and Martin Fickling. › Continue reading
Following the success of last year’s event The Kings Theatre will be once again opening the Spring season with an open day event on Saturday 23rd January from 10.00am – 5.00pm. Now is your chance to get behind the scenes and discover the secrets of the theatre:
Drama:
Professional Workshops for all ages, and your chance to join the new Kings Youth Theatre.
Dance:
Professional workshops for children, Street Dance, and your chance to audition for the English Youth Ballet.
Art and Literature:
Be inspired by the theatre’s wonderful archive items and create a piece in response. The workshops will be lead by two professional artists and are available to adults and children. In collaboration with Aspex Gallery and the Libaries Service.
Film:
Filming of the documentary The Kings throughout history. What can you remember? This is your chance to tell the Theatre what you love about The Kings. In collaboration with City Eye. The theatre will also be screening The Caretaker (filmed at The Kings in 2009).
Technical:
Trips to the Fly Floor, Lighting Desk and Follow Spot demonstrations.
Plus stage make up, dressing up, meet the characters, tours, presentations and a heritage display throughout the day. Tickets are only £2.50 and all the workshops are free.
Hayling Billy trail is a really popular cycling, running and even horse riding trail that runs along the Langstone Harbour edge of Hayling Island. On the 26th February a new section of the trail will be opened to the public by David Willets MP, portfolio holder Jenny Wride along with Simon Pratt from Sustrans. The opening starts at Havant Road Langstone at the junction with Mill Lane at 10.30 am and then there will be tea and coffee at the Sailing Club after the opening with a small display showing future joint cycle improvement and safe routes to school projects that Sustrans, HCC and HBC are intending to carry out within the Borough over the next 18 months.
Hayling Billy also runs past the old Oyster Beds at the northerly point of the island, are a great place to visit to spot birds this time of year.
One of Southsea’s friendliest faces, awesome photographer and part of the COR crew Mark Persaud just uploaded ‘Journeys in the Metropolis’, a series of timelapses showing people’s travels within Southsea and Portsmouth. For more information about the edit see the YouTube page.
As you may know each year we run a home brew competition in February where the winning brew has the opportunity to be brewed by Irving & Co Brewing Co. and sold around the city in the summer. Last year’s brew, the Strong Island Hopper Ale, was hugely successful being one of Inving’s best selling ales and selling out so quickly it went through a second brew run. This year’s winning ale is Dry Dock No. 1, originally brewed by Lee Immins, went on sale in some of Portsmouth and Southsea’s pubs over the weekend.
We spoke to The Hole in The Wall in Southsea who said the new ale went down a storm with it being their best seller on Sunday and with almost two barrels empty by the end of the Bank Holiday weekend. Those guys at the Hole in The Wall and their regular ale drinkers know their stuff so for us this was amazing early news with the ale.
To officially launch Dry Dock No. 1 we are having a launch party with the lovely souls at The Belle Isle on Thursday evening. The ale will be on full flow, come down and try a pint or two. As well as being on sale all around the city the ale will also be available in Chichester’s Belle Isle too, so you can drink it away from home for the first time too.
Just over a year ago, a group of Strong Islanders were sat on the Isle of Wight ferry on our way to the yearly Randonnee cycling event; 60 miles around the island spread across 5 checkpoints. Whilst on the crossing we couldn’t help but admire various enthusiasts and their custom team jerseys. Fast forward a year and it is my great pleasure to unveil the Strong Island cycling jersey. Made as a one off for the event, the jersey is our way of representing this city and all the values that come with it. Thanks to the combined designing efforts of Chris Ballingall and Tristan Savage, we were able to produce this clean, retro looking jersey that 11 of Southsea’s finest could wear to conquer the island’s endless hills. Well done chaps.
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