And they say “Nothing Ever Happens In Cosham / Cosham Is Boring”
Well thats obviously B’ Locks.
Either they had an unexpected delivery from a passing plane or its a message from the gods.
Ice block falls from the sky on to Cosham High Street – East Hampshire – The News.
I had the great pleasure, on Saturday night, to see Guys and Dolls. This being the latest production by the Stage One Youth Theatre Group. This group never cease to amaze. Although they are, by definition, an amateur group their productions are anything but. The members of the cast range in age from 8 to 18 and they are perhaps the most enthusiastic group that I have ever encountered.
Anyone who has ever trod the boards will know how daunting it can be to step out in front of an audience. The members of this group seem to overcome any reservations and burst onto stage if not with broad smiles on their faces then with a gleam in their eyes.
Guys an Dolls was no exception. Although this was not perhaps their best ever production, it was right up there with the best.Certain aspects of this production were a bit shaky and there were a couple of bum notes from the orchestra. The highlights of the show, for me, were the performance from Megan Healy as Miss Adelaide, Sam Ring as Sky Masterson, Natasha Brown as Sarah Brown and James Lawbuary as Arvide Abernathy. All managed to sing and act at the same time with particularly strong vocal performance from Ring and Brown. All in all it was an exuberant show and most of the audience that I observed when leaving were in high spirits, with smiles of pleasure on their faces.
Over the years I have seen many Stage One performances including Les Miserables, Oliver, Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story, Oklahoma, Bugsy Malone and Me & My Girl. As you can see from this list they do not shy away from the more complex productions. These shows have moved me through the whole gamut of emotions, from tears to full belly laughs. To my way of thinking these productions are great value for money. Where else can you be entertained with music and action from the West End shows without having to pay West End prices.
What a cracking day it is today.
As I type this I am grooving to B.B. Kings “The Thrill Is Gone”. The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky which is currently a watery blue. 
There are Blue Tits, Great Tits, a pair of Jenny Wrens, a Robin and a pair of Blackbirds investigating the garden all being observed by a Grey Squirrel sat on a fence post.
The only minor negative is that, in my normal working position, the sun has reached a position such that it is shining directly in my face and I can’t see the monitor screen. So I have had to rearrange the furniture.
Having done that I now find that I am on a slight cant due to the fact that my conservatory has broken its back and the floor is uneven due to some movement of the clay soil base. My table is bridging either side of the break and the text that I am typing goes uphill from left to right.
But, hey, this is only a temporary situation. When the weather warms up I will move back to my usual location in the darkness which is the garage.
I might have to rethink the last. There is no view of the outside word in there.
I must be the least enthusiastic car buyer on the planet. I ordered the car back in October of last year after an “exhaustive” search, trekking around the various dealerships.
I haven’t test driven any cars but I did sit in quite a few. After all my criteria for determining if a car is going to be suitable are very simple. Most cars offered by the major manufacturer’s seem to have similar specs. They have to meet the same international standards for safety etc. and since I was looking at a family car then the handling and so forth was going to be fairly similar across all makes. I know there will be differences but I wasn’t looking at buying a sports car and won’t be driving any car to its extremes. Finally I was also limited by what I could afford so there was one last criteria that had to be fulfilled.
Would I fit in it ?
Being a tad on the large size, that is over six-foot tall and weighing in at around twenty stone I don’t like to feel crowded. Nor do I like to be touching the sides of the car during normal driving conditions.
In the end my choices seem to be limited to either a Skoda Octavia or the Renault Megane. The final selection was governed by the actual spec of the car and so I plumped for the Megane.
Friends and family have been asking me if I am getting excited and I have steadfastly maintained that I am not. It’s just a car. OK its a brand new car.
So I suppose, now the day is upon me I am, I admit, getting mildly curious.
Sorry but I just had to shout for the “home” team.
The latest IBM supercomputer Watson is taking on two previous winners of the TV quiz show, Jeopardy. The show is airing over the next three nights.
This is just the latest of a series of Man V Machine challenges that IBM have launched as part of their research into artificial intelligence. Most notable of these was the Chess challenge between IBM’s “Deep Blue” and Gary Kasparov back in 1997. On that occasion Deep Blue won.
So come on Watson I’m expecting great things from you.
Me, my wife and two friends had a fabulous meal at The Roebuck last night. The food here is always very good and choices from last nights menu were well up tothe usual standard.
Only three of us opted to have an appetizer. My wife and one of our friends had the Avocado and Prawns while I had Homemade Country Pate with Brandy and Herbs. For the mains my wife and I both chose from the specials board and had Lamb Steak and Haunch of Venison respectively. Our friends had the Duck Breast with Mango Sauce and the Roebuck Game Pie. By the time we were ready for dessert it came down to choices for just three of us again. So it was Black Cherries with Kirsch for two and I had the Sticky Toffee Gateaux from the specials board. We were all well and truly stuffed
As usual our meal was served to the traditional backdrop of Mark Squires, our host, playing many familiar tunes on the piano. The atmosphere was very warm and cheerful.
Our meal came to £104 which included our drinks. Not the cheapest of meals but given the welcoming atmosphere and the cozy surroundings I would always recommend this establishment for a special celebration.
Follow the link below to read about some of what happens in the hours leading up to a game.
Keeping the Fratton faithful safe – A Weekend With – The News.
When Cllr Malcolm Hey walked out of a meeting to avoid having to listen to Muslim prayers there were calls for him to be sacked.
I voiced my opinion then that he should receive a bollocking for the disrespect he showed and that sacking was a typical knee-jerk reaction that seems to be popular in this country and a punishment that was disproportional to the crime.
Now it seems he has not been attending meetings but has still claimed the expenses. As a result he has been sacked.
Well it seems that he has gotten what he deserved.
Councillor is sacked for not attending meetings – Politics – The News.
Good news and another step to breaking the virtual monopoly that Sky has over the satellite marketplace. As a result of the control that they have they are able to keep their prices ridiculously high.
We were sold EU membership on the basis that we would have equal rights with regard to the work place, travel and choice of goods and services. Well we have seen anything but.
Great Britain is seen by all the major marketeers as “Treasure Island” and Sky has been and continues to be one of the biggest pirates raiding the treasure chest that is the captive market place. Trapped as we are by the ludicrous and artificial borders which define who can transmit and who can receive.
If this helps to break their stranglehold then so much the better.
So I’m sitting here in West Quay, Southampton. Scummer Land my granddaughter, a Pompey fan, would say.
Why am I here ?
Well I’m waiting for my wife who has a post-laser treatment appointment. Rather than sit on the less than comfortable seats in the shop I am sat outside, people watching. Hence the title.
Who are all these folks ?
Where are they going ?
Very few seem to be happy. Faces rigid, neutral, expressionless. Some look left or right into the shop windows but most stare, zombie like, straight ahead.
Perhaps I should try looking at my own reflection in one of those same shop windows.
Oh and my apologies, of course, to Genesis.
WrAnTz 