Tower Beer Festival This Weekend!

The Tower, up on the corner of London Road and Tower Road, Bohemia TN37 6NB, is holding its annual real ale festival this weekend (facebook), from Friday the 21st to Sunday the 23rd of February 2025; 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday, 11am to 10pm Sunday... oh yes, and real ciders will be available too! Some of what will be available below:

New Year Dark Beer Festival!

Indeed, from today to Sunday (3rd-5th January 2025), The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR is holding a Dark Beer Festival (facebook): Opening at 13.00 today, and 12.00 Sat/Sunday.

There will be a large choice of styles amongst the cask and keg beers available, includes:

Stouts and Porters.

Other dark beers from abroad, and Belgian style brewed in UK.

Mild Ales and not so strong. But, whenever you visit, whatever you drink, do enjoy Hastings this weekend, and enjoy the Festival, cheers!

Black Friday 'Celebration'

Okay, it's 'Black Friday' but I have nothing to sell, let alone cheaply, so my 'bargain' is reporting on a beer that was my 'one for the road' last night, drank at The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (see my first blog about this atmospheric wee pub).

Brewed by Bristol brewery Left Handed Giant (website), this was their Celebration Blender, a 12.0% Imperial Stout, a blend of Imperial Stouts aged for 12-18 months in bourbon, maple syrup and rye wooden barrels. This was a very luxurious, smooth dark beer that smelt sweet from the maple syrup, and sweet to taste too, a bit of a dark pudding of a beer, as I said, luxurious!

Definitely a beer to end the night with, cheers, now go chase those bargains! 😁

It's September, it's Coastal Currents Arts Festival 2024!

Pinch punch, first day of the month! Indeed, it is the first day of September which means that it's Coastal Currents Arts Festival time, running throughout the month, with Open Studios this weekend and next weekend (7/8th September), and much more happening. For details of all the planned events, please go to the website, and have a great September folks!

Alexandra Park and the Pumphouse Cafe & Deli!

I wandered through Alexandra Park earlier today, somewhere I have written about quite a few times, eg blog. The Park was designed by Robert Marnock, who had already designed the Botanical Gardens in London's Regents Park, and was opened by the Princess of Wales at the time, Princess Alexandra in 1882, later Edward VII's Queen Alexandra. Something I did notice, that I hadn't noticed before, was plenty of small fish swimming in the southernmost pond in the Park, I'm not an expert, but I think they may be rudd... 🐟

To support the fact I hadn't walked through the Park for quite some time I also came upon a cafe and delicatessen that has been open for 10 months now, as Rod pointed out to me; open Tuesday to Sunday, 08.30 am to 5.00 pm. That is, the Pumphouse Cafe & Deli, Alexandra Park, St Helens Road TN34 2EL (website), shows how long since I've walked through the Park! If you want to know more about the history of this venture, go to their website. I was on a different venture, so didn't sample their wares this time, but, another time maybe...

Yet More Filming in Hastings!

Yes, even more filming in Hastings! You may have noticed that there has been filming going on from St Leonards to the Old Town this week? Well, it's for a second series of the television series The Gold (BBC), which is about the infamous 1983 Brinks-Mat gold robbery. Be ready to see even more of Hastings depicted on television...

Hastings: A Curious Town Dreams Festival 31/5 - 4/6/23

From today (31st May) until Sunday (4th June) A Curious Town Dreams Festival is to be held at The Observer Building, The Printworks, Gotham Alley and the surrounding area (website), that is a "5-day immersive combined arts festival." 

The Festival will bring together around 100 artists and performers creating around the theme of Dreams by way of artwork, cabaret, comedy, storytelling, poetry, music, dancing, workshops and more... The Festival begins today with a Dream Mapping Workshop, 'Beyond the Duvet' and 'Crystalline Dreams' Sound Bath (website).

For the rest of the Festival's events see the website, and enjoy!

Perry, Cider & Beer at the Jolly Fisherman

By Steve the Beermeister

OK, a few days ago I visited The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (website), a lovely wee pub that I have written about a few times now, eg blog. OK, I didn't drink cider this visit, although I had intended to, but had a couple of perries, and a significant dark beer. It was an enjoyable visit, so I thought, why not share that blog here, and only a wee bit edited!?! 😉

I started off with the very easy to drink Turners Cider of Marden in the Weald of Kent (website) Perry (5.5%), gluten free and vegan friendly, and made with 100% Kentish Pears. Medium dry, pale, with a big pear fruit aroma, very refreshing indeed, nice one!

But Oliver, the landlord, seemed very disappointed with me, I could tell, as he suggested I should try the "more complex" Ross on Wye Cider & Perry Company (website) Bartestree Squash & Gin Pear Perry, there's a mouthful in just the name! Made in Herefordshire blending two different pear variety perries, Bartestree Squash Perry and Gin Perry, yes, I was confused too! A 5.6% dry perry, a wee bit bitter, pale yellow with a big fruity nose, I got peach as well as the pear you would expect, and Oliver was correct, complex and well worth drinking indeed. 👍

Then John came into the equation, well, I was halfway through the complex perry when he came into the bar, and he obviously needed company, so, after his suggestion what I should drink before I left was pretty special too, I decided to have another, just a two-thirds this time though... From WAY up int' north of England, from Wylem Brewery in Newcastle (website), and their 6.5% "Hazelnut Praline Coffee Porter" Macchiato. Personally, I got chocolate hazelnut praline more than the coffee suggested, but certainly a BIG beer, body++ and, and I've said similar before, a bit of a pudding of a beer, amazingly good considering the sweetness, cheers all! 👌

Pickled Quails' Eggs!

OK, the jar had already been relieved of a few eggs by the time I took this photograph, but I couldn't resist the pickled quails' eggs that were on sale yesterday from the bar of the Albion (website), and which I've written about before (eg blog), they're wee and they're very tasty! And many thanks to Claire for her generosity, cheers m'dear! 👍

It's not just a great place for ale, pies and pasties in Hastings Old Town... 

Just £5 for a tastefully packaged and well-packed jar, I'll be back!

Hastings the Happiest Place in Sussex - Official! Plus more...

Indeed, Hastings has been rated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as the happiest place to live in Sussex, with a happiness rating of 7.9, which is above the national average of 7.45 (Sussex Live). If you want to know more about the research, and comparisons to other 'well-being' statistics and areas of the country, go to the ONS website. It appears the really happy English live in Hexham up int' north, and Brits? Well people in Northern Ireland are the happiest, makes you wonder about the Brexit fuss on that side of the Irish Sea! But good news for us still.

Back in September I gave a very unsubtle hint about the takeover of The Italian Way by Rocksalt (blog), well it is now well and truly open, and has been busy when I've passed it whilst open, this image is from earlier this morning. And it most definitely sells Italian style food still, with just the one burger, the Rocksalt Italian Burger!

I've written a few times about the closure of St Mary in the Castle (for example, blog), not such good news, and looking into the restaurant yesterday (above) cleared of trappings, it looks pretty bleak, so for here, still not so good news, yet...

To cheer me up I took a photo of the lights in the town centre early doors, Hastings Council does like to illuminate early every year, but it does look nice. 👍

Oh yes, and the issue of 39-41 George Street, where scaffolding had blocked the road for ages until removal 2 years ago (blog), well, it's still boarded up (above), but approval has been given for the demolition of the former amusement arcade and nightclub. In its place the construction of ground floor commercial units with 20 flats above has been approved (Sussex World), see the image below of how it should then look.

That's all from me today folks, enjoy the weekend!

Bye Bye for now St Mary in the Castle...

I wrote earlier in the year (eg blog) that St Mary in the Castle would be closing at the end of October as the St Mary in the Castle Charitable Trust was not renewing the lease due to understandable reasons, namely, it could not raise enough money to cover costs, whether through grants, ticket sales or other means. Today they announced on facebook their sad goodbye after the final event held there last night.

Indeed, a sad loss to Hastings and its facilities, my fingers are crossed that a suitable cultural partner can be found to replace the Trust very soon, adieu... 😢

Information about St Mary in the Castle's history in this older blog.

More Water Trouble?

Interesting that the promenade opposite The Carlisle pub has been blocked off for a few days now, with notice boards saying "due to Flooding Issues" 😕 but the Government's own website says there are "no flood warnings or alerts" in Hastings and it's been pretty dry recently! Is this another example of problems with the water companies and polluted water? See recent blog.

Hmmm...

Follow that Duck!

Yes, Follow that Duck! Yesterday a friend castigated me for not writing anything about the ducks that have appeared across town, there are more than 50 apparently, so I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, cheers Louise, I deserved it! 😉 Particularly, as the 'rubber duck' sculpture opposite Johnny Swan's The Net Shop in Rock-a-Nore Road, and next to Hastings Contemporary, features the local fishing industry, notably standing out on the Duck's 'bow' (above)  RX134 Stacie Marie (blog).

Outside M&S, Queens Road

If you haven't stopped to read what it's about, it's about raising money for our local hospice, St Michael's (website), directly below each sculpture is the prompt to text DUCK to 70580, which would donate £5 to the hospice. There are other ways of supporting suggested too, and the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise more money to support the great service that the staff of St Michael's provide (website). Sculptures go westwards as far as Bexhill, and the event is due to end on the 4th of September.

Follow that Duck! 👉

A damp Hastings Day & another mains water leak in South Terrace!

Okay, maybe not as damp as forecasters predicted, but the view over the Channel this morning, about 05.40 (above), despite the hint of a rainbow, looked a wee bit ominous... Thankfully, the dark clouds just ran from west to east above/along the English Channel, and didn't visit Hastings, indeed, only bringing a short shower at 06.00, and a few showers and tiny rumble of thunder later...

However, on my way home just now, dampness reared its head again, this time from below, just by the Priory Meadow goods entrance in South Terrace, where sprang a serious mains leak, as water pumped up through the surface, be warned!

This led to the road being closed for nearly 24 hours...

It appears Covid infections in Hastings are increasing...

I'm not surprised, particularly as legal restrictions were removed by the Government recently, and we more recently experienced the very lively Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival, but the rates of Covid-19 infection in Hastings appear to be rising, from an already higher than the national average figure. As reported by the BBC, based on NHS England figures, for the week ending the 7th of March, the number of people in Hastings recorded as being infected with Covid-19 had risen from the previous week by 198, and was 286 higher than the national average per 100,000 of 465.

So, as we were aware it wouldn't, Covid-19 has not gone away, indeed I've continued to wear a face mask in shops and when travelling on public transport, as I believe it is more with respect to other people's fears, the effectiveness of face coverings preventing the spread of the disease, and I've always regularly washed my hands. Anyway, it's not time to feel completely secure against the pandemic, so stay safe folks!

It will be interesting to see the next week's figures... 

COVID-19 Vaccinations & Superstar Saturday...

Today, Saturday the 12th of February, across Hastings, Superstar Saturday provides the opportunity for those aged 12 or over to receive 1st, 2nd or booster jabs as appropriate from 10.00 to 16.00, and no appointment required, at these locations:

• Hastings Town Hall, Priory Square entrance TN34 1QR
• Pelham Place car park, Pelham Place, Hastings TN34 3AD
• Laycock Pharmacy, 494 Old London Road, Hastings TN35 5BL (9am-1pm only)
• The Hastings Centre, The Ridge, Hastings TN34 2SA
• Hollington Tesco, Church Wood Drive, St Leonards TN38 9RB
• Silverhill Asda, Battle Road, St Leonards TN37 7AA
• Clarity Pharmacy, 28 Kings Road, St Leonards TN37 6DU

Go to the Sussex Health and Care Partnership website for further information, and for details of the free prize draw that all those vaccinated can enter, stay safe!

 

Safest to Near Unsafest back to Near Safest, couldn't make it up!

'tis strange, how we feel about incidence rates of COVID-19, which in Hastings back in November, had the lowest incidence in the whole of England and Wales, with about 30 cases at the rate per 100,000 of 31.3 compared to the national average of 167/100,000 at the time (blog). The rate then shot up in November into the new year and Hastings became one of the unsafest places to live in the country (HastingsOnlineTimes)!

So, where are we now? Well, I shan't tempt fate, but during the last week the incidence reduced to just ONE person in Hastings, ie less than 1 per 100,000, compared to the national average of 12 per 100,000, and I was so proud of our record back when Hastings was the safest place in the country with 30/31 cases! See the BBC for any area you are interested in and national statistics, but how expectations change... 

Great stuff, fingers crossed, but carry on staying safe folks!

Mallinson's Calypso delivered to my Door!

I recently wrote a blog about a couple of excellent ales I had delivered to me and enjoyed drinking immensely. Well, I couldn't resist the cask conditioned ale they provided this week either, from another excellent Yorkshire brewery, Mallinson's Brewing Company (website), and their 3.9% single hopped Calypso. Again, I was very pleased yesterday to receive a visit from the same jolly crew from The Jolly Fisherman (website) Alfred, Becky and Oliver, with respectful social distancing maintained at delivery, and it's always a pleasure to see this family; indeed, I'm looking forward to drinking at their micropub in the reasonably near future, fingers crossed...

The Calypso hop is another of my favourite hops bred and grown in the Yakima Valley in the US of A, and Mallinson's Calypso is a pale golden light refreshing ale, and so easy to drink. There is an amazingly complex fruity aroma and taste, with pears, apples, citrus and tropical fruits, and a wonderful dry bitter finish with grapefruit to the taste. It's pretty damn good, cheers!

And I can't get Suzanne Vega's Calypso (YouTube) out of my mind, which is not a bad thing. 👌

And a reminder, if you live in Hastings, or close by, and you want something delivered from The Jolly Fisherman; deliveries are made most afternoons/early evenings, with a new cask ale each week for the Friday delivery, plus they sell keg and bottled beers, ciders, wine, etc etc... Do have a look at their website for more details and to place an order.

If you don't live down here, check in your own locality for suppliers, or I provided ideas in an older blog; the links appear to work still. Good searching and drinking, and cheers! 👍

Hastings to Bexhill Walk "The Musical"

I had to include this image at Pelham Beach because it is so amusing, an outdoor beach gym thingamabob and notice saying "This facility is closed" - Honest! 😂 Anyway, an eclectic mix of music, something that tells a story for each image: Walking From Hastings to Bexhill & Back The Musical, first link to YouTube. Oh yes, and I took these photographs earlier today, mostly...

My second image is, well you can see it, Hastings Pier, sadly closed until who knows when, and there was such hope for an expanding and exciting future at one time (for example, blog), but either the Administrators' ineptitude, incompetence and/or a stuffed brown envelope left it in the hands of Mr G, annoyingly; anyway, YouTube.

OK, I really should have posted the photograph I took of the Azur Pavilion, but it doesn't look great with all the shutters closed, so I posted this, if you've seen the film Byzantium, you'll know what I'm getting at, cue YouTube.

This wonderful building I have written about many times before, particularly detailed in this blog, and a highly appropriate song from YouTube.

And you really can hear the echo of the sea hitting the beach, and quite severely today too, off the sand cliffs here; Great song (for me anyway) at YouTube.

If you've walked this walk before you will be aware that this is the cliff side of Galley Hill, I did take a photograph of the road going up the hill, but it wasn't good, anyway cue YouTube, and I didn't run... By someone I had a bit of a crush on as a younger man, and who I would have been very happy to run up hills with in those days. 😉

So, here we are at Bexhill, and I own up, this wasn't taken today (as if you couldn't have guessed), but my brother calls me lots of things, maybe the best of which is 'Mr Blue Sky' (don't fall for that one 😉), as he says I regularly exhibit Blue Sky Thinking. As it was pretty overcast earlier I used this photograph as an exquisite image with plenty of blue sky! The De La Warr Pavilion (blog), championed by the 9th Earl De La Warr, however, his father, the 8th Earl De La Warr, turned Bexhill on Sea into the "Birthplace of British Motor Racing" from 1902, indeed, running up Galley Hill (website).

Anyway, my final piece of fun music @ YouTube, hope you enjoyed the musical! 😊

Covid-19 Cases in Hastings

The number of people with COVID-19 infection in Hastings is increasing, and has persistently increased since children and young adults returned to schools/college, but Hastings remains well below the national average thankfully. For example, there were 41 new cases in Hastings for the week 14-20 October, that is equivalent to 44 per 100,000, compared to the average of 123 per 100,000 in England. Also, recorded deaths of people in Hastings related to COVID-19 still remain at 11 since the outbreak began earlier in the year, which hasn't altered for a couple of months now (BBC).

Respect each other and stay safe folks!