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:

Breakfast at the Dugout Cafe, St Leonards

I haven't eaten an English Breakfast at a cafe for ages, but spontaneously dropped in (or up into) the Dugout Cafe, Seaside Road, St Leonards TN38 0AL (facebook), as I walked down towards it this morning, and a couple of friends were heading for it recently, when I was in the area, so I presumed it was decent. They reopened in March this year, presumably under new management, and haven't finished refurbishing the downstairs yet, hence the up into, and not suitable for wheelchair users yet; the stairs are quite steep.

The menu is quite varied, but I was here for the breakfast, so ignored the rest, I didn't want 2 sausages, as they're not my favourite part of a breakfast, so I went for the Small Breakfast, but with mushrooms as an extra (I do like my mushrooms, and they were good), and a mug of tea from the off. The breakfast (below) included 1 sausage, not bad quality, but deep fried to reheat, presumably, so a bit tough skin-wise, and 2 rashers of bacon, which were a bit overcooked, so I'm guessing they'd been cooked earlier and kept warm; it was about 10.30.

The baked beans were, well, baked beans, hard to alter unless you add Worcestershire Sauce, and the egg was freshly fried, nice yellow yolk, perfect runniness. The Hash Brown was deep fried too, I imagine, so a wee bit oily, but the toast was just perfect, spread with butter, but I presume I could ask for it not to be, but what the heck, I'm treating myself!

The view from where I sat (above image), by the top right-hand window in the first image, shame about the telegraph pole, but still a nice view out to sea. This is across where the old lido used to be (Lost Lidos). The service was very friendly from the 2 young women working there, speedy, and efficient. The room was clean and bright, and the toilets looked clean too, although I didn't need to use them. My breakfast with tea came to £9.00, which I thought was good value for what was on the plate. Now a period of abstinance before my next Full English.

Hastings Philharmonic & Food - Saturday 5th November

OK, I have to admit it, the image above is one I took of a Hastings Philharmonic concert from last year, however, I forgot to take a photograph on Saturday... Again though, I visited the quite majestic 19th century Christ Church, Silchester Road (corner with London Road) St Leonards TN37 6GL (website) for their Autumn Concert 2022. Oh yes, and my niece was singing at both 'gigs' which started this time with the rousing Magnificat in D by Bach, then My Heart is Inditing by Purcell, and finally Te Deum by Charpentier. Excellent!

Before the concert my brother and I treated my niece to a 'snacky' meal at Reel (website), the restaurant within Kino-Teatr,  43-49 Norman Road, St Leonards TN38 0EG (website), agreeing that we didn't fancy anything too heavy beforehand. I'd never visited here before, but was waiting for an opportunity, and it was not far from the church, so I suggested here, and we were all very pleased with the choice. So, convivial chat, a drink, and we shared 3 of the starters and a bowl of fries, and very tasty too: House Pate and Toast, Spicy Chicken Tacos and House Hummus and Flatbread. 👌

I excuse myself as the photographs haven't come out too well, apologies, but I'll blame the lighting 😉 and above is the entrance to the cinema, within a gallery beside the restaurant, nothing compares to you! 👍

We saw a few fireworks on the way home too... 🎆

Play Misty For Me: Walking and Some More...

After quite a while not walking across Hastings Country Park, for many reasons, I ventured across to Fairlight and back early(ish) yesterday morning, and you've got it! It was a wee bit misty... I walked along the seafront to the East Hill, stopping for a chat with Paul (the street cleaner), always a great chat, then up the 200-odd steps of the East Hill; looking back in the photograph above, and mist...

I crossed the East Hill to Barley Lane, for a while walking along with, and chatting to, one of my new friends I made in the first lockdown, he mentioned he hadn't seen me for a while, and I left him to get into his car in Barley Lane, whilst I carried on eastwards until I was above Fairlight Glen, which I walked down into, and back up out of (above), and, yes, it was still misty...

I then walked across to, and down into, and back out of, Warren Glen, across the top and into the larger of the old Fairlight sand quarries, where I spotted this new information board, maybe someone had read my blog last year, certainly this information could have been shared long ago, better late than never. 😉 Interestingly, there are not just new information boards around, another at the new visitors' centre at Fairlight, Bale House (blog), but quite a few new direction signs too.

And some bullocks have turned up during my absence (above, just down from the information centre), this in addition to the usual 6 Belted Galloway, which can just be seen in the photograph below, way down across Warren Glen, honest!

Warren Glen, still misty!

And walking back, to my right, is this field (above) with wild flowers, including sunflowers, it will likely have a crop planted next year, and still misty! Oh yes, and I collected sufficient sloe berries for this year's vintage sloe gin...

And from Fairlight to St Leonards, indeed, even as far to the north as Westfield, the weekend just gone, and next weekend 11th and 12th September, there are the Coastal Currents Arts Festival Open Studios (website), keep your eyes open too! Examples...

I'm sure I wanted to say something else too, I'll likely remember by tomorrow, cheers!

Oh yes, the West Hill Lift is working again! 😀

I enjoyed Rachmaninoff's 'All-Night Vigil' in St Leonards

Supporting Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra, not to mention my niece, who was singing with them, I enjoyed their recent performance of Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil (website), a cappella choral composition that he wrote in 1915, the music and song played at Christ Church (website) at St Leonards. I'd never been in this church before and was very impressed, and was also impressed with the rendition, quality!

If you would like to support Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra go to their website, and/or join their mailing list (website).

Christmas Day Walk Photos & Another Bakers Shop!

Not much chatting for me today, but it was glorious yesterday, if a bit chilly, so I wandered out to St Leonards along the seafront, and Beachy Head waaay over there!

I turned around at Marina Court and headed to the Old Town and one of my favourite views down Rock-a-Nore Road, I nearly added a photograph of the Stacey Marie, but, despite repainting it very recently she's not among today's photographs. 

A lovely 'blue sky' image of the Lifeboat Station with the East Hill in the background.

OK, I own up that I'm a bit late, apparently it reopened as a baker's shop a few weeks ago, but the Old Customs House is now an outlet for Frankonia (website). I'm assured by my mate Frank that it's nothing to do with him, but he also assured me that there are good bakers shops in St Leonards too, but I only noticed the Customs House had become a bakers shop a couple of days ago, and didn't know about St Leonards bakers. Sorry, but I just don't eat much bread and patisseries, so can't really review bakers, but there's another one in the Old Town now! 😉

And on my way home I had to take a photograph looking up at the West Hill, with St Mary in the Castle and Pelham Crescent sitting below the ruins of Hastings Castle. 

Happy St Stephen's Day!

More filming in Hastings!

Walking along the seafront early this morning I noticed a new film set at the Pelham Beach Car Park, so I had to find out what was going on and ended up having a chat with someone at a 'time out' whilst filming along the promenade later. They are filming an episode of a 4-part television political thriller by playwright David Hare, and starring Hugh Laurie, called Roadkill (Radio Times), to be shown later this year.

Local lad David Hare was born and bred in St Leonards.

Nomadic Beach Huts - Late News!

OK, sorry, I'm a wee bit late, but the nomadic Azur/St Leonards/Bulverhythe beach huts haven't been accorded their timely move to their winter site as early as I usually comment, eg blog, anyway, now at their summer site (above).

At Bulverhythe yesterday

Sorry about that 😉

Missing Cat - Last seen in St Leonards/Bohemia.

Missing Bengal cat, lost since its humans moved, I believe, and last seen in St Peter's Road, St Leonards/Bohemia, please get in touch by phone if spotted, many thanks!

No need to sleep rough in wintry conditions!

If you are sleeping rough, know anyone who is, or meet anyone who is sleeping rough in Hastings, there is no need to do so these freezing nights, go to Christ Church in London Road, St Leonards by 10pm, see video on facebook.

Christmas Trees...

Now I'm not making any religious remarks here at all, but Christmas Trees can be quite enthralling, and, I believe, the idea comes from a very old pagan tradition, but I'm bitterly disappointed with the public ones around town... For example, the main tree, outside Debenhams in the town centre, well, it's impressively big, but only has a few very small lights, and way up high!

The tree in Butlers gap in George Street in the old town appears to have more lights per square metre, and, presumably, it's supplied by the Old Town Traders? Anyway, please correct me if I'm wrong, but it does appear to have about 10 times as many lights per square metre as the one in the town centre!

And then, over to St Leonards, and, frankly, I couldn't notice any lights whatsoever, though a fairly impressive tree, however, as I've said elsewhere, it would be better if it was still rooted in the ground...

Apologies for the poor quality, but I took this photograph early morning with my mobile phone, but the tree in Priory Meadow does have lights and baubles, making it the most decorated public Christmas Tree of the lot, though...

This was similar, taken 5 years ago by me, a bit more impressive... oh well, we're living in a world of austerity, fair enough, Bah Humbug!

More beach huts!

More beach huts east of the Pier?!? I've not seen anyone occupy those at St Leonards, west of the Azur Pavilion, opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel, yet, this year!

More Art on the Beach... with Pebbles!

I took these photographs yesterday morning below St Leonards, so I'm guessing they are something to do with the St Leonards Festival over the weekend...

Quite a few more too, nice one, or twelve!

Poly Styrene Exhibition

There is an exhibition in the crypt of St Mary in the Castle until the 30th June regarding Poly Styrene, lead singer and founder of the, primarily, 1970s punk band X-ray Spex, who wrote and sang iconic punk songs such as Identity (youtube) and Germ Free Adolescents (youtube). Now, I know about her, well, because I am of a certain age, but I was surprised to hear from 2 younger women I know that they had never heard of her!

So, who was Poly Styrene (misspelt 'Steryne' by St Mary's, not sure why)? She was born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said in Bromley in 1957, and was brought up in Brixton, London. Her links to Hastings? Well, her mother came from Hastings, though of celtic stock (Marianne's father was Somali), she was inspired to form the band X-ray Spex after seeing the Sex Pistols play on Hastings Pier in 1976, and she moved to an end of terrace house in St Leonards in her later life, enjoying riding along the promenade on her scooter.

Poly Styrene was a rebel, no doubt, she left home at 15 for two or three years visiting music festivals and hitchhiking around the country, after her first experience of punk, seeing the Sex Pistols in 1976, X-ray Spex brought out their debut single in September 1977, the anti-consumerism, anti-misogyny, anti-racist, Oh Bondage! Up Yours! I'd suggest you don't click on any video links here if you can't cope with bad language or more liberal views of life, but this was punk, after all; youtube link. 

Poly Styrene developed breast cancer, which spread to her spine and lungs, and died whilst in St Michael's Hospice, St Leonards, in 2011. Her daughter, Celeste Bell, herself a singer in the mode of her once classically trained mother, has been involved in the writing of the documentary Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche, and a biography is due out next year; see her Guardian article written earlier this year.

Sadly, I missed the play Highly Inflammable, but you can still get into the exhibition at St Mary in the Castle until Friday 30th June 2017, 10am to 4pm; see website.

Poly Styrene, Marianne, 1957-2011, R.I.P. 😢 

Jack in the Green Festival Starts Today!

OK, today starts with music, but the Festival carries on until the procession on Monday; see Jack in the Green website for further details. Of course, music continues at all the regular venues as usual, the pubs and bars, and a special Liane Carroll Trio gig at the Kino Theatre, St Leonards, on Sunday, you'll never guess who the other two are... or, you will if you regularly follow music in Hastings!

Of course, the May Day weekend doesn't only mean Jack in the Green, as thousands of motorbikes descend upon Hastings on May Day, which is, indeed, May the 1st this year!

I'll add a couple more blogs this weekend to keep up to date on events over the next few days, and the weather forecast looks good too, so enjoy!

Sea Road Overnight Parking...

I was advised by a friend who lives nearby that overnight caravan parking was being prevented in Sea Road, by the old open-air Swimming Baths, St Leonards, and, whilst on a walk to Bexhill, I had a gander. Obviously a device to 'kill two birds with one stone', that is, preventing overnight parking of camper vans, and gaining more revenue for the Council, following even more central government cuts to Hastings thanks to Austerity Britain.

There had been very recent tarmac layed in the space, but, on my way back a couple of hours later, new lines were already being drawn, I'm on the ball! 😉

Though this hasn't prevented these two caravans being parked for ages by Grosvenor Gardens on Sea Road, oh well...

One Step Beyond...

The Azur Pavilion, which was used as the older peoples' home in the film Byzantium.

Our very own Banksy...

We could be living on the Cote d'Azur!

The Winter home of the St Leonards beach huts!

And this was "one step beyond" - as in, one step further than the sign that tells you you're entering the Combe Valley Countryside Park.

The wonderful De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill...

On my way back...

Here, I met a couple of older lads (my Devonshire coming out here!) who fish from boats launched from the beach here by Bulverhythe, and we had a great chat, and when I was advised that cod hasn't appeared this winter, and whiting is quite small, but this was a couple of weeks ago, indeed, confirmed by a Hastings fisherman I know since, but, some cod has since been landed by Hastings' boats...

And I ate the last locally caught cod and chips that they had at the Dolphin this lunchtime, excellent piece of fish, and the chips weren't bad either! Looking forward to some more locally caught cod soon, I hope, but I do like huss, and plaice too, for that matter