Crazy Crazy Golf!

 

Yesterday saw the inaugural Ted's Planet Hastings Seasonal Sprouting competition at the Adventure Golf Course, and I was coaxed into taking part, indeed, I feel like I am being 'groomed' into joining Planet Hastings! It was a beautiful morning, just a tad cool, and the competition involved 2 rounds, one over the Pirate course, and a 'crazy crazy' round over the conventional Crazy Golf course.

Dave G won overall, and a good time was had, and with a few bevvies afterwards. I came in the bottom half as expected; see the Planet Hastings facebook page for full results. And well organised Ted, many thanks!

Seafront and 2 Award Winning Parks Stroll...

So, a 90 minute stroll was enjoyed this morning, from the town centre, along the seafront, up through St Leonard's Gardens, over to Alexandra Park via West/Tower Road, and back down through the park to the town centre, a mostly peaceful walk, but more of that later. Here (above photograph), below Warrior Square, is the pleasingly successful Goat Ledge Cafe; winter opening 9.00am to 4.00pm (website).

Entering award-winning (blog), and excellently designed, St Leonard's Gardens (blog) from behind the Royal Victoria Hotel (above), and I found myself in an oasis of peace and quiet, indeed. Walking up...

... and you soon find the pond, literally swimming with wildlife, and it's family of moorhens make their presence felt, and one sad looking herring gull too!

At the North Lodge at the top of Maze Hill, and above St Leonard's Gardens, is the first of 2 closely assigned blue plaques, this one for author Henry Rider Haggard, who lived here from 1918 to 1923.

A little further up in Upper Maze Hill is where the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, and famous for breaking German codes during World War II, Alan Turing lived whilst at school from 1922 to 1926. In July 2019 the Governor of the Bank of England announced that Turing's face will be on the new polymer £50 note, expected to enter circulation in 2021 (Bank of England website). 

Entering Alexandra Park

I carried on up Upper Maze Hill, then crossed over via Tower Road West/Tower Road, where my peace was disrupted for a couple of minutes when 3 police cars shot up Tower Road West from Tower Road, presumably previously from Bohemia Road, 2 of them with sirens blaring (approximately 09.30 hours).

Anyway, peace returned, and I carried on to the far eastern corner of Alexandra Park (blog), another another excellently designed and award winning park in Hastings, and gradually walked back down to the town centre.

And Alexandra Park has its own fair share of wildlife, and it's own families of moorhens too, for example in the pond above. The walk was a joy!

dRMM Architects New Year Honour

Co-founder of dRMM, the architects who designed the Hastings Pier rebuild and provided a free design (voluntarily) for the Friends of Hastings Pier proposed second phase of rebuilding the pier (blog), Sadie Morgan, is to receive an OBE in recognition of "services to architecture" (Building Design website); congratulations to her!

And what has the owner of Hastings Pier (blog) added architecturally since he was suspiciously sold the pier for just £60,000 over 18 months ago? As the photograph I took yesterday (above) shows, a few empty sheds have recently been added, although they are larger than the already existing empty sheds. What a waste of 18 months... 

Seasons Greetings!

Yet another year has passed, and I wish to share best wishes and peace and goodwill to all, and particularly thanking those helping to keep us safe and healthy; in Britain that is those working in/for the NHS, RNLI, Coastguard, Ambulance, Police, Fire & Rescue, and for Snowflake (blog) and any Emergency and Essential Services not already mentioned, and not forgetting other customer services!

Much Respect.

Hastings Library Closures over Holiday Season

All libraries in Hastings and East Sussex will be closed from Tuesday the 24th of December to Thursday the 26th of December inclusive, and on Tuesday the 31st of December and Wednesday the 1st of January 2020 (East Sussex Council website).

Hastings Christmas Refuse & Recycling Collections

Over the next couple of weeks refuse and recycling collections are a bit different, go to the BHC website for details about your postcode, or see below:

Usual Collection Day     -   Revised Collection Day 

Wednesday 25 December - Friday 27 December 2019 

Thursday 26 December    - Saturday 28 December 

Friday 27 December         - Monday 30 December 

Monday 30 December      - Tuesday 31 December

Tuesday 31 December      - Thursday 2 January 2020 

Wednesday 1 January       - Friday 3 January 

Thursday 2 January          - Saturday 4 January 

Friday 3 January               - Monday 6 January 

Monday 6 January            - Tuesday 7 January 

Tuesday 7 January            - Wednesday 8 January 

Wednesday 8 January       - Thursday 9 January 

Thursday 9 January          - Friday 10 January 

Friday 10 January             - Saturday 11 January

For details of Hastings Borough Council Christmas Closures see website.

Harvey's Brewery Tour

By Steve the Beermeister:

A group of Hastings lads visited the brewery for a tour on Tuesday evening last, it was well worth the visit, and I write about it at the Steve the Beermeister blog if you want to know more. I do recommend that if your local sells Harvey's beers regularly, suggest to the publican that s/he organise a similar trip, we had a great old time!

Not posting...

Apologies for not posting for a while, haven't felt up to it, hopefully I shall be back up to normal very soon, fingers crossed... 😟

Vote Today!

Whatever your political persuasion today will be the most important election you have voted in in Britain since 1945, which will colour the future for your grandchildren... Chose your priorities carefully, therefore, whether you want an independent NHS or health care paid for by insurance, whether you want to stay in the EU or want to leave, whether you want to pay less tax or have better facilities like street lighting, a fire brigade and police force, whatever, it is important to vote today, best wishes!

Weekend 7th/8th December 2019

There is plenty to do this weekend, aside from traditional Christmas shopping, visiting museums, pubs and restaurants, or promenading, including the Hastings Lifeboat Station Christmas at the Boathouse from 11.00 to 15.00 on Saturday, with tea and cake, gifts, tombola, Guess the weight of the Christmas cake, and more, not to mention visiting the lifeboat and the RNLI shop (facebook); the Blue Bee Christmas Market at 25 Courthouse Street in the old town from 10.00 to 20.00 on Saturday, with gift and stocking filler ideas from local artists (facebook); the Winter Art Fair at the Dirty Old Gallery, 31A West Street, TN34 3AN, from 12.00 to 18.00 both days, with locally made arts and crafts (website); and on Sunday from 11.00 to 16.00 at The Stade Hall, The Pop Up Emporium, again supporting local arts and businesses (facebook).

Whatever, enjoy your weekend, with a not so bad weather forecast too (Met Office).

Hastings Foodbank

The Hastings Foodbank, which receives support from the The Trussell Trust (website), provides emergency food and support to people in crisis, and is part of a nationwide network of foodbanks that work to combat hunger and poverty. An increasing number of people have to resort to emergency assistance from foodbanks, even people in work, and consequently emergency food stocks deplete very quickly! 

November was their second busiest month ever, with the equivalent of 10,791 meals given out to people in crisis situations, including 42% of this total to local children, and Christmas is fast approaching!

Indeed, over 90% of the food they distribute is donated by members of the public. Urgently requirements include tinned meat and fish, tinned tomatoes, spaghetti, potatoes and vegetables, tinned fruit, custard and rice pudding, pasta sauce, and UHT milk; go to the Hastings Foodbank website for more details of requirements and donor sites, which are at: 

Community Contact Centre, Hastings Town Hall, Queens Road TN34 1TL; 
Tourist Information Centre, Breeds Place TN34 3AA;

Tesco Extra, Church Wood Drive, St. Leonards TN38 9RB, front of store near exits;

Sainsbury’s, Station Approach, Hastings TN34 1BA, next to restaurant;

Asda, opposite self service points;

Tesco Express, Havelock Road, opposite self service points;

Sainsbury’s Local, Devonshire Road, in main entrance;

The Hastings Centre, The Ridge, in main entrance;
Nat West Bank, Havelock Road, in main entrance;
Nationwide Building Society, in main entrances to 40 London Road, 395 Old London Road, and 15 Wellington Place.

Any of us could need help at some time, many thanks for donations!

Christmas is coming...

As if you hadn't noticed, however, when I took this photograph in the town centre early yesterday, as I turned round I noticed a lit up Christmas 'show' on the walls of Costa Coffee, I've never noticed that before, is this new for this year I wonder...

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Today s the United Nation's International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (website), who remind us that over 40,000,000 "people worldwide are victims of modern slavery." In addition 150,000,000 "children are subject to child labour," see their website for more details of this International Day.

A Quiet Weekend

I've had a very quiet weekend, I know there are all sorts of markets and Christmas thingies going on, but I really just wanted a nice quiet weekend, so I'm having one. I had a wander into the 'old town' yesterday morning, and noticed that the Ferris Wheel (older blog), down in-between Flamingo Park and the beach, has been folded down, presumably for the winter. Why does this mean so much to me and my peace and tranquility? Well, in the early hours, when it is still dark, and when windy, it makes one hell of a spooky noise as the wind blows through the structure, so I'll have a more peaceful, less spooky walk to Rock-a-Nore for the next few months, many thanks!

RX134 - The Stacey Marie

Why I was actually heading towards Rock-a-Nore Road was to take some photographs, with blue sky at last, of RX134, The Stacey Marie, a bit of a passion (blog).

Happy end to the Weekend!