tasty fried wedding

This wonderfully designed poster is up in my local chicken shop, that gourmet extravaganza ‘Tasty Chicken ‘N’ Pizza’.

What more could you want at your wedding?

I have many friends who are trying to convince me (VERY unsuccessfully) to get married in Vegas – but why the hell would I do that when I could have such amazing catering for my wedding right in Walthamstow?!

(Note:  I realise it’s probably just a poster for a separate catering business, but come on – it’s amusing!!)

The wonderful Tasty Chicken 'N' Pizza in all its glory. Honestly - they're absolutely fine as chicken shops go - The Girl likes them!

secondhand book sale – rose & crown, e17

OK – totally out of character for my blog, but this is a shameless plug for a used book sale to raise money for the RNIB that a friend of mine is organising as part of their ‘Read for RNIB‘ campaign.

This is going to take place in the Red Room at Ye Olde Rose & Crown pub on Tuesday 11th October from 5pm – 9pm.  If you’re in or around Walthamstow and love reading, please do come along and show your support (I will be helping out on the night – whta more incentive do you need?!)

e17 art trail (part 2)

Further to my very brief forray onto the E17 Art Trail on Friday, on Saturday I decided to go down to the library to hear some of the artists talking about the works that they have on display there.

We started off with the Knit A Year project, and saw Jay actually finish her last stitches.

The final stitches are cast

You can see her blog here, capturing a year in her life with lots of photos of the yarn she’s used and where she did her knitting. We all wondered what she was going to do next. “Sit down and have a cup of tea”.

Next we moved on to Peter Kyte’s display of photos of Walthamstow Market as he explained the world he sees through his camera lens and gave a talk about how he frames and structures his photos.

Peter Kyte shows his thought on producing an interesting photo

Next we went out into the foyer where Ron Bowman is exhibiting his latest watercolours showcasing “London: It’s places and people”. I stupidly didn’t take any photos of the woork he has on display – but do go and have a look!

Ron gives us a quick demonstration

Even better, he gave us some tips and a quick demonstration, saying “Absolutely anyone can do watercolours – you should give it a try!”.  I beg to differ, I have no creative ability at all!

Next we went to the stairs where Mark Burton and Katherine Green are showing photos of local voluntary and community organisations “Voluntary Action in Waltham Forest“.  I have to admit, this was the exhibition I had mainly wanted to hear the talk for.  I had seen some of Mark’s work before and was once again looking forward to hearing his thoughts and experiences as hearing him talk adds SO much to the actual photos.

Katherine Green talks us through her photos

I had already seen some of Katherine’s work hanging in the Waltham Forest Credit Union and she really manages to get in amongst her subjects and capture some amazing very ‘personal’ shots.

Mark Burton tells the story behind his photos

What I found particularly interesting was that Mark’s photos were about a special day arranged by the Women’s Interfaith Network where women of different faiths spent a day visiting each other’s places of worship.  This was an amazing story, and people kept pointing out how unusual it was to have so many people of different faiths and backgrounds together in that way – and yet as I looked at everyone sitting on the stairs listening, there was such a wide range of races, colours and (obviously) faiths sitting together praising the work!

After that, we went upstairs to where Amanda Doidge was showing some of her experimental ceramic work – this was a piece about Socrates – and it was fantastic hearing her thinking behind the piece, and the process that she went through to create it.

Amanda Doidge explaining her Socrates piece

It really brought the whole thing to life – and even sparked a discussion about Socrates!

Then we were back downstairs to hear from Eliana Parra Rodriguez and her love of colour which has moved her to create some gorgeous colourful abstract pieces.

Eliana and a couple of her pieces

It was great to hear her explain so enthusiastically about how colour moves her, and how the colours she uses are dictated by her moods.

We ended at the bottom of the stairs where we saw the works of Tayyaba (I hope I have spelled her name correctly!  I will have to check today), and her mix of paintings from her home and from the UK – showing great contrasts.

Tabbyah explains her processes and feelings behind her work

It was a great way to spend more than 2 hours, and I think it added so much to our appreciation of the work and experience.  This is one of the greatest things about the Art Trail – it isn’t just about goign around and looking at a few pictures and things, it’s a chance to actually meet the creative people in our community. Loving it!  Now that The Girl is back home, we will be goign around a few places today!

e17 art trail (part 1)

Arty farty Stow!

As I mentioned before, this is going to be my first year going around the E17 Art Trail.  I am very excited about this, although the sheer volume of exhibits is a little daunting!  Where do I start.

It actually officially started yesterday and will go on until Sunday – but yesterday I was at work all day and then out in the evening (I will post about the fabulousness of THAT later!).  However, I still managed to see a couple of things – that’s the beauty of the art trail, if you live in Walthamstow, then there is always something you can pop to see just around the corner!

On my way to work, I managed to see most of the Poetry Trail.  This really is ingenious — in Walthamstow, it is often a point of annoyance that there are simply SO many estate agents on Hoe Street – particularly between the station and the top of the market.  The Poetry Trail though has embarced this fact, and the majority of the estate agents have handed over prime ‘selling space’ for the period – disaplying poems in some of the holders where they usually show the house particulars in the window!

Poems in Churchills, Central & Strettons!

How cool is that?  I think it’s a brilliant idea – and fairplay to the estate agents – I think there are about 10 of them taking part.  There are poems by members of the Forest Poets, but also by 6 and 7 year olds from local primary schools.  And I have to say, THIS one was my absolute favourite.

Love this poem!

And then on my way home, I went into Le Delice to check out Martin’s underwater photos as I had been really looking forward to seeing them!  They are out the back in the ‘Moroccan Room’, so make sure that you go back there if you’re out and about. (I’m actually posting this in Delice now, and a couple oand their two young kids have just gone back there and the kids LOVED them!!)

Award-winning photos

They're looking great in-situ!

I am not sure what else I am going to do today – I want to go to Emma & Steve‘s launch party, and I am thinking of going to the talk in the library this afternoon.  It’s all just so busy, and I have had an exceptionally long, tiring week!  Wish me luck!!

walthamstow short film club

Last night's running order

A couple of years ago, me & a couple of mates went to three or four screenings of short films at The Rose & Crown pub.  We saw some really great films there, and we were quite disappointed when the monthly event just seemed to stop (we were never quite sure why).

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to read this blog post by someone I know and realised that they were once again short films (I have to admit, I don’t know whether it’s the same people hosting it or not – it could well be someone completely different).

So, me and a friend went along last night to see what it was like.

Instead of being in the old, sticky, stinky room above the pub that has been done up as a theatre (where I have seen a few things), it is now held in The Red Room (which is no longer red) which is nice enough, but a bit noisy and very small.  That helped make it feel rather crowded, even though there were less than 20 of us!

Most of the people there were actually involved in the production of the various films, so I did make a point of saying that we would be their audience

As before, there was a huge variety of films, but I have to say the quality was far better than it used to be!

There was animation,  humour, documentary, drama, arty – a whole range of different styles…definitely something for everyone.  We got to vote for our favourite at the end and both my friend and I discovered that we’d voted for the same one – The Cable, a documentary piece about a 50 year old zip wire in Colombia 1300ft over the Rio Negro used by villagers that takes them 27-30 seconds to complete and saves them walking 2 hours to the next town.

It was amazing – and happened to have been produced by someone who I met while volunteering at the Respite Centre!  You can see more on the wire here, including a documentary that was NOWHERE near as good as the one we saw last night, but unfortunately I don’t have a link for

At £3.50 entry including a bag of popcorn and/or sweets and a chance to meet the film-makers, it was a brilliant evening’s entertainment.  I can’t wait for the next one, and just hope it doesn’t get TOO crowded!

looking forward to the e17 art trail

On Your Marks! At the E17 Art Trail Warm-Up

This will be the first year that I am going to take an active interest in the E17 Art Trail.  This isn’t really a surprise as it is less than a year since I first started gettign more involved in what was going on in and around Walthamstow.  I remember picking up a guide last year, but didn’t really have anyone to go round with – and I was sulking cos my mate had just moved out from the area.  this is actually the 7th year though and I have absolutely no excuse at all for why I haven’t ‘done’ it before!

This year, I have heard so much more about it as I know quite a few people who will be exhibiting and i am really ratehr excited – I have even taken 3 days off of work when I COULD have got someone to look after The Girl on the last days of her summer holidays  if I’d really wanted to!

So, what is the E17 Art Trail? It is an opportunity for local artists (of all types) in Walthamstow to display their work – whether it be within a local business premises or their own home over a period of 10 days. You can read more about it here.  It is amazing what an arty lot of people there are in Walthamstow though – over 1200 artists are displaying their work in this time – from sculptors to painters to photographers to knitters to filmmakers and poets, a real bringing together of all that’s arty!

How amazing is that??

Fabien's gorgeous dog promoting his exhibition - WOOF!

Even more amazing, The Girl is a guest blogger on the offical E17 Art Trail blog, and has made her first post today – proud mum moment   PLEASE do go and have a look (and comment) – she would love to feel she’s ‘famous’!!

I went along Sunday before last to the warm-up in the town square, where there was the opportunity to pick up a guide and meet some of the artists who were going to be exhibiting.  It was a beautiful day, and Mark Burton (the photographer whose exhibition I went to a couple of months ago) took loads of photos which you can see here (and I am actually one of the ‘people in frames’!).

It is really hard to decide what to go and see – the guide is full of intriguing stuff, and there’s even a fantastic E17 Art Trail App that I’ve downloaded for my phone!  Of course, I will definitely be visiting exhibits by people I know (obviously) – and here is a quick snapshot of those:

• A People’s History of the EMD/Granada Cinema
• I love Walthamstow
• What Lies Beneath
• ever changing
• Sally Ross Photography
• Voluntary Action in Waltham Forest
• Strange Fruit’s Vintage Diversity
• Ceramics by Steven Smith
• Paintings by Emma Scutt
• From Earth to Space

making life just that little bit sweeter

We were on the front page of yesterday's local paper (and yes, I AM in the pic)

I mentioned in a previous post about the fantastic work that was happening at the St Mary’s Respite Centre and Pop-Up Canteen in Walthamstow for weary and hungry policemen

I went along Weds, Thurs, Fri and Sunday.  I meant to go in on Monday & Tuesday this week (which was the last day it ran) but with everything that happened on Monday, I had actually just shut myself away and cried for two days solid!

I enjoyed every single minute that I was there – it was a fantastic opportunity to show the police how much the work that they do is appreciated, and to feel that we had managed to do something so good that it felt like it made up for the attrocities of the looters.

There was one two-hour stretch on Friday evening where we managed to serve about 250 hot meals to various police officers – including riot squad, dog unit and street pastors…the place was absolutely buzzing!

On Sunday, we put out a Tweet for more cake (police can get through a LOT of cake – as per this BBC article that our centre was mentioned in but not named).  Every time a tweet for supplies was put out, we would get innundated with donations really quickly, so it came as a bit of a surprise when over an hour later we still hadn’t really received any cakes.  It became obvious WHY pretty soon after that though – that was the time it had taken locals to BAKE the cakes!!

Some of the vast array of homemade cakes on Sunday

Oh no, no Mr Kiplings for OUR coppers, they get homemade lemon drizzle cake, malteaser cake, lemon polenta cake, apple muffins with fresh cream, blueberry muffins, aubergine cake, beautiful little cupcakes with E17 iced onto them.  THAT was why there was a delay!

Cops love cakes!

It’s been a totally uplifting experience – and I am in complete awe of the people who put so much work into it, rushing around handing out food and serving the police and generally giving a massive morale boost to everyone they came into contact with – so a special mention to Dean, Wifey, Frances, Jess, Faye, Carolyn, Mel, Ali, Ann-Marie, Amy and Hannah who were amazing! (I know I’ve probably missed someone important out, but I am emotionally-crippled at the moment, and I’m sure I will be let off!)

We also made the front page of the local Waltham Forest Guardian, which was nice!

And finally to just part of our amazing wall of thanks from the police.

Thanks to the people of Awesomestow

la hacienda, e17 (part 2)

La Hacienda, Hoe Street, E17

Further to my previous post, I have had a proper review from the lovely Kate Bod for the surprising number of people coming here after searching for reviews for newly opened restaurant La Hacienda on Hoe Street in Walthamstow.

I didn’t have high hopes for the new Mexican, La Hacienda, on Hoe Street. Local rumour about its previous incarnation as an Indian restaurant put paid to that. Nevertheless, I’m keen to patronise (and boy can I patronise) local eateries so I booked a table with four friends, one who had come from Crouch End (ouch).

We were shown a table “for five” but an unfortunately-placed table leg at the end would have meant an uncomfortable sit down for one of us. We moved to another table.

La Hacienda is small and cramped and every time a bus goes by, the room is plunged into darkness. “It feels like the end of the world is nigh” observed one of our group.

The lack of tablecloths, placemats, glasses and cutlery, means it feels more like a café than restaurant. Knives and forks were in a basket at the end of the table and there were too few napkins so I had to pinch from other little baskets on other tables.

This is also fashioned as a ‘cocktail bar’ but one look at the bright blue drinks with Del-Boy style brollies and wedges of melon making their way to tables encouraged me to opt for wine. One of our table is with child and opted for a non-alcoholic passion-fruit cocktail which was so sugary it remained intact for fear of her unborn baby’s health.  It may have been Sunny Delight.

The service is chaotic. We had to ask for more menus and attempts to order a vodka lime and soda proved futile. Drinks were placed in front of anyone irrespective of who had ordered them as was the food, which meant a vegetarian was presented with a steaming plate of steak. Not good.

Ah the food, I almost forgot. Hilariously, the waitress only knew the dishes by number, which gave it the whiff of a Chinese takeaway. One of us ordered a 69 and then we fell about laughing (word of warning: if you are thinking of ordering a 69 later that night, La Hacienda will not get you in the mood) .

To be fair, the food was the best bit but it took so long to come that we had to wolf it down in 20 minutes (we were heading to the comedy at the Rose and Crown and missed the beginning). Most of us chose fajitas and they came with cheese sour cream, beans and all the trimmings. Mine was steak (£10.95) and the portions were large and could have served two. Although my meat was tougher than I would have liked, it was tasty. While I have a feeling the seasoning was shop bought, the food was the highlight of the night. Most of my group had ordered vegetarian and said the food was not bad but I think that was more in surprise than anything.

So, if they sorted out the lighting, spaced out the tables, learnt the menu, improved the service, asked how the diner liked their meat cooked, it would be a step in the right direction. And I would give it another go.  The place was busy so they obviously have the market for it but for it’s got its work cut out if it’s going to attract returning customers.

Thanks so much to Kate for the review – and what a shame that it couldn’t have been a better experience.

la hacienda, e17

La Hacienda, Hoe Street, E17

Dear ‘People coming to my blog after searching for La Hacienda restaurant in Walthamstow’,

There seem to have been rather a lot of you, so I feel compelled to tell you that I have not been there and so I have not got a review of the place.  To be quite honest, I don’t actually intend to go there.

If you would like to see a review, you can find one by somebody I know by looking here on Qype.

Thanks for visiting though, I appreciate the stats

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Walthamstow, I can thoroughly recommend Windmill or Le Delice or Orford Saloon or Peking Chef.

If you were thinking of opening a Mexican in Walthamstow, please please do because there are loads of us who would frequent it!

Love Sonia x

***UPDATE:  There is now a review here from a friend of mine who visited***

richard herring, rose & crown pub, e17

What is love anyway?

We’re very lucky in Walthamstow to have a great little arty, cultural and giggy community.

This was very much in evidence last night when the 4 day Guffaw Comedy Fest (part of the Edinburgh Fringe Warm-Up season) kicked off at Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub.  Unlike the last time I was there, it was packed to the rafters.  Probably about 140 moist little bodies squeezed into the hot, humid and airless ‘theatre’ room above the pub.  Surprisingly, I managed to count about 30 people that I knew too – rather a high percentage, I feel.

The heaving audience was hardly surprising considering the draw of the headline act – the undeniably hilarious Richard Herring!

However, I must not get ahead of myself as we were first treated to a trio called Jigsaw who performed a load of sketches for us.  I had personally never heard of them before, so was a little nervous as to what they would be like…but I have to admit, I thought they were brilliant and will definitely look out for them in the future.  I particularly liked ‘Christmas With The Schrödingers’, but there really were a whole host of little gems (not the lettuces). Here’s an example of their stuff.

Everyone disappeared to the bar in the interval (probably to get anything with ice like I ordered!) and Richard Herring started putting out copies of his programme on the seats (and it’s a very good programme btw!).  I probably should have got my copy signed, but had to rush off after the show   (if Richard Herring happens to read this, can he please just send me his signature and I’ll trace it onto my copy ).

The show is ‘What Is Love Anyway?’ and I can’t actually put it any better than on his own website:

So asked the insane, Welsh, poet-philosopher, Howard Jones in 1983. But in the intervening 28 years no one has dared to answer his questions?
Until now.

Comedian Richard Herring returns to Edinburgh for his 20th Fringe and 32nd show. Having sorted out religion (Christ on a Bike), politics (Hitler Moustache) and penises (Talking Cock), the star of award winning podcast As It Occurs To Me and Radio 4’s Richard Herring’s Objective seeks to define and destroy love. Before love destroys him. Again.

Is love just a chemical reaction in our brains by which our body selects potential sexual partners or is it a magical force which guides us unerringly to our soul mate, oddly usually waiting until we’re off our tits at a night club to do so?

Could a romantic gesture involving Ferrero Rocher chocolates get so out of control as to destroy the economic infrastructure of the United Kingdom?

Is the word being devalued if Richard’s dry cleaner claims to “love” all his customers, or is he actually only enamoured with Herring and too shy to tell him directly?

“What is love, anyway?” is a heart-warmingly honest and personal examination of the romantic (and not so romantic) adventures and misadventures of the UK’s most prolific comedian, as well as a genuine attempt to define this mysterious, debilitating, evil and wondrous emotion.

Richard took us on a rollercoaster of a ride, laughing at his stories of his first love, cringing at his two very differing tales of love for Julia Sawalha and emotionally tugged with his love for his gran.  It was a brilliant, brilliant show – and this is just the warm-up – imagine what it’s going to be like once he’s polished it a bit more

If you get a chance to see him, do – you definitely wont be disappointed!

And for those that never watched Fist of Fun (or were just too young for the 90s!)