It’s song / rap about Eastleigh and its Swan Centre that lots of people are talking about at the moment. Shall we say it has gone ‘viral’? MC Beastly pays homage to his hometown in this track titled “Swan Centre”.
Have a lovely Sunday!
Image Credit: A big thank you to The Chameleon Theatre Group for kind permission to use their excellent photos. The images of the programme cover and the cast (from the pantomime programme) were taken by Allison Symes.
What do Camille Saint-Saens, Eddie Cochran, Queen, Bob Marley, and Sir Elton John have in common?
Not an awful lot, you may be thinking, but they did all have their music included in Atlantis – The Panto, which was recently staged by the ever excellent Chameleon Theatre Group.
I’ll share a song list later but the answer to my question tells you the music for the show was an eclectic mix, as it should be. There should be something for everyone to enjoy in a panto musically as well as in the jokes and storyline.
Atlantis – The Panto was written by Paul Reakes. It ran at the Ritchie Hall from Friday 17th – Saturday 25th January 2020, and was directed by Sheila Hardiman.
Janet and I went on Thursday, 24th January and a great time was had by all, one of many signs of a wonderful panto. I’ll share a few more signs later.
[Read more…] about Review: Chameleon Theatre Group – Atlantis – The Panto
Time away from usual routines is a necessity. Whether it is for holidays, taking time out to go for a really good walk with the dog, time to think, to take a metaphorical deep breath and refresh your batteries, is vital.
A new CD of choral music by Hugh Benham, director of music at St Boniface CofE Church, Hursley Road, has just been released by Convivium Records as disc CR050 – Hugh Benham: Sacred Choral Music.
Copies may be ordered from Hugh at H.Benham@Soton.ac.uk at £10 – delivery is usually possible within a day or two. CDs are also available (as are digital downloads) from the Convivium Records website. [Read more…] about Hugh Benham: Sacred Choral Music
Written by Greg Walker, Principal Director of Music, The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band.
Here’s our talented group of youngsters at The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band showing what we can do, along with a mass choir of Scout and Guide Shows from all across Hampshire, with our cover of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’... we hope you enjoy it – we had GREAT fun recording and making it.
It seems that pretty much every singer has recorded a Christmas song. Some are originals; some are covers (which may or may not be better than the originals). Some of the songs are quite enjoyable; others are less so.
Here are some of the less well-known songs that have made it to my Christmas playlist. You may or may not agree with my somewhat erratic and eclectic selection.
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey is possibly the oldest recording in the list. This is such a fun song that it is permanently on my MP3 player – proving, perhaps, that a Hippopotamus isn’t just for Christmas but for all year round. [Read more…] about Christmas Songs
Have a safe Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!
Stay safe in your home this Christmas and don’t increase the risk of fire. Drive safely.
This is a beautiful Christmas parody ‘A Tale of Safe & Well’, produced by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
It’s performed by firefighter Jon Arey and featuring Abi Austin with the Fixby Songbirds. It’s a parody of the original song by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl.
With heavy rain forecast overnight and into the weekend, @hantshighways have extra crews, gully tankers and jetting machines ready to go out across Hampshire.
Check our colleagues @romanse feed for the latest traffic information
Stay safe out there 💦https://t.co/QFme8Ds14C pic.twitter.com/6Nyh9eAs88
— Hampshire County Council (@hantsconnect) December 20, 2019
A date for your diary!
On Saturday November 9th 7.30 pm Stories of Sanctuary will be performing at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church.
Free entrance. Pay what you decide donation. From 3-5 pm there will be a pop-up choir session for anyone who would like to learn the songs (with the option but no obligation to sing along at the concert!) [Read more…] about Stories of Sanctuary – Saturday 9th November 7.30 pm Performing at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church
Well, is it? The simple answer is not on everything. It’s never a good idea to have favourite children, for example. [Read more…] about Is It A Good Idea to Have Favourites?
An Organ Scholar is needed at St Boniface CofE Church, Hursley Road, in Chandler’s Ford.
Can you play a keyboard instrument to Grade 4 or above?
You could be eligible to have some organ lessons and to play organ in some services. [Read more…] about Organ Scholar Needed at St Boniface CofE Church
The annual St George’s Day parade took place yesterday in Chandler’s Ford. We have brilliant images from the parade yesterday (28th April 2019) in Chandler’s Ford. These photographs were taken by Richard Doyle. Thank you, Richard.
The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band (The Spitfires), in perfect step, marched on Chandler’s Ford St George’s Day Parade 2019. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford St George’s Day Parade 28th April 2019
The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band (“The Spitfires”) once again led three St George’s Day Parades today: 10:00 in Eastleigh, 12:45 in Winchester, and 14:30 in Chandler’s Ford.
Chandler’s Ford Today has received stunning photographs of today’s parade in Chandler’s Ford from two photographers. Today we’re sharing some photographs taken by Debbie, from Debbie Pearce Photography. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford St George’s Day Parade 2019 with The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band (“The Spitfires”)
What are the signs of spring you love the most?
I adore the lighter evenings and start to spot these in February (though that’s weather dependent). Being out with the dog a lot, you notice when you have that little bit more daylight before needing to get the torches out. [Read more…] about Signs of Spring
Do you like adaptations of your favourite stories? I guess the answer to that is “yes, if it works” and then it is up to us to decide whether it does or not.
Famously The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s short story of the same name so it isn’t just about novels being “translated” to a different media. [Read more…] about Adaptations
This year, the Chinese New Year Celebration in Southampton will start early. Even though the Chinese New Year this year is on Tuesday the 5th of February, you can celebrate it two days earlier in Southampton.
It is the Year of the Pig.
The Chinese New Year celebration is organised by The Chinese Association of Southampton (CAS). It will take place at WestQuay Southampton on Sunday 3rd February 2019 from 11am. [Read more…] about Chinese New Year Celebration at WestQuay: Sunday 3rd February 2019 from 11am
Our wonderful friends from the 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band (“The Spitfires”) have created this lovely video for all of us.
They ask, “What’s your favourite part of Christmas?”
This is a beautifully created video. I hope you all enjoy it. Merry Christmas, everyone! [Read more…] about The Spitfires: What’s Your Favourite Part of Christmas?
Eastleigh is marking the 100th anniversary year of the end of the first world war today. The event pays tribute to Eastleigh’s role in the First World War.
In Eastleigh this afternoon, I visited a re-enactment of a field hospital, some vintage military vehicles, and have seen great displays by charities and businesses, such as Hampshire Scouts, One Community, Defense Medical Welfare Service, British Legion, Eastleigh and District Local History Society, Eastleigh Gurkha Nepalese Association, Royal Air Forces Association, the Rotary Club, Air Cadets, Peter Green, and local author Paul Nolan. [Read more…] about Eastleigh Remembers – Truly Memorable
You probably know a few mondegreens, even if you didn’t know they had a name. It’s when the words of a song or poem are misheard to give a different meaning. The word comes from 17th-century ballad “The Bonnie Earl o’ Moray”:
Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,
Oh, where hae ye been?
They hae slain the Earl o’ Moray,
And Lady Mondegreen [Read more…] about Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear and Other Mondegreens
The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band (“The Spitfires”) had a busy day taking part in three St George’s Day Parades today.
They started at 10:00 in Eastleigh, and 12:45 in Winchester, then 14:30 in Chandler’s Ford. Emma Thompson, Media Officer and Deputy Drum Major from the Band said they would like to thank everyone who turned out to support each event.
All photos of “The Spitfires”: courtesy of MJDS Photography. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford St. George’s Day Parade 2018 with The 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band (“The Spitfires”)
It doesn’t matter what your “artistic bent” is but creativity is good for physical and mental health. There is, of course, the joy of creating something that has not existed before (whether it is a story, a new garden plot, a piece of music, a cake or a painting or what have you), and there is the enjoyment of getting to that finishing point.
Better still is the joy of going on to create another piece of work and going through the whole process again. Then comes the satisfaction of watching your work improve as you gain more experience. [Read more…] about Creativity is Good for You
