SouthseaScene

My sister WhatsApp me this morning with a wall of words. The first four words you see are your words for the year. I've done this for the last couple of years and found it's a nice way to hold on to some inspirational words as you go through the seasons. My words for this year are CHANGE, GRATITUDE, LOVE, CARE Find yours!

Gunwharf Quays is preparing for a spectacular Chinese New Year celebration on   17th February .  Marking the Year of the Dog, Gunwharf Quays will be hosting an unforgettable day of entertainment and incredible offers.  Guests will also have the opportunity to experience the ultimate in Chinese celebration with a Chinese dragon parade and Chinese lion dancing, accompanied by spectacular drum artists and performers from the UK Shaolin Temple. Visitors must look out for thousands of red envelopes that will be distributed throughout the centre all weekend containing special offers. A Chinese New Year custom, the ‘Hongbao’ are traditionally red envelopes containing money – given as good luck at New Year. Lucky shoppers who receive a red envelope will be able to make the most of exclusive discounts across many of Gunwharf Quays’ famous brands. Yvonne Clay, Senior Marketing Manager at Gunwharf Quays, said: “We are passionate about bringing the community together...

Violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen was in concert at Portsmouth Guildhall last night with pianist James Baillieu.  Tamsin gave a superb rendition of Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1; strong, angry and despairing. It was emotional and stunning at the same time. The memory of this concert will linger for months. In contrast, the C.P.E. Bach pieces were light and capricious in parts. It was a delight to hear the pieces. One audience members said the music was intriguing and surprising, while the Schubert Sonata was subtle and warm.  Each piece was full of fireworks! It was a wonderful concert and we felt privileged to be there.  The rest of the Portsmouth Chamber Music season includes: Ensemble 360 - 29 January Gould Piano Trio and Robert Plane - 19 March Marmen Quartet - 16 April More details from Portsmouth Guildhall

As appeared in Portsmouth View, 13 January 2017    According to Google, Carmentalia was the two feast days of the Roman goddess Carmenta celebrated on 11 th and 15 th January. She was celebrated for her power of looking back into the past and forward into the future. Looking back there are many events in 2016 that people would rather forget. However, there is a lot of hope pinned to a better year ahead. Let us start with a little bit of Stargazing Live and celebrate Stephen Hawking’s 75 th birthday. The man is responsible for the public fascination with the universe. A team of scientists from the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth are going to show the public their research into the universe at the event to be held in the Historic Dockyard on 31st January. Cosmologist Professor Claudia Maraston will be leading the Café Scientifique session on Tuesday 24 th January at Le Café Parisien. The free event sta...

I'm not one of those for making any new year resolutions. I did a lot as a teenager only to suffer the anxiety of not quite measuring up to my own idea of perfection. This new year there will be no 'new me'. It will be the same old me, still trying to work on some of my 'weakness' but also trying to feel more comfortable in my own skin. Yes, of course I could do with some exercise. Who doesn't? It is a good idea to want to be healthier, but like anything it takes time. Resolutions for improvement should be given a full year to develop and not just the next 30 days. So cast your eyes a little bit further to next Christmas and make yourself some goals, some of which perhaps should be more accessible than others. Here's my list: 1. Go to at least 6 Parkrun sessions 2. Eat my lunch away from my desk 3. Talk to my sister on the telephone rather than texting 4. Write 2 blog posts a month 5. Draw 1 picture a week, any size 6. Have cake with Haley 3 ti...