Today's idea - Hove Champagne Festival

Today is Hove champagne festival. The premise is is the potential of tasting over 50 of the best champagne houses and suppliers. Taking place on the Hove seafront between "the sparkling English Channel and the stunning Regency buildings" - otherwise known as lawns, but the setting should be pretty wonderful.

The day in the sunshine (we hope!) sees top local chefs serve up "glorious local Sussex fare" (om nomnom) including oysters and other local delicacies from Sevendials Restaurant, Riddle & Finns and Sam's of Brighton, live music, "indulgent shopping" and of course, the champagne.

Appearing in tasty sample-size form (that's 30ml) and buy the glass, you can try lots of champagnes and try you favourites (Bring cash they say!). Alcohol under the notion of tasting. Now you can out-posh your friends down the er.. local place of champagne consumption. However, it won't help you be able to counteract that chap who always rambles about his deep understanding of wine palettes.


It's running Friday 4th and Saturday 5th June, with Saturday split into morning and afternoon sessions.


Cost: £12
Location: Regency Hove Lawns
Further info: here
Tickets: here

Today's idea - Robert Thompson & Mick Jackson

Today two authors, Rupert Thompson and Mick Jackson come to read and discuss their new books at The Old Market in Hove.

Rupert Thomson is the author of eight highly acclaimed novels including ‘Air & Fire’, ‘Soft’, ‘The Book of Revelation’, ‘Divided Kingdom’ and most recently ‘Death of a Murderer’ and brings his new book ‘This Party’s Got to Stop’. Described as "a moving and disarmingly funny memoir. It is an honest account of mismanaged goodbyes, of time lost and time wasted. It reveals the complexities of family life in graphic and often heartbreaking detail," he will be joined by Mick Jackson.

Jackson's "first book ‘The Underground Man’ was shortlisted for The Booker Prize in 1998. His second, ‘Five Boys’ was a wonderfully nostalgic and vibrant read. He is also the author of two eccentric delights;‘Ten Sorry Tales’and ‘Bears of England’.

His moving and comical new novel ‘The Widow’s Tale’conjures up the most defiantly unapologetic of narrators as she begins to pick over the wreckage of her life."

Tonight only you can come and hear the two authors read from and discuss their new books. Tickets at £6 and doors are at 6:30pm.

Today's idea - Sussex Beer & Cider Festival

Today sees the second day of the CAMRA Sussex Beer & Cider Festival. Running until Saturday the 13th, you have two more days to indulge in the education/celebration of Sussex' finest boozes, with a record number of beers making it to this year's event - over 220 will be lined up for your visual and palette-based delight with ciders, perrir, country wines, and British and bottled foreign beers alongside the mass of beer and cider.

Tickets include a complimentary souvenir programme and live entertainment if you're there on Friday or Saturday. It's payment on the door as advance tickets are now sold out. Find out more about it all at SussexBeerFestival.co.uk.

Fri lunch 11am - 3pm £3;
Fri eve 5pm - 11pm £6;
Sat lunch 11am - 3pm £3;
Sat eve 5pm - 11pm £6
Hove Centre, Hove

Today's idea - Robert Winston talks Science

Today the quite lovely Robert Winston is doing science things in aid of Brighton Science Festival. His latest book traces the history of our attempts at self-improvement but also questions their value.

""Bad Ideas? An Arresting History of Our Inventions: How Our Finest Inventions Nearly Finished Us Off", celebrates humanity’s extraordinary inventions whilst warning us that our good intentions can sometimes end up as thoroughly bad ideas; weaponry, for one. 
 
But what of apparently more innocuous inventions such as farming, writing or medicine? All started off for the greater good but have since produced unforeseen fallout that continues to this day."

Today sees an intellectual and harmless talk about this at The Old Market (on Upper Market Street) in Hove. I went to a talk at last year's Festival and it was lovely, harmless, and educating. This one costs £8 and includes a free glass of wine. Horray. Tickets are available on the door or in advance from City Books, Western Road - Telephone (01273) 725306. Find more here.

Today's idea - Take the kids to 'Music for Aadvarks'

One for the kids today. Most people are won over by animals such as Gruffalos and Aardvarks, and so if I was small (well, 6 months - 5 years) I would much like to go to this. It's a musical cacophony of 'fun musical activities' including singing, dancing, musical story-telling and instrumental jam sessions run by UK Aardvarks. It's quite Brighton-esque (depending on your view of the brighton-esque of course) focusing on musical influences of rock, pop, indie, folk and blues.

Class locations vary - today's class is in Hove with varying times from 10am-1:45pm, and other classes are held in Hove (wednesday), Patcham (Thursdays) and Brighton (Fridays). Find the list on the UK Aardvarks site.

Each class is 45 minutes and costs £4.40 for a drop in - and half-price for attending siblings over 6 months, or free for the under 6 month child variety. If you want to attend email emily@uk-aardvarks.co.uk or phone 07886 927081.

Alternatively if singing isn't your thing take the family T-Shirt making at the Brighton Museum.

Visit the 'War Stories' exhibition at Hove Museum

A bit of a press release today as I am somewhat unwell. This will be improved upon when I am not unwell.

Today Hove Museum and Art Gallery is running an exhibition entitled 'War Stories' - which has free entry - something that's always nice.

"War stories tells the story of the Home Front in Brighton and Hove during the Second World War, using photographs from the archive of the Brighton Herald Newspaper.
The images remind us many aspects of Wartime experience, including air raid precautions, evacuees, bomb damage, funding drives, troop parades and victory celebrations.

The exhibition also includes extracts from the Herald newspaper, such as new reports, editorial comments and readers' letters. These help tell the stories behind events and characters portrayed in the photographs. Sometimes dramatic, but often mundane, these show that local experiences of the war were often more complex and ambiguous than the photographs suggest."

The exhibition runs until the 31st of this month. Find directions & more info here

Visit the Hove Beach Hut live advent calendar

For the second time in their lives, this month Hove Beach Huts have been turned into to live advent calenders on the seafront. With local artists and a theatre company involved, the calender's been gaining more and more interest each day. Each day calendars feature art displays, performances or decorations based on a Christmas theme inside. Whilst it's designed to promote the celebration of Chrtistmas (makes sense) I think this might be a thing for lurking atheists - with only three days to Christmas, we like festive events lit by festive lights and so we recommend this feel good visit.

Minced pies and mulled wine will be served (horray) and those attending also have the chance to win a special prize at the end of the month of a dinner, bed & breakfast stay at Brighton's boutique Hotel du Vin.

Today's beach hut is number 428 and is located near to the exotic sounding Hove Lagoon (must find out how exotic this really is). Head to the beach for 5:30pm-6:30pm today.

Organised by Beyond, you can find their blog here and their site with not entirely helpful directions here. You can find them slightly more easily on Google Maps.