Youngs Interesting Books - Skirving Street

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What a pleasant discovery I had today, wandering down Skirving Street I came across the newly opened Young’s Interesting Books, a book shop specialising in second hand and antiquarian books, run by Barry Young and Noelle Carroll

They buy and sell general second-hand and antiquarian books on a wide range of subjects and have books on a number of subjects including: Scottish, Art, Literature, History, and Philosophy. There are some really interesting antiquarian pop up books and a whole selection of classics and annuals.

Along side the more expensive collectable books are an assortment of fiction and non fiction modern books starting from £1.

I was quite impressed with my self control, as I only bought one book. It’s the only shop of it’s type in the Southside and is a great addition to Skirving Street. For more information contact youngsbooks@btinternet.com or 0141 6499599

Monday - Saturday 10am - 6pm

Thursday 10am - 7pm

Sunday 11am - 4pm

Scottish Ballet Headquarters - Pollokshaws Road

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It was such a nice day today, I went for a walk down to the Tramway and took some photographs of the Scottish Ballet HQ building on Pollokshaws Road. The building was officially opened in September 2009 and was designed by Edinburgh based Malcolm Fraser Architects. Unfortunately the building is not open to the public, so if you want to have a look inside you'll have to wait until doors open day or click here for some internal photographs.

I have been passing the building regularly over the last few months, and I've become aware of how visible the building is from the surrounding area. Over night it's turned into a reference point or landmark for this part of the Southside. I wonder if it will be come an iconic image of the Southside. [Post on this topic to follow shortly]

Sam Cartman Exhibition @ House for an Art Lover

An exhibition of work by Glasgow based artist Sam Cartman, is currently being shown at House for an Art Lover. He exhibited work at last years Art in the Park, in Queens park, but this his first solo show. His paintings are shaped by him being in a place at a certain time and his memory of that moment. His work includes beautiful interpretations of the west coast landscape. I would recommend you make the trip over to House for an Art Lover, have some tea and cake and have a look at his work it really is fantastic.

Exhibition @ House for an Art Lover until 1st March 2010

Queens Park Camera Club

The Queen's Park Camera Club is on the large list of Southside places we've been meaning to write about for ages. I was reminded and spurned into action today when I saw an advert for a group exhibition they are putting on at the Mussel Inn (runs until 3Feb). Anyways take a look through the Club's website and you'll see why we think it such a great Southside resource and you'll be amazed that its not better known.

Formed in 1945 a few months after the end of WWII by a small group of friends the club has spent the last 60+ years working to promote the study, practice and knowledge of the art and science of photography and proved so popular that by 1946 they had to put a limit on the membership to 75. In the 50's to try and accommodate the ever increasing waiting list and to provide proper photography facilities the club moved into 54 Millbrae Road, which they subsequently purchased and where they live to this day.

Image by Michael MacLean

The club as a whole meet every Thursday night from September to May and each week there is a talk or presentation of some kind. (Non-members are welcome to come along and listen to these talks). On other nights of the week there are various special interest meetings such as digital images, projected images or contemporary photography. Every third Tuesday the club also hold Instruction nights where guidance and instruction are given to members on all levels of photography techniques.

The Club also hosts annual social events and runs numerous competitions and exhibitions.

If all that sounds like your cup of tea then have a read of the club welcome pack for more info or fill out an application form and see if there are any membership vacancies left.

Queen's Park Camera Club
54 Millbrae Road, Glasgow, G42 9UG

Celtic Connections @ Lanside Halls

One of Scotland's top young folk bands, Bodega, is bringing Celtic Connections to Langside Halls this weekend.

"Glasgow-based Bodega met and formed at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton in 2005, and within a year the band had already triumphed at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, winning the prestigious Young Folk Award. Performing a high octane mix of traditional Scottish and Irish tunes with a contemporary twist, the band are one of the Scottish folk scene's best young acts.

Comprising Gillian Chalmers (pipes, fiddle and whistle), Ross Couper (fiddle), Tia Files (acoustic and bass guitar), Norrie MacIver (vocals) and June Naylor (clarsach), Bodega have toured Europe and America, as well as performing a string of high profile gigs at major UK music festivals including the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Hebridean Celtic Festival. "

Bodega - Friday 22^nd January 2010, 7.30pm.

Tickets £3/£2 - call 0141 276 1330 to book

Langside Halls
5 Langside Avenue, Shawlands, Glasgow, G41 2QR

Gorbals Highlights

Saw this and thought people might find it interesting. Here's what the creator has to say about it.

"This is a project I organised in 2004 in one of the derelict high rise buildings in the Gorbals, where I used to live.The aim was to celebrate the relatively short life of the building before it disappeared forever. I feel that it is wrong that these buildings are demolished without a trace, like so many of the homes that have been part of Gorbals' heritage. The lamps in each room were connected to a computer which I programmed to generate the animations, some of them designed by local children who lived in the tower blocks.I am organising a similar project, but bigger and better, multicoloured and interactive. See www.multicolours.org"

Little Blog Awards

One of you has nominated us for the Dorset Cereals 'little blog awards' thanks for that. Apparently if we win we get free Dorset Cereal goodies and a little blog winning egg cup and people who vote for us have the chance to win their own goodie bag. We do love breakfast and we do really like Dorset Cereal [which is probably what Dorset Cereal want us to say - but it's true]

If you'd like to vote for us click on the link above. If we win maybe we could have a breakfast gathering - depending on how large the goodie bag is....

Mimmo's @ 235 St. Andrews Drive

Mimmo's is a new Italian restaurant in Pollokshields which opened earlier this year on the site of the old Honours Three pub.

The night we decided to try Mimmo's we were torn between it and the more well established L'Aragosta which is a few doors down the street. We've been meaning to try L'Aragosta, (which from the outside looks like a place Tony Soprano would enjoy) for years but the friend we were meeting fancied trying the newer place so we agreed. There seems to be a bit of a connection between the two places. Mimmo Rossi the new owner of Mimmo's appears to have once been the head chef of L'Aragosta. I wonder what L'Aragosta makes of their chef moving four doors down?
Anyways, this review is about Mimmo's. From the outside Mimmo's looks nice but not anything amazing, inside however it is very different, decorated in a modern Italian style, with warm welcoming materials, smart simple furniture and splashes of Italian culture in old signs, posters and prints. The food too was great, there was five of us and the total was about £60 without wine. I had the Tagliatelle Della Nonna which was light creamy and cooked to give the pasta a nice bite. Others went for the Italian sausage pasta, the chicken in bread crumbs, the ravioli and the escalopes of veal which were all good too but I preferred my own choice.

We would def go back, we were on our way that night to the Imax to see Avatar in 3D and Mimmo's is quite a good place to stop off at on the way as there is easy parking. I think next time we go we should try some of the tapas or try and go along on one of the Italian nights which boasts a six course meal and live entertainment from a guy called Leonardo!

In the past I've always found this stretch of road quite strange, it felt slightly like an in between place, on the edge of several different Southside areas, the motorway and the rail works. This unease was probably further exaggerated by the various events that have happened near the Honours Three pub in the past. The pub closing seems to be part of a tentative rebirth in the area, with a lot of new housing being constructed and a few new shops. In Mimmo's they now have a large venue worth travelling to and maybe the area can start to create a proper identity.

Mimmo's Ristorante Italiano
235 St Andrews Drive, Glasgow, G41 1PD
0141 429 4657

Opening House
Mon - Sat 9.30am - 11pm
Sun - 9.30 - 10pm

Cookie Club

While we were away over Christmas we missed the first of Cookie's planned evening events which started earlier this week. Every Monday night from around 7:30 will now see Cookie hosting a Cooking Club and every Tuesday night they will host a Film Club. Anyone interested in finding out more should send them an email or visit cookiecookingclub.

They seem really keen to engage with and involve everyone in the local community and are currently putting together plans to sell or barter with people growing/ making their own produce. I think Ann and I will have to get our potatoes into the pots early this year, wonder how many tiny potatoes you need for a slap up meal.

Domenico's (the owner) enthusiasm is quite infectious, to see for yourself get along on Monday 11th Jan for the second Cookie event of the year, with a tour of the shop and a discussion about their ideas to make Pollokshields Jam, teach people to cook eggs and how to start a Bread Collective.

Govanhill Baths Art - Deep Breaths

Legacy by Lynn Wray

Back in October we went along to the Central Station launch event and there we heard a talk by Tom and Alex from the Govanhill Baths Art and Regeneration Group about the show they put on last year as part of the Doors Open Day 2009 (19 and 20 Sept). We always seem to be away at weddings every doors open day so were very interested to see all that we had missed.

Immediate Extract Passive Resistance by Marielle MacLeman

"Featuring 23 artists whose exhibits responded to the Baths campaign including its history, architecture and personal memories of the Baths in use. From small quiet art works tucked in corners, to large sculptures, photography and ceramics, there are thoughtful and varied responses."

Dear Sir Daniel by Lucie Potter

The exhibition also included a specially commissioned soundscape entitled; “Dear Sir Daniel”, The sound installation brought together shared and disparate histories of our baths, restoring the voices of past users within the grand dame of Calder Street as she stands today. Made possible through the involvement of local residents, the stories are translated into English, Urdu, Punjabi and Czech, creating a contemporary work for Govanhill's diverse communities. (The sound work is now available to listen to in the Centre for Community Practice.)

Mario Botta by Rebecca Lindsey

After the Central Station Presentation we got chatting with Tom who invited us along to the next group meeting. So, on the first night of snow in December, I wandered along to the Baths Trust HQ on Calder Street where I heard all about the plans for this year's show, hopefully to tie in with the Glasgow International event at the end of April. This year's show looks to be centred around music and sound with some very interesting sound artists looking to become involved and a makeshift Orchestra comprised of found object instruments performing in the main pool. I think it will make an excellent companion project to last years art event and can see something really interesting developing out of it.

(Untitled) by Nikki McWilliams

The Baths is a great cause and has rightly generated a strong passion and enthusiasm from the local area. The work that The Baths Trust, the Friends of the Baths, Nord and all others involved have put in so far to save the baths should be highly commended. The way the art works last year and the planned events for this year are developing, its really turning into an extremely interesting project and one well worth becoming involved with. For more info and to join the team send an email to art@govanhillbaths.org.

Rabbie Burns Ceilidh @ Langside Halls

The Govanhill Baths Trust are hosting a Rabbie Burns Ceilidh to raise money for the Baths, on the 23rd of January. There will be Haggis [meat and veggie] neeps and tatties, a piper and the Drouth Ceilidh band.There will be a bar at the venue, starts at 7.30 @ Langside Halls

Tickets are £10/£8 which includes the Haggis Supper

Tickets can be purchased directly from the Govanhill Trust Office, 126 Calder St., Govanhill. 0141 433 2999 or email info@govanhillbaths.com. There may be tickets available on the door, but it is advised to purchase in advance to avoid disappointment.

welcome to 2010

Happy New Year, hope you had a good time over the festive period. We're slowly coming out of hibernation. How cold and snowy has it been. We've had quite a few e-mails over the last week about events, we'll get them in the diary over the next couple of days.

Rules for The Great Southside Giveaway

Eligibility

To ensure that only regular readers can win, to be elligible for the Great Southside Giveaway, you must be one of the following; our friend on Facebook, our follower on Twitter, signed up to our RSS email or signed up to our Mailing List.
Then just leave your name and a comment on the current subject on Great Southside Giveaway Post and you'll be entered into the draw. Please try to make sure it will be easy to identify you. If possible leave a link to your webpage, blog, Facebook or twitter in the little URL option of the comments box.

For an extra chance to win you can also enter via Twitter

Follow us on Twitter @Southsidehap

Tweet the following message "Hey @Southsidehap I want a chance to win the Great Southside Giveaway. http://bit.ly/9rbZwd"

How the draw works

At the end of the month, we will put all the comments and tweets into a big digital hat and using the wonderful randomizer we will then pull out a winner.

Prizes

The idea with the prizes is to try and give something back to all our readers and to help promote some of the best the southside has to offer. Each month we will try and find prizes from people we really like from the Southside. We've got lots of ideas stored up for things we'd love to giveaway but if you have any suggestions then please send us an email.

Availibility

Prizes are subject to change or cancellation at any time - prize draw rules always seem to say this. I've never really been sure why, but just incase, the same rule applies here too.