Community Film Night - 30th June

On the last Wednesday of every month, a community film night is held in St Brides School, in Craigie street,Govanhill. This month 'The Yes Men Fix the World' is being shown, a screwball true story that follows a couple of gonzo political activists as they infiltrate the world of big business and pull off outrageous pranks that point out how corporate greed is destroying the planet.The film starts at 7pm  at St Brides Primary School, Craigie Street, off Allison St, Govanhill/Strathbungo.

Link to Trailer

Strawberry & Spice Garden - Pollokshields

In the Southside we are spoilt by the number of ethnic food shops we have available. One of my favourites is the 'Strawberry and Spice Garden' on Maxwell Road in Pollokshields.  It's a supermarket selling all sorts of Asian foods and kitchen goods, it offers standard Indian cooking needs such as dals, rice and spices as well as a large range of Asian fruit and vegetables.

Strawberry and Spice also have a vast selection of  tinned goods, pastes, dry goods and frozen food .Towards the rear of the store is a halal butchers and an area selling cookware. It's open 7 days a week.

Strawberry&Spice Garden.

198, Maxwell Rd,

Glasgow,  

G41 1SS

Singles Guerrilla Supper Club

Guerilla Supper club by it's very definition is a fleeting, secretive, culinary experience. Location undisclosed and the guests only revealed when you arrive.

On the 2nd of July Glasgow Guerrilla Supper club are hosting a singles supper.

The evening will cost you £12 which includes olives, a glass of wine, Spanish chorizo stew and fresh crusty bread, followed by Lemon polenta cake.

E-mail glasgowguerillasupperclub@hotmail.com or give Hilary a call on 07805 346314.  Once you've book  you'll be told the location of the supper club, then go along mingle, dine and have a fun night.

This Weekend 25-27 June

After last weekend when all the buses came at once - this weekend is going to be a much calmer affair.

On Saturday the Tramway presents 'A midsummer Day's Dream with Nurse Wound' A day of experimental sound and performance, Tramway are hosting a number of events and installations in Tramway 4 & 5 from 12 - 6pm in the lead up to the Nurse With Wound performance @ 7pm, with performances from the likes of Barry Burns, Luke Fowler, Mark Vernon and many others. The event is free but it is ticketed so call the Tramway Box Office 0845 330 3501

You could take a trip over to the Scotland Street School Museum and visit the A La Mode Exhibition and wander back via the Tramway to the Christoph Büchel In the main gallery space of Tramway 2, Swiss artist Büchel has created a fictitious, yet highly believable environment constructed inside a series of shipping containers. Viewers are challenged to explore sometimes claustrophobic spaces via a network of passageways and stairs, often taking on the role of victim and viewer simultaneously. It worth going to if you get a chance.

Since it's the season for Tennis you could hire a free court in Queen's Park and play some Tennis (wether you pretend to be Andy and Nadal it's completely up to you) If Tennis is not your thing how about Lawn Bowls the Council greens in both Bellahouston and Queen's Park are free (you might need a deposit for the bowls)

David Caldwell exhibition is open from 12 - 4pm at Albert Drive Studios on Sunday.

Other than that there is always the football!

The Great Southside Give Away - May/June

Today we're launch this months Great Southside Giveaway. The theme this month is based around Kids (Big Kids and wee Kids). We are delighted to be giving away a fantastic kids rug from McKay Flooring and a giant pic-a-mix selection from Candy Love on Pollokshaws Road. There may even be a couple of SSH badges being given away for the best comments.

To enter 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 below on the subject "Name your favourite place or thing to do with Kids in the Southside" 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.

The competition will run for three weeks and prizes drawn on 26 June 2010. For all the rules etc click here.

De-Cluttering the Green Way

I decided last week that I needed to get rid of some of my clutter, my hall cupboard is full of stuff I don't need. I’ll never use the blinds which were in my flat when I moved in…but they’ve been in my cupboard now for nearly two years. It isn’t that I think I’ll use them again or that they might come in handy. It’s just that I can’t stand waste and I don’t want to fill up land fill sites with perfectly good blinds…someone somewhere can use them and maybe even like them.

I‘ve posted previously about using freecycle and freeshare. Websites to give away your unwanted belongings and also find items for free. But there are other ways to recycle any unwanted items and I’ve been in touch with them, this week, about some of my things.… no more clutter…it stops now.

First Stop Starter Packs they are a charity based in Govan and accept unwanted goods ranging from cutlery and plates, to lamps, fridges and washing machines. As long as it’s clean and in good working order. Your unwanted items can help out someone who has very little...it's a win win situation. You de clutter, give to a good cause and look after the environment.

Another charity, who are tackling poverty through reuse and recycling are Second Opportunities in Ibrox. They will pick up unwanted sofas and white goods and redistribute these to families and individuals. They provide a free furniture uplift service to households in Glasgow, south of the Clyde. Most items of furniture are gratefully accepted, provided that they meet current fire regulations, are clean and in reasonable condition. They'll also accept any unwanted office furniture, which they then sell on to subsidise their work. So if your office is clearing out any desks or needs some desks this would be a good group to support.

Obviously another great way to de clutter is to donate your unwanted clothes, toys and other items to local charity shops.

The Willow Cafe - Scotland Street School

The Willow Cafe at Scotland Street School is a pleasant surprise, I'd been a little hesitant about stopping in for lunch as I was concerned that the cafe would be an encore cafe and normally I find that the majority of them have a poor selection and are generally over priced. The willow cafe is a little different, it's a bright airy space, with a collection of different tables and chairs. Menu consists of home made soup, baked potato, paninis, sandwiches all day breakfast, French toast bacon & maple syrup and hot rolls are served all day. They  also has hot dishes such as chilli.

The Willow cafe has a large selection of teas black ang green teas, willow fruit teas and herbal teas. Tea is served in a wee white tea pot with leaves and strainer. There is also an option of afternoon tea for £9.95 consisting of scone with cream, jams, cake, shortbread and sandwiches with tea and coffee. It also has a good range of ice cream by porrelli. Good old fashioned knickerbocker glories, peach Melba and snowballs with a variety of sprinkles.

If you are going to the Museum or are attending one of their many temporary exhibitions or events call in and try it yourself

Scotland Street School Museum

225 Scotland Street
Glasgow
G5 8QB
0141 287 0500

Grow your own - Hidden Gardens

We were at the Hidden Gardens a few days ago and discovered that the plants and vegtables that are grown at the gardens are for sale from the Hidden Gardens Stall situated in the gardens. The stall has a range of plants ranging from tomato and pepper plants, herbs and a range of biodiversity plants

We purchased a couple of chilli plants and a pepper plant. The plants are very good value, locally grown and support a good cause.  Prices range from 50p for single vegetable plants to £5 for a box of plants, just pick your plants and put payment in the donations box. Them take them home, look after them and some you will have your own crop of tomatos, herbs or peppers.

Mulberry Street - Strathbungo

Mulberry Street has been situated on the corner of Pollokshaws Road and Regent Park Square in Strathbungo, since 2006.  It's a busy wee family run bar and restaurant and is a popular socialising point for Southsiders especially the Strathbungo residents.

The Mulberry is split in two with the light airy bar on one side and on the other side a more intimate bistro area. The bar is a great space for chilling out on a Sunday afternoon or for some sociable drinks on a Friday night. It does get busy on the weekends and it can get quite difficult to get a seat. However they've recently been given permision for a south facing outdoor seating area. It is a great place to sit with a coffee or a glass of wine and people watch. The outdoor area closes at 9pm but by that time it's normally getting a bit chilly and you want to get inside anyway (top tip: move inside 5mins before everyone else that way you get a seat inside)

The menu in the bistro area can be described as up market pub food - Fillet of sea bass, Pork loin steak,  Thai green curry, mussels and fajitas. We've been several times as their steak is a favourite of Alburt's dads.  The food has been consistently good and service always friendly and polite. My only critism is that they could maybe do with adding a couple more vegitarian options to their menu. It's a busy wee place so make sure you book on a Friday and Saturday night.

They also have a quiz night on Monday night, it has been running for  six years - I ve heard it's quite challenging so maybe it's for the more experienced quiz team. 

Mulberry Street is a great place to have on your doorstep - just remember to book a table if you are going on a Friday or Saturday.

Mulberry Street Bar/Bistro

778 Pollokshaws Road

G41 2AE

Tel: 0141 424 0858

The Plaza @ St Andrew's Cross

I've been meaning to write about this for a while but it took driving past at the weekend and seeing this monstrosity bathed in sunlight to really get me annoyed. The area of the city between Albert Drive and the M74 seems to have fallen through some planning cracks and pretty much anything seems to be allowed. Not only is the M74 ploughing right through the area but quite a few of the new builds which have been fired up nearby are pretty awful too.

Its not just that the actual designs themselves are not very good, but the quality of the materials and construction are also pretty shocking. (Why are all new builds made of yellow brick, a material not natively used in Glasgow?) Take a look at the building on the corner of Albert Drive/ Pollokshaws Road with the weep holes through the render and the odd drainage pipes poking through the wall at pavement level.

Worst of the bunch is The Plaza which is such a crap building its still half empty, years after finally being constructed. (I'll avoid a full appraisal as we could be here all day.) What makes the project doubly annoying was the song and dance the developers made at the time about how they were going to be respecting and reusing as many of the original elements as possible. One of the bits of marketing bumf says "The Plaza recreates the former dance halls vigor and energy in the newly built development of 77 stunning new apartments." Personally I think it more resembles the mess left in the streets after the drunken dance hall patrons have eaten a few kebabs too many, thrown up and wandered off home.

As written about elsewhere, this section of the City has been a major gap between the City centre and the extended South; a legacy of the M74 development hanging over the area for decades. What the area needs is to fill this gap by creating more density and drawing more people into the area. While that does mean more homes, shops, cafes need to be built, it shouldn't mean, that they are built cheaply or poorly, just to ensure that they do get built. For one thing, if they are done as badly as The Plaza then no one wants to live in them and they end making the situation worse.

The Plaza is in a hugely prominent location on the St Andrew's cross junction, both for those going in and out of the City centre and what has been built is a greatly missed opportunity. There was a chance here, to build something of interest and quality which really could have attracted and drawn people into the area. What has been built doesn't even address the main sight lines, relate to the nearby building or even front the road properly.

When I sat down to write this post I did a little Google and was interested to read what other people thought. Speaking to the Evening Times one local said "I think it's an eyesore. They are condemning part of the old Glasgow." and another said "Nobody in the area likes it. I used to go to the Plaza and I can't believe what they've done with it. It's ugly."

Responding to these comments, the developers said "Residents had their opportunity to object to the design during the planning process." Which, while true, is a bit misleading. A large section of the local population probably didn't hear about the project until it was well advanced. Of those that did hear, only some will have known the process for finding out more about an application or putting in an objection. Of those, only a few would be able to take the time to go and check out the drawings at the Council and even then, planning drawings can be pretty misleading and a couple of quickly rendered images can be pretty seductive.

I was also interested to read that the building was named The Worst New Building in Scotland at the 2009 Carbuncle Awards by Prospect Magazine. The editor of Prospect said "What were these people thinking? They have ended up with a building that looks ridiculous. More balls-up than ballroom."

The lesson The Plaza seem to be teaching is, that unless we, the local residents, keep an eye on exactly what is going on, then the developers will push ahead. With a few more proposed projects popping up in the area (most notably the potential new Superstore at the Larkfield Depot) people need to make sure they have their say, positive or negative before its too late.

UPDATE: A Reader has advised that the planning application for the giant superstore at the end of Victoria Road has been submitted and can be reviewed at the Planning Department's offices.

The Council's guide to having your say on Planning Applications is here and is worth a read for those with strong views on the Supermarket Proposal.

This Weekend 18-20 June

Saturday should be a day of sunshine and wandering (fingers crossed for the sunshine)
It's the third Saturday of the month so the farmers market will be taking place in Queen's Park 10am - 2pm.

Govanhill Community Baths Trust invite you to celebrate Refugee week with them at their free garden party on Saturday. Events will be held in and around the Peace Garden on Calder Street. There will be a variety of music performances from local people and groups including: The Roma Music Group, Ceildh fiddle music and Glasgow Drumming performance. There will also be art, puppet making and flower making workshops for children and their families as well as face painting and multi cultural food. 11am - 4pm

From 1pm - 4pm Bungo in the Back Lanes will be taking place in and around the back lanes of Strathbungo. Park yourself in the Big Bungo Tea Garden, take in the sounds of the Southside with La Roche Rumba in the beer garden or if Jazz is more your thing head over to Queen's Lane to the real ale and wine tent. There is loads for the kids with a bouncy castle, face painting, arts and crafts with busy bees, and lots of childrens games. Come along and have lunch Shimla pinks will be serving up pakora and samosas, Tricia and John's BBQ will be on and they will be serving their famous burgers, as well as several other stalls serving food. If you are looking for plants then the New Victoria Gardens will be selling plants, herbs and veggie plants all grown locally.

Pollokshaws are holding their annual carnival at Greenbank Park on Netherauldhouse Road. The parade will start at 11.30am at Shawbridge arcade, then will travel down Shawbrige Street into the park.

Albert Drive Studios are  hosting 'Southern Light', an exhibition of new paintings from France by David Caldwell opening at 3pm there will be french food and wine, and music from 'The Sweetheart Revue'and a Klezmer band too. The music starts at 5pm so even if you are going to the Govanhill Garden or Bungo in the Back Lanes you'll still have time to get over to Polloksheilds.

Why not take a wander down to the farmers market, then spend some time at the Govanhill Garden Party. You can wander through Bungo in the Lanes and head on up to Albert Drive Studios.

On Sunday the MHFS Mens 10km is taking place on Sunday morning starting and finishing in Bellahouston Park. If you are not taking part you could go along and cheer the runners on click here for the route map.

What other events are on in the Southside this weekend? Leave a comment and let us know

A La Mode Exhibition 28 May - 17 October 2010

On Sunday we decide to take a trip to Scotland Street School to see the A La Mode exhibition. In 1912 a new luxury fashion magazine was launched in paris entitled the Journal des Dames at des Modes.

Although it only existed for little more than two years it was seen as a sensation. The fashion prints were produced by some of the leading artists and illustrators of the day. The images were produced using the 'pouchoir' stenciling technique which gave the a richness and depth of colour that is still visible in the surving prints. Glasgow City Council holds 17 volumns of this rare magazine and at are exhibiting forty of the A La Mode prints until the 17 October 2010.

Along side this exhibition Scotland Street School are running several other events and courses. Including Mililinery courses (10 July) Silk Painting (26 June 2010) and Jewellery Design (17 July/21 August) . There are also a series of talks including the illustrated history of the fashion print and fashion during the Belle Epoque 1900-14.  for more events www.glasgowmuseums.com

3D photos @ Queen's Park Camera Club

Last week we, and around twenty Southside Happenings Readers, were treated to a private view at the Queen's Park Camera Club of their end of year exhibition and a fantastic presentation of 3D photography by Denis Alyshev. Everyone had a great night and big thanks to Queen's Park Camera Club for inviting us along and for the extremely tasty mini donuts.

It was brilliant just getting a look inside this mysterious building and hearing more about the club's history. The star attraction of the night however was definetly the great 3D images that Denis presented of his adventures around Russia, Japan and Scotland. Using two overlapped projectors onto a silver screen the images created by Denis were stunning. As you moved your head around, your brain tricks you into thinking its the objects in the image that are moving. One shot in particular of a mountain ridge was simply amazing, you felt like you might fall off.

With 3D the big thing in the cinemas again these days, it was nice to see where the original roots of the concept came from. Denis simple technique uses one camera, he takes a shot, moves a bit to his left and takes another. Its so simple that you can actually get the 3D effect by putting two of the images side by side and crossing your eyes. Take a look at the images on Denis website and try it yourself. (Warning: It takes a lot of practice.)

Thanks again to Denis, Tom and Michael for organising it all and thanks to all the readers that won tickets, hope you had a good time and enjoyed your wee badges.

Bungo in the Lanes 2010

Just recieved this poster, map and programme from the guys organising the Bungo in the Lanes event this year. For those that have been before you'll know what an unusual and brilliant event it can be. For those that haven't been then make sure you get along between 1 - 4pm Sat 19 June, for an odd mix of stalls, games, music and food. Where else can you buy piles of old lady bird books and jigsaws, burgers cooked in someones garage and bannana smoothies made by a group of 8 year olds.

Its a great community run event based around raising awareness and funds for the Strathbungo Society. Click on the image below for more info or look at the interactive map.

Should I really be excited about the circus?

When I was a wee boy, we lived across from the field where every year the Circus would come to perform. Every summer I would get very excited about the idea of seeing lots of amazing stunts and incredible animals and every summer I would take my seat and end up being slightly disappointed. Everything would smell of damp and muddy hay, the burgers were rubbery, there would be no animals, the clown wasn't funny and I'd just be terrified that something would go wrong. Not really out of fear that something terrible would actually happen but just out of an empathetic embarrassment for the poor performer, who screwed up, in front of all those watchful eyes.

Why then, when I walk around the Southside and see the entire city fly-posted into oblivion with their posters do I still get the same childish excitement that the Circus is coming to town?

I haven't been to the circus for years, the last time we went was for the Chinese State Circus about four years ago. We opted for the really cheap seats which were a big mistake. We ended up practically behind the stage and could only see half the main circle, though interestingly we could also partly see backstage where there seemed to be twice as much activity. Our foolish choice of seating did not really lend itself to a great night and so its hard to give a fair appraisal of the show. I remember however being very impressed by a troop of small guys jumping through hoops and by a woman who could change the colour of masks on her face with a wave of her magic cape.

The worst moment of the night however was a routine involving a stocky man trying to climb a free standing ladder. He failed over and over again. Initially we thought it a bit of a drawn out drama in the act, but after a good five or six minutes of failure and an extremely frustrated and embarrassed look on the performers face, it became clear it was just a painfully unpleasant moment for both him and the audience. Eventually the ringmaster came out to drag him off but he refused to go, demanding that he complete the trick. The drums which had slowly started to peeter out started up again, the audience all started to bang their feet and clap their hands and our, by now, tragic hero psyched himself up for once last try. . . He almost made that time too, he got a hand on the second from top rung before him and his ladder fell to earth and both were ushered off stage, even the ladder looked rather sheepish. 

And yet, despite my fear for performer's embarassment coming true, I spot the big top in the distance and I still think, "Hey that looks good.".

Taking a look at some of the photos posted here and others on Zippos website, complete with cast photos, documentary videos and interestingly a "jobs page" (sadly no current vacancies) you start to see why.

The Circus' continued success is in part due to the ways they've changed, modified their performances and introduced new acts, but it's mainly down to that hugely nostalgic and comforting feeling they embody. No matter how many times we all go, there is something built into our social consciousness that crackles to life when the big top starts to go up. There is a romance to the life and the characters which we buy into, which probably no longer, or indeed never existed. The ringmaster, the strongman, the trapeze and the contortionist are all characters that as children we are brought up to recognise and around whom stories and ideas are formed from an early age. They are as inbuilt into our upbringing as the classic shapes and sounds of a farm or the ability to identify the animals in the zoo (another event whose experience never quite equals its imagined promise).

I've begun to realise however that actually, the muddy hay smell, the poor slapstick comedy and the nasty tension when something went wrong were actually as big a part of the fun of the experience as the amazing stunts or the clever tricks. In short the very things I thought were rubbish as a child are the things I'm looking forward to now and I think its maybe about time I gave the circus another chance.

Now, I've obviously not yet been to this particular Circus at the Queen's Park Recreation grounds so have no idea what it will actually entail or if it will be good but any show that features an old man in a top hat getting budgies to perform feats of daring on tiny bicycles as pictured below gets my vote and I look forward to seeing Norman Barrett MBE "The worlds best ringmaster" putting the rest of the troops through their paces.

Zippos Circus runs from Friday 11 June until Wednesday 23 June with shows at 3pm and 7pm at weekends and 5pm and 7:30pm during the week.

Prices vary but most shops round the park have piles of discount vouchers which you should pick up before going to save up to £4 off each ticket. You can also buy them online at the cheaper prices.

Queen's Park Recreation Ground

Pollokshaw's Road

Glasgow G42 8DA

 

PS - check out the page where Zippos will hire you out circus equipment. I like the idea of hiring a small clown car or a knife throwing table. Wonder if Ann will let me get one?

Poetry and writing

Really interesting sounding new writing group starting up in Skirving Street at Young's Interesting Books. Its being organised by Jayne Brown and she promises lots of tasty chocolate biscuits and an antidote to world cup fever. The Group will be meeting fortnightly between 6 - 8pm from 15 June onwards and people are welcome to join, to find out more and to book a place then contact Jayne.

There are poetry performances running at the Ivory organised by Jacqueline Smith. These will be happening the first Wednesday of each month between 7-9 at The Ivory Hotel, Camphill Avenue and cost just a £2 donation. For more information on these performances, who will be performing or how to get a readers slot then contact Jacqueline.

The Greek Golden Kebab @ 34 Sinclair Drive

The Greek Golden Kebab in Battlefield is a bit of a Southside institution, the first Greek restaurant in Scotland, its been serving diners amazingly tasty food for over thirty years. Go through any good food guide to Glasgow and its almost sure to get a mention, so why is it not better known, even in its local area?

The reason I suspect is that from the outside it doesn't look like its going to be anything special, tucked down a side street in a largely residential area, the restaurant window with its net curtains, plastic wines and illustrations of diners doesn't really shout out, fine dining. Even the name is slightly off putting with the word kebab having, over the last thirty years, become associated with greasy late night fast food on the way home from the pub, far removed from what is actually on offer inside.

 

Once you do go inside however your eyes, ears and nose are in for a real treat and are in danger of overload. Soft twanging Greek guitar tunes come from speakers in the ceiling, immediately sending your brain off to an island in the Mediterranean and the smells from the kitchen of roasting lamb and spices jump out and grab you like in a cartoon.

The place is very small, split into just 7 small booths which each sit comfortably 4 people. (We tried seven people once and while it worked out ok, it was such a tight squeeze we had to take turns cutting up our food.) Each booth is separated by a wall of plastic wines and fruit with wood walls, red fabric chairs and every available space decorated in Greek memorabilia. Ornaments, postcards and decorative plates hang and sit on every surface and you find your self constantly looking around to see what else you can spot.

Its been written about by others elsewhere but your really do feel like you've just walked into someone’s front room. This feeling is made all the more strong by the lovely staff who work there, who fuss around you, natter away about what you’ve been up to and make you feel so at home you could take your shoes off and put your feet up.

There is a large menu of food to choose from with all the Greek staples you'd expect including taramasalata, to dolmades, moussaka and keftedes. To get the most out of your experience at the Golden Kebab I highly recommended going for a very long walk first and have a small lunch as you will be needing the space, the portions are huge.

The plates and the glasses all have a retro-chique straight out the 1970’s with gold rim and brown flower patterns. Each dish is served with a choice of rice, chips or potatoes but so far everyone I’ve been with has ordered the roasties. Everyone loves roasties, they should be on the menu in every restaurant. The potatoes when they come are large and crispy. I had the moussaka the last time and can honestly say it was fantastic. It was so good I just kept eating it long after the point at which I was full. Ann had the veggie keftedes and Gav had a roast joint of lamb. All three of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals but all three of us really struggled to polish off our plates, but somehow we managed it.

 

The number one thing about the Golden Kebab and the reason for its continued success is not just the great food but the overall package of the experience. The slightly off putting shop front, combined with the 1970’s décor, the tiny tables and the huge portions make it a really odd but wonderful night out. Go once and you will feel like you've discovered somewhere secret, its the kind of place that once you've been you want to go back, taking new friends with you so that you can show them this amazing place you've found. That’s why it continues to be so popular while at the same time is not so well known, it’s like a secret club, you feel like you need to be in the know, to go.

Highly recommended, just remember to book early as they are only open Thurs – Sun from 5pm – 1am and its usually very busy. (They also do takeaway)

PS - Its cash only no plastic. (Thanks to reader Ry for reminding us - never fear though as the Co-Op cash machine is just round the corner.)

The Greek Golden Kebab

34 Sinclair Drive

Battlefield

Glasgow G42 9QE

0141 649 7581

07887528490

Ready Steady Grow

Remember the Ready Steady Grow festival is on in Pollokshields today from 1 - 5pm. Look like it will be good fun. For a full programme of whats on where download the event brochure here.

Little Johnny's Big Gay Wedding @ Langside Halls

A week after the last ever Allotment was held in Govan, The National Theatre of Scotland are back in the Southside with a performance of "Little Johnny's Big Gay Wedding". The previews in the Herald and the Scotsman both praise the previous shows by lead actor and writer Johnny McKnight and both seem confident that this, the third and final part of a semi autobiographical trilogy will be good fun.

I'm note really sure what to expect from the show but I think the basic concept is very interesting. The Langside Halls are to be the venue, we the audience are the invited guests and the play we have come to see is the wedding itself.  Weddings are ideally set up for this kind of conversion into a performance with their inbuilt points of drama and tension, their leading characters and their clear structure. The idea of turning the entire act of going to the theatre into a part of the performance is very interesting; I wonder how far they will take it? Will there be ushers on the door to guide us to our seats, will there be a song sheet or speeches? The flyer suggests we must remember to bring our dancing shoes and reccomends dressing smart - I hope that doesn't mean I have to wear my kilt?

I've watched a couple of the promotional videos on the National Theatre of Scotland's website and am not really sure what I make of them but the basic concept has intrigued me and I think we'll pop along over the weekend. If nothing else its great to see the Langside Halls being used for this kind of function. More theatre and cinemas in the Southside would be great.

The show runs 2 June - 12 June at 7:30
With an additional matinee show on both Saturdays at 2:30.
Tickets are £10 and are available by phone 0141 552 4267

Langside Halls
5 Langside Avenue Shawlands
Glasgow, G41 2QR

Go Slow Cafe - Victoria Road

As soon as you enter Go Slow Cafe, on Victoria Road, you realise it's not your run of the mill cafe,  a large art mural runs down one of the walls, an ecletic mix of tables, chairs and lamps are distributed through the space. Down the length of the right hand wall hangs this months exhibition (featuring two local artists working out of the Chalet Art Studios) Specials are written up on several black boards and the menus are hand written on A4 pieces of paper.

We ordered a coffee, hot Chocolate and two apple juices, they were very accommodating when I asked if I could have mine hot - they added cinnamon and cloves to make it extra warming. The apple juice was freshly made and was really good. We browsed through the menu and noticed it has a great selection of vegetarian food as well as plenty for the meat eaters. They also have  a great selection of smoothies and cakes. When we were there they were busy making their own truffles and had just finished baking their own banana bread.

The day we were in was a really cold and wet day and The Go Slow Cafe was just what we needed.

Tues - Sat 11am - 6pm

Closed Sunday and Monday

Three Festivals in Three Days

It's another big festival weekend in the Southside...Starting on Friday night with the oldest in the city, the Govan Fair. The procession leaves Fairley Street at 7.45pm.

The festivities continue on Saturday with the Govan family day in Elder Park and the Gorbals Fair taking place in and around the Gorbals. Then on Sunday we have the Ready Steady Grow Festival taking place, there are a whole host of interesting events  being held throughout Polloksheilds - see below

The Hidden Gardens:  1.30pm- 5pm

Throughout the day explore the chemistry of carbon through the creation of a double sculpture,with resident artist Colin Begg. You can also learn how to recycle containers into planters for salad crops or flowers to attract wildlife. Plants which attract wildlife to your garden or window box will be available for a small donation from the Kiosk Plant Stall. From 2pm feel the rhythms of a special Capoeira performance of music and dance. There will also be a guided tour of the food growing projects within the Hidden Gardens and the allotments in the New Victoria Gardens. Tours will start from the centre point in the gardens from 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Leslie Street Greenspaces

At the Leslie Street Greenspaces Plant up herb/ salad containers to keep on your window sill. Learn what herbs to grow for cooking. Catch up on the latest from the Govanhill Baths Community Trust and their campaign to restore this unique facility.  They'll be Street Theatre, facepainting,  street dance workshops, try out basketball in Maxwell park and join in the Go Bike escorted cycle ride around the neighbourhood (leaves Maxwell Park and 2pm)

East Pollokshields Quad

Get your hands dirty with some hanging basket planting. Learn to juggle, plate spin and other circus skills. They'll also be sports tasters sessions, badge making, tombola, bring and buy sale and a cake stall.

The Deck Access Flats, St. Andrew's Drive

Theatre Modo circus skills training, Storytelling. Seasonal container/ window box planting, Fun With Fruit for kids, and healthy eating demonstrations will be some of the activities happening at St Andrew Drives

Maxwell Park and the Burgh Hall

There's lots going on at Maxwell Park and in the Burgh Hall, Teas with home baking, Specialist plant sales, Seasonal planted containers, Horse and Dray rides from the GCC famous heavy horse team. Seed Boms.... learn how to make these and learn a novel way to plant neglected and unused parts of your backcourt or garden, Krafty Kids will be there offering you the chance paint your own mug to take home.

QPCC Open Evening for Southside Happenings Readers

We received  a lovely e-mail from Michael McLean from the Queen's Park Camera Club the other day with a very generous offer for all of us.

I had mentioned to Michael my disappointment that I never managed to get over to the QPCC Exhibition and talks on the 22/23 May.  I had been in Art in the Park over the weekend of the festival and so missed out on the 3d presentations and the members exhibition.

So on the night of Thursday 10 June the QPCC have offered to hold a special open evening for twenty Southside Happenings readers.   Resident expert in stereoscopic photography, Denis Alyshev, who will show images from his travels in Russia, Japan and Scotland all in amazing 3-D and we can browse through the exhibition of members work.

A big thank you to QPCC, Michael and Denis for this - I am really looking forward to it.

We only have twenty invites so first come first served. E-mail Southsidehappenings@gmail.com for a a ticket.

EDIT 10.06.10: A few people have dropped out so a few more tickets are availible to the first to email us and ask for them southsidehappenings@gmail.com. Be quick and remember the presentation is on at 8pm tonight.

Bandstand winning design chosen

We went along to a presentation of the results of the Queen's Park Arena Design Competition last night. The designers of the five shortlisted entries were all there to give a five minute presentation explaining their bandstand designs and give a bit more depth to the entries and it really helped to give a better understanding of the five projects. We were pleased to see that two local residents were in the final three.

The final results were:

Winner - No 44 ZM Architecture
Second Place - No 19 Manifest Architecture
Third Place - No 24 Nicolas Ecob

There was also a special honorable mention prize for No 73 Superfusionlab who's entry was the most popular with the public following the public vote at the Glasshouse exhibition.

The winners ZM Architecture are a well known practice in Glasgow having worked on numerous projects including the Tramway and sculptures in Bellahousten Park. Their design is to act as a sculptural wall during the times when not in practical use. When performances etc are taking place then different sections of the wall fold open and change how the object looks. Its an unusual and ambitious idea, a modern reinterpretation of a bandstand and therefore I can imagine a few people being unsure about it. If its well detailed however with good quality materials and if it proves it can actually does the job its meant for then I think it will be a really interesting draw to get more people into and using the park. I'm looking forward to see how it evolves as the project is developed.

What do people make of the choices?

For previous comment on the project and the initial thoughts of locals visit all previous posts here.