onionbagblog

Another ace evening spent in transit between the Wivenhoe Trail, @15QueenStreet and then back towards the Hoe. No surprises that booze was involved.

Blimey.

Stumbling upon the fine, fine folk of @15QueenStreet has been something of a lifeline during these first few weeks of the Great Essex Adventure. Sunny Colch is indeed highly creative, and via a bit of online looking around, you can find folk who are very similar to yourself.

I first found @15QueenStreet via the ace @CoolColchester. If you are North Essex bound, then you really should be following. Put simply, Ben Howard is King of All That is Cool in Sunny Colch - which is actually a hell of a lot more than you think it might be.

Through following @CoolColchester, I made the online connection with @15QueenStreet, and then many shared offline conversations (and booze) have since followed.

As a social member @15QueenStreet, then I thought it only right and proper that I attended the monthly mini bar event. Basically it is a booze up with fellow Colchester (ish) creative types, with talks by any local organisation that wants to share dialogue with the members. There is a definite Tuttle-ish feel to the event.

We heard this month from the brilliant @ColchCircleMag, a new start up that is publishing a regular offline events and arts based listings magazine in the area.

The easy option would be for a Time Out lite nasty advertorial approach; thankfully @ColchCircleMag is looking to work alongside the creative talent in the area, and co-operate with the local artistic economy to produce a magazine that the town can be proud of.

Pam Nelson soon followed, talking in abundance for the enthusiasm that she has for Colchester in Bloom. My Second Coming in North Essex is still less than a month in duration, but already Pam is emerging as a name that keeps on cropping up in shared conversations.

She has an incredible network of local connections, and is genuinely enthused about promoting all that is good in Colchester and the surrounds. The Bloom project in particular is worth mentioning, in that it is taking a slightly different approach from the traditional hanging basket approach.

With a team of creatives from @15QueenStreet behind her, Pam, is keen to explore the theme of One Million Flowers being put in place across the town, and in particular, adding some a scenic backdrop along the trail.

More booze followed, along with some ace conversation. I met up with a local couple that are about to emigrate. Our instant common theme was that of swimming. Stories were exchanged about the local possibilities. I was happy to pass along my positive experiences from the daily Bannatynes dip; Wivenhoe estuary woes still haven’t deterred me.

Oh - and I got to shake the hand of a Dingbat as well. Job’s a good ‘un.

And then it was time for the short train journey back to the Hoe, and an hour of boozing with my lovely new neighbour and his pals back in The Station.

Blimey.

Five pints later, and all became clear. I have now made the connection with the man that built my kitchen extension, as well as having the mystery explained of the random pussy landing on my bed at 4am earlier in the week.

Cripes.

Thursday evenings look like becoming a regular gig, shuttling along the Wivenhoe Trail to @15QueenStreet, and then back for local neighbourly booze. So yeah, there is an artist, of sorts, in me after all.

Chin chin.