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To The Greyhound! …on Sunday evening for the third Radio Wivenhoe music quiz. With monthly running costs for the volunteer run community station entering three figure sums, these Greyhound pub quizzes are just one source of keeping the station broadcasting ahead of the formal application for a community licence.

Once again on Sunday it was a case of the early bird bags the best seats. Standing room only in the main bar, with any latecomer quiz kids sitting on the naughty settee across in the saloon. We greatly appreciated the warmth of Quizmaster Supreme Gary regularly visiting us to repeat any questions that didn’t drift through the Greyhound great divide. We weren’t using mobiles to find out all about the back catalogue of Manfred Mann. Oh no, not me…

Competition amongst the dozen or so teams was friendly, yet still competitive. I rather liked the idea of the Pop Genus of this Parish paying the role of the wandering minstrel and offloading an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music on to any frowned expressions following each question. I never knew that Mr Mule was a Steps fan.

Punching of the air and smug grins could be seen when a particularly tricky question triggered off the memory cells from back in the day. I’ve no idea where the John Lee Hooker moment came from, but a point is a point, pal.

Silence surrounded The Greyhound in-between each round with the marking of the questions. In true French vocabulary style school marking, papers were swapped with your neighbours for a second opinion. It was to our great fortune that saloon location landed us as outsiders with another team that was rather challenged when it comes to the love life and partner swapping that characterised late Abba.

The paradox of a TV round in a radio station quiz seemed to go unnoticed. Team Bobby Brown’s Bathtime Bereavement was in suitably bad taste, although not quite as frown worthy as the absolute filth that was the Diana Ross answer for the rather adult inspired lyrics.

And so another Radio Wivenhoe Greyhound quiz, another success. The electricity meter down at the Business Centre has been topped up for hopefully another month, which is just as well, seeing as though the volunteers involved are rapidly topping up the output with their professionalism.

Most of the hyperlocal broadcasters were present on Sunday evening, each recognising the importance of the station is contributing to the community, both on, and off air. I’m not going to argue over the answer of Dr Albarn, but half a point for the answer of “that jam rag advert” might have made all the difference.

To the Congregational Hall! …for the second time over the course of the weekend. Following the Wivenhoe Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon wasn’t quite the same sack of spuds affair, with the first meeting for the Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare production of 2012.

Mind where you’re throwing those rotten tomatoes, Madam.

With limited publicity (so far) it was incredibly pleasing to see twenty-two people coming out to show an interest in reviving Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare. The last performance was eight years ago. A busy work schedule for Sheila and the other lead theatrical types led to the Shakespearian sabbatical.

What piece of work is man, etc. Or even a woman for that matter. Quite considerable it seems, with Sheila very kindly now finding the time and energy to stage another al fresco Shakespeare performance working with Wivenhoe locals.

Ah yes - the al fresco bit of the Bard’s hyperlocal return. The previous setting of Ten Acres is now no longer available. Sheila has been scouting around for a suitable location since late last year. What is required is an outdoor space (obviously) that can also supply toilets, power, parking etc, plus all the ticks and boxes that are now required to entertain the public.

The good folk of Millfields School have very kindly stepped in and offered to stage The Tempest over the first week of the summer holidays, starting on 23rd July. Five shows are planned during the run up to what will be an incredibly busy Olympic fortnight. With the Olympiad ideals originally forged under the dual platform of both sport and art, the timing coincides nicely with the corporate takeover of athleticism down the road at Stratford.

The space around Millfields would lend itself rather favourably to any number of Shakespeare’s plays. A Midsummer Night’s Dream would be the cliché choice; Much Ado About Nothing might best describe the Wivenhoe pub talk. The Tempest however has emerged as a strong favourite. This is a magical play which should appear stunning under the backdrop of a setting sun and the estuary tide rolling in at the back of Millfields.

Best check that five-day weather forecast first.

Ah yes. The rain. The insurance. The cost.

Very careful planning has already been entered into ahead of 2012′s Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare. It is no trade secret that sums in the region of £2,000 - £3,000 are needed up front. Professional rigging and lighting equipment needs to be hired, security outdoors and overnight is a consideration, and Millfields will be expecting a modest contribution for kindly offering to stage the play.

The plan is for local donors to lend (and it really is a LEND) a modest sum in advance. This is the model that has been used in previous productions. The shows have always at least broken even, and the lenders will then be refunded with their very kind donation. Any profit will be presented to local charities.

It wasn’t quite Bottom and his Mechanicals meeting on Sunday afternoon in the Congregational Hall to bumble ahead with a bodge job of a play to be performed in the summer. It was instead incredibly pleasing to see contributions from the highly talented hyperlocal pool of theatrical people that continue to contribute to projects such as the Pantomime, Gilbert and Sullivan, Fawlty Towers etc. Enthusiasm and skills are not in short supply. Any show that can successfully combine these two attributes is usually deemed for success.

A number of impromptu acting scenes were work shopped on Sunday. Local acting talent has stepped forward, but auditions and casting still have a number of specialist roles to fill. A sigh of disappointment graced my soul when the shout went out for a “considerably younger chap to take on the role of Ferdinand.”

Alas I have little more than vintage wine and memories. It is the most shattering experience of a young man’s life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself “I will never play the Dane.”

Chin chin.

Behind the scenes production crew are also required. Someone with a flair for publicity would also be appreciated. There is currently a discussion over on the Wivenhoe Forum with the aim to hold a local conversation to pool the talent. This would be a good starting point for anyone that wants to step forward.

And so a highly encouraging start. Not rich, and certainly not strange.

Break a leg, Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare.

To the William Loveless Hall! [where else?] …on Saturday evening for the second Wivenhoe performance of Private Resistance staged by @easternangles. The World War Two drama is currently touring the region, taking in an impressive fifty venues and some seventy performances through until May. This is true hyperlocal theatre with a professional twist. It is the old impresario spirit of the show coming to town to impress, and then hitting the road shortly after the final curtain.

Private Resistance has very local context to the plot to fit the performance venues. With the five actors portraying a very private war during the 1940 - 1943 period, the storyline is played out around the very same geographical footprint that @eastenangles operates. Harwich, Manningtree and Colchester are all woven into the script. There is a genuine feel for the communities that the play is touring. The attention to hyperlocal detail is impressive.

But what of Wivenhoe, and what of the ‘artistic challenges’ in putting on a play in an old village hall that could have been purpose built for the 1940′s period piece? The stage design and use of space was quite remarkable. This is back to front theatre, with the actors performing to the opposite end where the traditional stage sits. Where Robin Hood was strutting his stuff in the Wivenhoe Pantomime last month is now the upper stalls.

The play itself was a gripping encounter, covering how the personal becomes the political during times of conflict. The storyline has the freedom to speculate around the fictional events of a Nazi invasion of mainland Britain. Somehow five actors playing just six parts were able to marry up this personal struggle with the wider picture of a national crisis.

But perhaps the greatest achievement of Private Resistance is the seamless transition in being able to bring professional theatre to a sleepy North Essex estuary town. We’re not alone, with the forty-nine other East Anglian towns and villages now having the pleasure of the Private Resistance roadshow rolling into the village halls and performance spaces.

The Loveless Hall was hushed throughout the two and a half hour performance. The proximity of the actors to the audience meant that it was impossible not to physically feel part of the performance, and all the terrors that comes with international conflict.

Two sell out performances of Private Resistance took place in Wivenhoe over the weekend. A third show would easily have sold out. Having an established theatre company performing right on your doorstep is an absolute delight. With Moving Image screening Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on the same evening down at the Philip Road Centre, fans of both film and theatrical historical settings were well served.

Walking out of the Loveless Hall and back up the High Street on Saturday evening was another one of those increasingly special Wivenhoe moments. The audience was still buzzing, relative strangers heading back to base and talking about the emotional play that was just played out in their hometown.

Of course the hit and miss hyperlocal blogger left his bloody camera back at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] No worries - a cup of team at home, and then a return to the High Street to pick up the lost property. It was less than half an hour since final curtain, and here were the @easternangles actors scrubbed down, out of make-up and packing up the set, all ready to roll on to the glamour of Margaretting.

Some very recognisable and decent Wivenhoe folk were also helping out. This is what happens when professionals take the time to step away from the big stage and head out to the sticks. The wartime drama of Private Resistance made perfect sense out in the community. Good luck for when the performance pitches up at Creeting St Mary Village Hall…

All audio produced by Matthew Linley, for Radio Wivenhoe.

To the Congregational Hall! …rather early on Saturday morning for the monthly Wivenhoe Farmer’s Market. I rather like the loose definition of farming; I also rather like the idea that somewhere in the backfields of North East Essex there are some good owd Essex boys growing cup cakes, soda drinks and Chinese meals and noodles.

No worries - it’s all good stuff and it certainly fills out the Congregational Hall with very worthy hyperlocal produce. So much so that the equally worthy hyperlocal Transition Town Wivenhoe were out of luck in finding some floor space in which to help put across the sustainability message.

Maybe it is to do with the first flourish of spring ripping through the land like a hormonal teenage ripping through a porno stash for the first time at the back of the garden shed? The Farmer’s Market was looking a little sparse after the Golden Days of the summer. The February take up was most encouraging.

As well as the staple Primrose Pork (spare ribs for supper ahoy!) Tony’s Fresh Fish and Wonky Label jams, marmalades and marinades, this month saw many new traders being welcomed to Wivenhoe. Norma Zucker’s Cup Cakes looked enticing, as did the wonderfully named Wok ‘n Roll Chinese meals. The Gambian Wonjo juice certainly hit the post-hangover spot for 9am on a Saturday morning.

Chin chin.

Colne Soap Makers remain a firm favourite with @AnnaJCowen. The girl scrubs up surprisingly well, especially after bathing in the essence of Eau d’ Muddy Banks of the Colne. Mrs Kelly’s Irish Soda Bread sorted us out with some nourishment for the post-hangover.

And so a highly successful Wivenhoe Farmer’s Market for February. By the time the show rolls into to town for the Ides of March next month, the hormonal teenager will have extracted all the natural goodness out of the porno stash, and be in full flight ahead of the first early buds of spring.

Phew.

Wok ‘n’ Roll.

With less than a week to go before Wivenhoe’s Got Talent, how are the rehearsals shaping up for the Mayoral Variety Show taking place at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] on 24th February? Funny you should ask, folks. A mystery reviewer appears to have all the answers. Fans of dignified civic dignitaries singing into mop handles read on:

“Well, what a show! It all started off at 5 O’clock with the Mop Heads. This small troupe of Council connected performers have transformed the simple floor mop into an item of vernacular ballet.

We then had the razzmatazz of Colne Bank School of Dancing, colour movement and youthful enthusiasm. Talking of youthful exuberance, what a delight from The Celebrity Babies, three young men who exuded joy with their dance routine to Always Look on the Bright Side.

Accomplished singer, Dennis Free warmed up his routine whilst entertainer Vince Rayner preferred to keep his act under wraps, suggesting that he will be working off the cuff and wants to reserve it’s topicality. Likewise with magician Peter Reilly, but expect to be amazed at his predictions.

Singing duo Shane Diggens and Luke Dart really have put together an amazing piece that contains an impressive WOW factor. All this and we have yet to see the ADP Theatre School and Funky Voices. Bob Needham stomped around to Jake the Peg. Which one is the false leg?

Finally we treated to a touch of the orient from Dee Hanbury who’s Belly Dance routine is astonishing. Well, not quite finally because the whole show will have the most stupendous finale. With a show packed with so much talent, Wivenhoe is due for a good night out next Friday.

Can I thank everybody who has pitched in to make this show a real event. You are all a tribute to the spirit of Wivenhoe…”

So blimey. The brilliant Colne Bank School of Dancing, Celebrity Babies and Belly Dancing. But which Wivenhoe Town Cllr will be swaying their hips in a hypnotic rhythm with a slightly sensual undertone?

Cheeky.

Once again, it is worth reminding that Wivenhoe’s Got Talent remains the best value ticket in town next Friday. A fiver for big folk, kids for a quid. It’s enough to make you want to shake your moptop in a shrilled high voice.

No proper radio station is complete without a breakfast show. Wogan, Evans, Moyles - they all come to define the personality of the station and set the tone for the rest of the morning.

Wakey! Wakey!

Here comes… Mr Mule.

Oh Lordy.

Yep, even hyperlocal radio stations need that extra early morning slap around the chops to shake off the hangover from the night before and to set you up for a weekend of bird watching. Mr Mule will be presenting Wake up to Wivenhoe on the Voice of the Colne this Saturday morning.

Joining Wivenhoe’s finest will be Colin Hill from nearby Great Bentley, bringing his professionalism from Dream 100 down to the Business Centre and the lavish studios of Radio Wivenhoe. Music from the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s is being sourced; I doubt if conversation will be in short supply.

Looking beyond all the breakfast show jollity that you can hear elsewhere on Radio Twaddle up and down the dial, this is actually quite a significant step for Radio Wivenhoe. It has long been the aim to offer up a professional approach and apply for an FM community licence. The breakfast show trial this weekend is a step closer to establishing a worthy schedule.

Audience figures are on the up, mainly thanks to an increased professionalism from many of the broadcasters. Wake up to Wivenhoe is dipping a big toe into the muddy banks of the Colne to see if there is any interest at this stage of the station’s development for a breakfast show.

The Wake Up Wivenhoe reference is a programme title, Madam, and not a passing comment to what should be done to the town involving a mega nightclub down by the Quay and a lap dancing bar outside the new bus stop by the Co-op. I’d wager that Wivenhoe would probably still manage to sleep through the slight disturbance.

The breakfast show starts at 8am on Saturday morning. Listening to the Voice of the Colne is now considerably easier. Simply head over to radiowivenhoe.co.uk and the hyperlocal station starts to stream automatically. You can also listen over on the obligatory Facebook page.

Plus here’s a brief plug for some of the other station related events coming up: the ever popular Radio Wivenhoe music quiz continues at The Greyhound on Sunday 19th, with a 7pm start. There will be a 60′s and 70′s disco on the 5th May, also helping to raise funds for the weekly £100 running costs.

It is fitting that the first broadcaster to speak on Radio Wivenhoe, as well as the first presenter to try out the new studios will be introducing the breakfast show.

So yeah - Wake up to Wivenhoe, wake up to Mr Mule.

Well I never.

To The Bakehouse! …on Wednesday evening for something that could best be described as a *shhh* post-wedding meal.

Whoops.

How did that happen?

Our previous visit to The Bakehouse as singletons was so special that a repeat journey was required, to see if the experience is any different under the what’s yours is mine system of ownership. I Immediately took a shine to @AnnaJCowen’s large glass of red bolly and necked it in one.

Chin chin.

In an age of hospitals texting you to remind you of appointments, pre-planned tweets and a social media strategy to organise your social life, it is refreshing to know that our arrival was timed to perfection under the sound of Wednesday evening bell ringing practice at St Mary’s. 8pm was the booking arrangement. 8pm is when the fine folk of St Mary’s tug away at their bell ends every Wednesday evening.

The temptation is there to take for granted the very simple delight of walking down to a traditional English restaurant, be serenaded by bell ringers and then enjoy a mighty fine meal without any distraction. It is evenings like this that remind you that Wivenhoe and the many fine restaurants really are something to celebrate.

A charming welcome from the delightful double maitre d’s, and then we were shown to our table for the evening. @AnnaJCowen is about as much an architectural critic as I am qualified to comment on fine food. We did manage to span out a five minute conversation however on the beauty of the old wooden beams and the history that must have taken place within the Bakehouse over the centuries.

Ahhh - married life…

Food was ordered. Warm salad of field mushrooms & squash with balsamic dressing as a started for the lady, chicken liver pate with whole meal toasted brioche & tomato chutney for the chap.

Balsamic dressing is something of a soft spot for the blushing bride. I’m surprised the wedding cake wasn’t finished off with a splash of the dark stuff around the edges. My chicken liver pate melted in the mouth with the same ease that it gently melted on the brioche.

And relax.

But not for too long, with the main meal coming our way after the second bout of architectural conversation. Hard wood featured. Steady the buffers. Or even the beams. Shepherd’s pie with cheesy mashed potato was the choice of @AnnaJCowen. I salivated (steady) with my choice of slow roasted pork belly with mashed potato & curly kale.

The pork belly was equally crisp and tender. Two layers allowed the carnivore within to declare a love of MEAT. The gravy in itself would have been worthy of a separate side dish. It has a sweetness to it that soon had me declaring an addiction along similar lines to the balsamic dressing eating disorder. Any meal that can make the terminally dull curly kale come to life is worth savouring.

And having forked out the whopping sum for an austerity based Monday afternoon *shhh* wedding down at the romance of the Roman Rooms Registry Office in Sunny Colch, the price of a post-wedding meal is always going to be pertinent.

Not one to kiss and tell (or even to kiss to be honest) but I’m not giving too many trade secrets away when I say that there was ample change from £40, booze included. I almost felt the need to give a tip to the bell ringers who were still tugging away.

And so yeah, another highly successful Bakehouse visit. The plan is to celebrate future anniversaries around the many fine-eating establishments within Wivenhoe. I personally can’t wait until a year to the day when Papa’s will be on our radar.

Ding dong.