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A lost Saturday afternoon spent drinking coffee, talking bicycles and listening to poetry; half pints of lager shandy at The Greyhound were also involved.

Splendid.

It all started off so innocently - most mistakes do these days - but somehow managed to manifest into a late August afternoon of shandy and scones.

Whoops.

A very kind invite for mid-morning coffee round at the home of Wivenhoe’s esteemed Bike Guru got Saturday off to a good start. Any man who likes to combine cycling with coffee is always worth a chin wag with.

As well as offering a Bike Guru service around Wivenhoe, plus manning the mechanical duties at the very ACE Re-Cycle across in Colchester, Matt - for he is your Bike Guru - is about to set up a cycling ‘n coffee shop down by the old bus station in Sunny Colch.

It’s an idea that is not new to London, and hopefully now is the perfect time to introduce a similar service around these North Essex estuary parts. As well as serving high-class coffee, bike repairs will be available, all within a space that celebrates cycling culture.

This may take the form of showing live coverage of the Grand Tours, or perhaps film evenings to screen some of the classic cycling documentaries.

Keep Colchester Cycling will also be based down at the kiosks in the old bus station, sharing the space with Bike Guru and his coffee n’ cycling cultural exchange.

Meanwhile, back in Wivenhoe and there was a coffee machine to road test. I admit to being more of a Tetley Tea type of chap - perhaps at a push then a rather generous teaspoon of Nescafe if I’m going for that continental look.

It was certainly an education in the Wivenhoe kitchen as I was shown how the machine works, or rather how you work with the machine and tame all that lively hissing and spurting.

The Bike Guru has grand plans, and having listened to them with great interest, I explained my own grand plan for the remainder of the day:

Mr Mule, LIVE and DIRECT Upstairs at The Greyhound.

Oh Lordy.

A brief bicycle fixation back at my base, and soon we were propping up the bar, ordering the half shandies and even shouting a round for the always engaging Pop Genius of this Parish.

Currently trading as Wivenhoe’s Leading Light Entertainer - and who are we to doubt this? - Mr Mule was on fine form as he prepared to entertain the afternoon crowd Upstairs at The Greyhound with verse, song and good humour.

Some parallels were in place from what I had heard from Matt earlier in the day. Upstairs at The Greyhound is a dead space during the day. Much like the old kiosks in Colchester, Mr Mule is keen to explore this and fill it with happy folk.

It was a mixed crowd that had come to see the Leading Entertainer - a local borough Councillor, a young chap dreading the Back to School routine that awaits, Mr Mule’s Mum.

Blimey.

The first half of the performance focussed upon The Hythe. Not at all wanting to claim credit for being the muse for Mr Mule, but having read my recent @Colchester101 piece all about the old industrial heartbeat of the Colne, this sparked an interest in revisiting some of his previous research.

In the unlikely event that you find yourself standing on the platform at the Hythe train station, do take the time to take in the words and ideas that decorate the area. This was a commission for Mr Mule, who undertook months of research and writing.

[note to self: you may have a fancy dan stereo mic mp3 gizmo, but it still sounds slightly ropey, unless you are sitting facing the performer - doh! Apologies...]

These ideas also came together for one Saturday afternoon only, Upstairs at The Greyhound. We heard about the old boys who worked the port, the returning commuters from Liverpool Street and the whores of Hythe Hill.

It’s quite a lively area, I tell you.

Mr Mule was joined by Dr Adrian May, a well-known figure on the folk circuit, and a Hythe resident. His murder ballad was one of the most beautiful pieces of music that I have heard in some time, and somehow it just seemed to make perfect sense on a Saturday afternoon at The Greyhound, just as the estuary rain took issue with the fag end of the summer.

Mr Mule returned for a mandolin version of Home Counties Boy. I have touched on before how this is his personal calling card. Everything that you need to know about Wivenhoe’s (current) Leading Light Entertainer is encapsulated in song and verse.

And then just as the Pop Genius sang:

“and don’t drop your H’s, my mum said to me…”

…I glimpsed his dear old Ma sitting opposite have a twinkle in her eye, a slight foot tappin’ moment and an even a singing of the chorus.

Awww…

Lovely.

Mr Mule of course was oblivious to it all, doing the rock ‘n roll thing. Still, the moment was there, and I’m sure a very proud dear old Ma went home feeling rather happy.

Just like me.

A brief break for beer and scones, care of the wonderful @Seelkram and his burgeoning Well Bread Wivenhoe business, and then we were back for more songs and dance (sort of) from the top turn of the afternoon.

Pound for pound this was poetry and pastry value for money. Where else on a hit and miss North Essex Saturday afternoon are you going mix songs, scones and shandy?

So yeah - quite a random start to the weekend. I blame the seriously strong coffee.

More of the same please, kind Sirs.

This piece was first published in the brilliant Colchester 101 magazine. Copies are available for free around pubs, shops and other public places in the town.

With all this talk of potential city status for Colchester, sometimes you just need to step outside of the town centre and reflect upon the natural beauty that we are blessed to find on our doorstep - I’m not talking about the Greenstead Estate, either.

You may laugh at the idea of the Essex Riviera; the coastal landscape of the Colchester surrounds remains an undiscovered secret for many. Sure we have Clacton, Frinton and Walton to remind us of our childhood holidays. The whole of the Tendring Peninsula though is something of a Playboy’s (or girls) paradise when it comes to the great outdoors.

Now is the right time to go rambling, if indeed there ever is a right time to put on the walking boots, a bobble hat and pretend that you can read an Ordinance Survey map. Spring has finally arrived around these parts, and the landscape from the town centre out towards the coast is changing every day.

Brightlingsea would be a good starting point for any away day of discovery. The beauty is not so much in the destination itself, but the journey that takes you out to the closest stretch of coast outside of Colchester.

With the old Crab ‘n Winkle railway line long since lost to the Beeching Axe of ’63, the No. 78 bus is your friend. But not for the outward journey - the idea is for a walk along the Colne as it transcends from being a pleasant town centre river, to becoming a full on estuary on the edges of the North Sea.

Nine miles in total is the distance to walk. Follow the Colne, and on route and you will pass the historic (and now re-vitlaised) old port at the Hythe, the village charm of lower Wivenhoe, the rural and brutal landscape around Alresford Creek, the charm of Thorrington Tidal Mill, and then finally destination Brightlingsea.

A boat is then required to travel any further up the North Essex coast. For a day trip I would recommend that you get familiar with many of the fine pubs in Brightlingsea itself. With perfect town centre planning, the No. 78 bus even stops right outside the traditional Railway Tavern.

It is so easy to get caught up in an urban lifestyle as Colchester continues to expand. The edges of the town are now unrecognisable to only two decades ago. Somehow though a sense of scenic beauty manages to resist the clamour for city status, putting up natural barriers to allow rural pleasures such as the walk out to Brightlingsea.

Essex University has managed to stop Wivenhoe becoming a suburb of Colchester; Alresford Creek conveniently cuts up any attempt to put in place a direct road route all the way out towards Brightlingsea. The old port town itself is cut off from nearby Mersea, with a round trip all the way back towards the Hythe required to encounter the other side of the estuary.

And so while we rightfully continue the growth of Colchester, both commercially and culturally, sometimes it is a simple back to basics approach that reminds you of why so many of us choose to live and work in the area.

Oh - the walk out towards Brightlingsea also touches upon the edges of the Greenstead as well.

It all started off rather innocently along Platform One of Wivenhoe Station early on Thursday evening. To @15QueenStreet! was the rallying cry for a young (ish) chap about town, still wearing some silly headgear.

The monthly Creative in Colchester night was on the agenda - a chance to meet up with like-minded folk from the area who are y’know - keen to Keep Colchester Cool n’ all that.

It wasn’t quite a red carnation and a copy of the Telegraph clasped underneath my right arm that was the identifier, but a beautiful fixie and a poking away on an iPhone that first alerted my attention. Life long relationships are built upon such moments.

My man happened to be @pmmikes - a true Wivenhoe local, and the current squeeze of @15QueenStreet favourite, the good (and very jovial) @Singyamatokun. I’ve never met Mike before, apart from following various online activities within the very informal network that is now centred around @15QueenStreet.

In years gone by I would have made a nervous mental note of possible recognition, and then carried on about my business in not so splendid isolation. But the online world, and the very real sense that some form of community is springing up around @15QueenStreet has changed all of that.

“Greetings, fella. Um, you must be Alex’s bloke, right?”

The train journey from Wivenhoe passing through the Hythe and then on to the Oldest Recorded is pleasant enough itself. Catching up with an online friend, and then filling in the offline gaps, made it all the more merry.

And so soon we were both @15QueenStreet bound for an evening that covered muso photography, online social experimentation with images, live music, DJ music, conversations, collaborations, laughter and alcohol. I didn’t really want to head back to Wivenhoe, to be honest.

This was without a doubt the most successful of the Creative in Colchester events to date. It is almost impossible to offer up a system to rank the effectiveness of these evenings. I’m simply going with my memory of grinning on the train all the way back to the Hoe - I’m not talking about the brashness of @LeePugh10‘s shirt, either.

Blimey.

Right from the start of the evening and the overspill @15QueenStreet snaked out along the corridors and headed upstairs. Something quite tangible is happening here in Colchester, and on Thursday evening, the usual daytime studio for the outrageously talented @hiddendingbat’s was at the epicentre of it all.

What was great to witness was the number of new faces that are appearing. These are folk that I recognise from being out and about @ColchesterArts or Arts on 5. As @coolcolchester commented to me later:

“The creative talent in Colchester has always been there. @15QueenStreet is bringing people out of the shadows and offering up a central space for the community to grow.”

The now traditional tombola style raffle offered up some fine artwork from Brightlingsea based @papershed37. I (finally) had the chance for a proper catch up with @sarahkplatt, finding out more about her video production and streaming business that is based @15QueenStreet.

And then it was time to head up to the boardroom for a couple of informal talks, explaining and exploring the work and ideas of some friends from @15QueenStreet.

New resident member @jjdoyleoriginal gave a fascinating insight into the world of rock ‘n roll photography. He dismantled the myth behind the art, and explained the techniques behind capturing that perfect image.

I couldn’t but help overlook some of the notepad scribblings that a lady sitting in front of me was jotting down. It wasn’t a shopping list, but the rather lovely observation of:

“jjdoyle - a very genuine man.”

Awwwww…

@webponce then opened up for discussion ideas and themes around the Disposable Memory Project. This is essentially a beautiful analogue meets online take on the traditional message in a bottle idea.

Cheap, disposable cameras are dispatched around the world, with basic instructions to capture any moment, and then pass the camera on. Once the film is complete, participants are then encouraged to return the cameras back to @webponce for the sharing of the journey, and the story behind the images.

Both speakers rightfully enthused at length about their projects and passions; this wasn’t a distraction from the rest of the evening - it actually added to the flow and diversity of the event.

Past Creative in Colchester meet ups have often ended up ‘tired and emotional.’ I felt on Thursday evening that the perfect balance had been found between the social conversation and the social collaboration.

And so back down from the boardroom to the main studio space, and then we were in true Colchester rock aristocracy territory. @adyjohnsonuk had plugged his acoustic guitar into a small amp, and we were treated to a very intimate and secret gig from the true rising star on the Colchester music scene.

Ady is an incredibly humble chap, and was happy to discuss at length after his performance about future plans looking towards London. There’s a Water Rats gig on 7th April for any of m’London colleagues. Many thanks to Ady for kindly agreeing to let me post up the impromptu performance form Thursday below.

Time was then tight with thoughts turning towards the last train back to the Hoe, not to mention a shared journey with @LeePugh10 (hope you bought an extra train ticket for the shirt as well, fella.)

Apologies to @jojocolchester who I really wanted to catch up with - Jardine on Monday, m’dear? Likewise I didn’t get a chance to say hello to @ColchesterInst tutor Janet, who I had met earlier in the week as part of #hiddenkiosks. How wonderful for her to return the favour and come out to support @15QueenStreet.

There was still time for cat tales with @corneliusjam (Takin’ Care of Business…) and then what I am putting down to youthful high spirits when @15percentkidney enquired:

“You’re Nu Labour, aren’t you?”

Steady the buffers, chap.

And so shortly after 11pm, the bar (*shhh*) had actually been drunk dry. This wasn’t a comment on creative booze consumption; simply that @15QueenStreet is growing.

This is only the start. There is a tremendous energy about the project that is almost impossible to resist. Colchester has many fine folk, who are only too willing to give up their time and help out others in their respective creative fields.

I left @pmmikes squeezing his latest squeeze. I trust *ahem* he didn’t miss the last train back to Wivenhoe. Hang on - I’ll check twitter and find out what is happening the morning after in the #Colchester network.

Lovely, lovely folk.

The plan was for a blog post entitled The Snowmen of Wivenhoe. Except during my Wednesday morning cycle from the Cross down to the Quay, I failed to find a single snowman. Front gardens uptown had the recycling boxes covered in a coupe of inches of snow. Squint hard enough, and the green boxes could possibly pass as a most peculiar form of snowman.

Past The Greyhound, and I swung right for the KGV fields. Surly this must be the ideal breeding ground for the Snowmen and Snowwomen of Wivenhoe?

A bloke was out early was out early walking his dog - not at the most briskest of paces, but even a prolonged squint down towards the Wood, and you would be hard pressed to describe a docile dog walker as a snowman.

I put the lack of Wivenhoe Snowmen all down to the timing. We were blessed with our heavy covering of snow rather late in the day on Tuesday. Most of the kids from both schools were already back at base, with only a delicate snow covering at chucking out time.

I presume both Broomgrove and Millfieds were both open on Wednesday? Scholarship is the enemy of the Snowmen of Wivenhoe. Plus by lunchtime, and the Park Road and Queens Road area had been reduced to a rather large ice rink.

Take it easy out there, folks.

Instead I carried on cycling down towards the Quay. By mid-morning, and most of the virgin snow had been sullied by the daily business of the town. The view downstream was gloomy, as further bursts of snow threatened down the Colne, although ultimately stayed away.

Work was calling for me, and so I abandoned the idea of a ride out to Alresford to try and capture the snow along the Trail. An earlier ride in the opposite direction towards the Hythe was almost aborted. The snow was patchy in the sheltered spot around Ferry Marsh, yet extremely thick under foot (and tyre) opposite the University.

And so with the Snowmen of Wivenhoe keeping a low profile, I settled instead for a hit and miss photo shoot of what was left down at the Quay. I still haven’t found the Christmas card picture that I’m craving for, and the clock is counting down on printing deadlines.

A light flurry is forecast for Thursday - it would be lovely to have a fresh covering for the late night shopping. If you feel inspired, a Snowman of Wivenhoe would be ace. You never know - it may even make its way onto a Christmas card coming your way.

Watch where yer sticking that carrot…

Full flickr set over here.