7pm at The Omega Centre

COUNTDOWN TO ZERO (US 2010)

Director: Lucy Walker

120 min

COUNTDOWN TO ZERO traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident.

Entry £5

Buy tickets for this film here.

Omega Centre partners Portsmouth Film Society and local environmental organisations are coming together in partnership to present Portsmouth’s first GREEN FILM FESTIVAL, 17-19 May. The Deputy Mayor councillor Frank Jonas will open the Festival on Thursday 17 May at Omega Centre with a special “green carpet” reception.

The festival will present a range of films and events, some of them getting their premiere in Portsmouth. The film opening the festival is the award-winning documentary Just Do It, about young activists who cross the line to become modern day outlaws. Many question if this direct action is the best way to achieve their goals. After the film there will be a no doubt lively and heated discussion organised by Portsmouth Climate Action Network. Later, at Omega Centre, The Island President, a film about about Mohammed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives, a nation who’s very existence is threatened by changes in the environment, will be introduced by Mark Lynas, a writer and campaigner on environmental issues who acted as an adviser to President Nasheed.

Chairperson of Portsmouth Film society Aysegul Epengin said, “This is a very exciting prospect for Portsmouth and we know that local people will support it.”

Portsmouth Film Society was founded in 2009 and has been bringing a range of independent international and classic films to venues around Portsmouth and Southsea. In 2011 The society won a number of awards and commendations from the National Film Society Awards, in particular the runner up for Film Society of the Year and the Community Award.

The Omega Centre, the home of the Portsmouth Film Society will be the main site for the festival. Tickets are priced from £2 to £5 and some are even free depending on which organisation is presenting their choice of film.

More information on the festival

Family Attractions

Food and Drink

Walks and Recreation

The new SeaCity Museum in Southampton has been eagerly awaited with the 100 anniversary of the sinking of Titanic being in this year. I was invited to look around and duly parked off Cumberland Place on the A3024, and this is only a short walk to the museum across the park. It was a dreadful day with heavy rain most of the day, so a nice dry museum was an ideal place to get out of the rain. I have been in many museums, history is one of my favourite subjects, and I was not disappointed with SeaCity.

You should allow at least 3 hrs for your visit, the layout because it is the old law Courts could be easier to navigate, but there are some fascinating displays there, and with the aid of interactive technology, the children and adults really get the most out of the museum.

Maybe it’s me but Law Courts give me the shivers, but being a heritage site, even the signs saying Court 3 cannot be removed. The plus bit is the Gents toilets use the original police toilets, even the doors are original. One Court Room, can’t remember which number has been cleverly refurbished to house the Titanic enquiry, with images and voices taking you through the process that White Star had to go through after the tragedy.

In another hall is a history of Southampton, very interesting to those of us who only know Southampton the way it is today, in 1912 Southampton was as many Cities were a divided town for those that had, and for those that had a struggle to make ends meet. This is why Titanic was such an event because for many of the 500 employed to work on Titanic it must have been Heaven sent, better pay and not just for one day as many dock workers were employed.

There is room for future development, and hopefully they can get Miss Britain III down from Greenwich Maritime Museum where Hubert Scott Paine donated her after the fantastic efforts to win the Harmsworth Trophy in September 1933.

Well worth a visit, but give yourself plenty of time.

More Museums to visit in Hampshire

I have been meaning to give my Son Matthew, a clay shooting lesson for some time and when I came across The Owls Lodge  Shooting School, run by Richard Faulds and his wife Tanya, I had no hesitation in fixing up a lesson.

Some shooting schools can be a bit rustic, not so with The Owls, a beautiful Log Cabin for the clubhouse where hot food is served all day and just the place to get in out of our somewhat unreliable English weather.

Richard, a Gold Medal winner at Sydney in 2000 for double trap was able to pass on his knowledge in a highly professional manner, and sure enough for someone who had never shot before, Matthew was getting the hang of this difficult sport.

After one hour, as a spectator I was glad to get my hands on a nice cup of hot coffee, and thanks to Richard we had a most enjoyable time at Owls Lodge Shooting School.

A simple but important test to see if the shooter is left or right handed!

Right hand photo, secure stand for the “bouncing bunny”

The Log Cabin awaits the end of the lesson, and the end of this blog, are you going to have a go?

The Hampshire Hogs Cricket Club was founded in 1887 and was originally known as The Northland Rovers C.C. until the name was changed with the view to making it a more representative amateur club in the county. In the early years only eight to ten matches were played per season, which was partly due to the fact that most of the members were frequently playing for the county, which didn’t achieve first-class status until 1894.
In 1903, the fixtures trebled and tours were organised to the West Country and, from 1912, to the Channel Islands. The names of two members stood out in these early years, the more notable being that of F.E. Lacey, the first cricketer to be knighted for his services to the game, who was club president in 1892 and 1927, captained the county in 1894 and was MCC secretary in 1898. The second was that of Russell Bencraft, club president in 1895 and 1924 and captain of the county from 1894–96. In a 60-year period, Bencraft was the holder of every office for Hampshire C.C.C., including president, before retiring in 1936. During the Club’s history, three members have had the distinction of being President of the MCC: R. Aird, H.S. Altham and C.G.A Paris, the last in 1976.  More Information

The original coaching inn was built on the site of the King’s Head during the tenure of the Heathcotes in around 1810. ( see History of Hursley)

Probably 100 years separates these pictures, mode of transport certainly different.

The Kings Head free house is a traditional Four Star Georgian coaching inn situated in the historic downland village of Hursley, just south of Winchester in Hampshire.

Totally refurbished three years ago, The Kings Head is under the management of Jimmy, formally of Oxfords, Southampton. The friendly staff offer you a warm welcome whether joining them for drinks, a meal or an overnight stay in one of their eight, beautifully decorated rooms.

Also the cellar can be hired for functions along with its skittle alley.

01962 775208  Visit The Kings Head Website

See more Pubs with Rooms in Hampshire.

We are fortunate in Hampshire to have a coastline accessible to many. Hill Head to Gosport offers a great opportunity to take advantage of warm sunny days and allows the children to burn off some energy without it costing you much, also excellent crabbing in the Hill Head harbour in Summer.

The much practised but never perfected art of “stone scimming”

An airshow for free every day, not bad!

Lee-on Solent looking back to Hill Head.

MORE ON THE SOUTH COAST

The most famous ship in the world, the RMS Titanic, pulled away from White Star Dock in Southampton at the start of her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Five days later in the early hours of April 15 she sank with great loss of life after striking an iceberg. The disaster made headlines across the world. However, the impact of the tragedy was felt no more so than in Southampton.

Most of the crew of the Titanic lived in the city and more than 500 households in Southampton lost at least one family member. 538 of the 714 crew members who gave a Southampton address were lost, the city was devastated.

Fast forward 100 years. On April 10, 2012, exactly a century after the famous ship departed from the city, Southampton City Council is set to open SeaCity Museum.

SeaCity Museum will tell the largely untold and fascinating story of Southampton’s crew and the impact the tragedy had on families in the city.

It will also feature other exhibitions about Southampton’s maritime past and present, telling the stories of people who have arrived and departed in the port for the past 2,000 years.

 On April 10, 2012 the world will be watching Southampton.

Director Martin Roberts along with his much loved Ale about to be dispatched all over Hampshire.

I made an appointment to visit Bowman Ales having tried their Wallops Wood at The Kings Head, Hursley, and realised that this is how a bitter should taste.

The drive over was great, bright sunshine and the countryside beginning to shake off its winter slumber with daffodils along the roadside.

Bowman Ales is conveniently situated amongst some of Hampshire’s most productive farmland and whilst the malted barley they use is a Wiltshire product, Ray Page, Director (Brewer) is hoping to use Hampshire malted barley fairly soon.

The process is fairly straight forward, boiling water is passed over the malted barley in the Mash Tun, and this process is called spurging the malt, and the resulting syrupy-sweet malt tea, called wort, is transferred to another fermentation vessel where it is heated along with all the other ingredients that go to make the Ale.  Picture below is the fermentation vessel.

After fermentation has taken place, the 720 gallons are transferred to their final storage tanks, the whole process takes about 2 weeks.

Where to find Bowman Ales in Hampshire Pubs.

Check out Beer Festivals in Hampshire.