Wanstead shopping update, 4.11.11; Au revoir Knock Down Ginger

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It’s farewell of a sorts to children’s clothes shop and hairdresser Knock Down Ginger which, just short of its third birthday, is going online only. It’s a shame for the Snaresbrook end of the high street, but owner Rina is offering 50% off shoes this weekend and is definitely still in business and in contact through Twitter and Facebook.

Wanstead comedy: Best lines

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Wansteadium invited anyone who went to Thursday night’s Wanstead Comedy Night at Bar Room Bar to submit their nominations for best lines of the evening.

Wansteadium reader Clive e-mails the following:

I was a bit the worse for wear and the scribbles I wrote on a piece of paper I had in my pocket don’t make quite as much sense this morning, but some odd phrases which stood out include “how come there’s no such thing as chaps with flaps”; “We’ve got Jehovah’s Bystanders in Peckham because no one witnesses anything in Peckham”; “My tip for a happy marriage, lads? Tools – options – delete history.” Also a line from Robert White about how he came from a musical household – he lived in A Flat. And every time he moved he had to change key. At one stage (for a reason I can’t quite remember) he put a plastic poo on his head and said something about that when it came to criticism he was undeterred. This all makes me think being a comedy critic must be very hard – you need to drink to find it funny but the drinking means you can’t remember it. Well, I tried.”

You did Clive, and for that you will get a build-your-own model of Andrews Builders Merchants. Any further suggestions are welcome at wansteadium@gmail.com

Comedy in Wanstead: Choose your lines (and win a keyring)

Tonight the Wanstead Comedy Night takes place at Bar Room Bar from 8.30 (doors open at 7.30).

On the bill are Philberto, Robert White, Pat Cahill and others. Full details here at www.wansteadcomedynight.co.uk; tickets are £5.

And in the first of a regular collaboration between the organisers and Wansteadium, anyone who attends and successfully nominates one of the best three lines of the evening (by email to wansteadium@gmail.com) will win a luxury Wansteadium keyring (actual value 0.0001p).

Hedgehog alert

A seasonal message from Wansteadium, thanks to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

Earlier this year, the Wansteadium Hedgehog Hunt asked readers to report any sightings in Wanstead of hedgehogs dead or alive. Our initial pessimism was somewhat dispelled by a number of sightings (full coverage here) and most memorably by this photo taken in a Nightingale Estate garden.

A detailed report into the state of Britain’s hedgehog population can be found here.

Wansteadium now undertakes not to mention hedgehogs again until springtime at the earliest.