Leigh on Sea News - ray-morgan

Reflections

Hands up who has said "Where has this year gone?" Yep - I've done it too. We can't help it. No matter what kind of year we've had, it's almost impossible not to reflect this time of year

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On Giving

For the past couple of years at work, we've done a Reverse Advent; bringing in long-life food items for Southend Food Bank in December, donating to people who are struggling at Christmas.

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125 years of Southend arts celebrated

Last week, the great and the good of Southend's arts scene descended upon Twenty One, the lovely art gallery based on Pier Approach, a cockle's throw from the Three Shells, nascently poised in the echoes of the Never Never Land of our 1980s past.

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Shopping local for Christmas

After all the excitement of Leigh Lights on Friday (well done to Leigh Town Council and all the lovely businesses that opened late and made everything so festive!) I am feeling distinctly Christmassy.

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Tales from Estate: Poetry Review

Southend poet Sadie Davidson has had her first poetry collection, Tales from the Estates, published by Whisky & Beards.

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Lynn Tait Gallery Closing

I read with sadness this week that the Lynn Tait Gallery gift shop in Old Leigh High Street is to close, around 30 years after it was first opened. Its founder, Lynn, passed away in the summer of 2017 and the family have decided to close the shop this Christmas.

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Ray Morgan: Parking Wars

I was in the Broadway on Saturday and I came out of the Co-op with my Halloween balloons and my oat milk and saw that people were kind of milling around, holding shopping bags, staring at the road. Two people were having a spectacular argument in their cars, over a parking space. I mean, they were seriously effing and jeffing...

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Ousted

Warning: this blog contains mice

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The Dusty Sky

I've always been compelled by mad weather. I remember going to watch 101 Dalmations at Southend Odeon one Christmas as a kid, and when we came out, it had snowed massively while we were inside.

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Ray Morgan: The Birds are Back in Town

They're back! Have you seen them? Have you heard them?

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The birds are back in town

They're back! Have you seen them? Have you heard them? Our winter tenants, the Brent Geese, have made their way over from boggy Arctic tundra and they've settled yet again on our mudflats, on our estuary shores.

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Wipers Times: Theatre Review

Last night I saw the opening night of The Wipers Times and it is one of the most enjoyable, poignant and funny plays I've seen in a long time.

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A weekend in four colours

It was what can only be described as a 'Rainbow' weekend for our fave Ray Morgan .....

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September's Golden Return

Opaques. This is my signifier for the turn of the season: the return of opaques. I'm clearly a bore about this, because my Facebook 'On This Day' shows a roll-call of early-September status posts about getting my black opaque tights out of retirement for Autumn. But it does feel like change, doesn't it?

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Ray Morgan: Just Beachy

Bank Holiday Monday; the weather was actually good for once, right? No clouds, no rain, no sad faces because we were trapped inside with faces pressed up to the windows thinking of all the fun we *could* be having.

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A holiday at home

I don't know about you, but my Facebook and Instagram feeds are full of other people's holidays at the moment.

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Settling In

As some of you regular readers may know, I moved into a new home in March, and it's been a lovely 5 months getting the place sorted.

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Home-grown with love

I've been spending some time at my parents' allotment lately, and I am astounded at how good it is for the soul to be somewhere peaceful, away from the buzz of everyday life; somewhere to truly switch off.

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Review: Coach trip to Hastings

It's a nice segue, given that last week's blog was about not driving, that this week I'm talking... coach journeys! Saviour of the non-driving yet UK trip-loving individual!

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Walk on, walk on

Some people find it strange that at almost 33, I've never sat behind the wheel of a car...

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