Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll Numbers 2 and 3

The second Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll. This time we had mulled wine. And fairy cakes. A special mention must go to Isabella's fairy cakes.

We followed roughly the same pattern as the 1st one. We all meet up at Warrior Square end of Bottle Alley. Those with ukes tune up and try and agree the chords to a song. On the first Stroll we had Hastings Pier Is Burning Down, with uplifting lyrics contributed by Members Of The Stroll, and Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside.

This time we had The Sun Has Got His Hat On: a request from one of the younger strollers at Stroll 1. We stop in each of the three bays for refreshments and a change of song. At the third bay members of HUSS: the Hastings Ukulele Sunday School, play a few of the songs that we know: mainly YMCA and The Monster Mash.


Whether this is how they will all go I don't know. It will be hard to sustain. Mixing endurance and tenacity with fun will not always work. And I am concerned that nobody should feel obligated to join in something this foolish and repetitive.

On this occasion there is a Hastings Ukulele Sunday School session down the road so some of us continue down there.

Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll Number 3.

Starting from the Warrior Square end of Bottle Alley the third half mile of my 52 week 26 mile Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll takes place at 4pm on Sunday 14th November. This week there will be performances and poetry, recitations and light.

The strolls start at 4, which is a bit stupid really as I have to shut the shop up and get to the start of the stroll in no minutes at all. I can't remember why I didn't schedule them for 4:30. Anyway, the result is that I'm always racing time, as usual amd I'm never as prepared; musically, psychologically, sartorially or in any other way as I would like.

I'm surprised and pleased that anyone has turned up; Lucinda with 2 friends. This one's swifter, no stops for tea, we just march on through Bottle Alley till we get to the other end, where we chat before parting.
My facebook post:

A wonderful afternoon and an intimate low key Bottle Alley Ukulele stroll. One and a half miles done. Only 48 strolls left to complete.

Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll Numbers 1 to 2

This is my account of my year long weekly stroll with a ukulele down Bottle Alley. It starts with an idea. Well, it starts before that. It starts with the shock of redundancy. I stop doing what I've done for 20 years and I begin to work in the Pier Shop,

I'm the Shop Manager and the sole employee of the Hastings and White Rock Pier Trust. All this summer and autumn I listen to young families asking me where to find seaside fun in Hastings and to older people telling me about when Bottle Alley and The Pier were fine and fun places to be.
Then there's the fire.
So one night I get this idea. I play the ukulele, I'm here every day. I should do what I know to bring a focus back to the seafront here.
I post a simple manifesto on my facebook site to see how it sounds:

Active Simplicity and Repetition; my expression of hope and regret. Every Sunday afternoon at 4 I hope to celebrate and reclaim Bottle Alley from apathy, neglect and piss for an hour. Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll is as repetitive and monotonous as broken glass set in half a mile of concrete. Sometimes it might shine. And if it means nothing else at least we can sing and play music, drink tea and eat cake.

Well, it seems like a good idea, so I make an appointment:

Sunday will be Number 1 in a series of 52 weekly Bottle Alley Ukulele Strolls.
Bottle Alley is half a mile long.
Over the year the Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll will cover 26 miles.
On Sunday those of you taking part will complete the first half mile in a year long Ukulele Marathon.

I shut the shop early. I'm quite nervous now. I have no idea how it will turn out. Lou lou comes to the shop. We have tea trolleys and people dressed up and loud hailers of paper mache. I walk through Bottle Alley wondering what I have done. There are about 30 people. We sing, we stroll, we play ukulele. It's quite chaotic, but, that's what I expected. It's done and it's there. All I need to do is 51 more.

This is my facebook post:


Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll Number 1: The First Half Mile.
Oh it was lovely. Thanks everyone for coming along and joining in and being so patient and singing and pushing tea trolleys.
We will have more fun, more songs and more kazoos and swanee whistles next week. And mulled wine, we need some mulled wine.




Now I just need to organise the next one:

The Second Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll will take place on Sunday 7th November at 4pm. This is the second half mile in a year long 26 mile Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll. This is where we begin to feel the burn!
The Bottle Alley Ukulele Stroll is a weekly event aimed at reclaiming and celebrating this concrete and glass monument to the Hastings and St Leonards Seafront.
Bring Ukuleles, kazoos, swanee whistles, spoons, and any instruments you want. Dress up fancy and I will provide biscuits, cakes and mulled wine.