Reading Roars!

You might remember that Tesco opened one of its “Metro” stores at the junction of Crown and London Streets around a year ago. We took this photo tonight because we thought you might be interested to see what’s happened to the local corner shop since.

Six months ago this shop - less than a minute’s walk away - occupied the entire area beneath the Londis signs, including the shuttered bits. Today, it’s down to around a third of its previous size.

Now, we don’t want to get all high-and-mighty about supermarket dominance in our town. That would be a bit hypocritical, given that this Reading Roars! writer does tend to shop in Sainsbury’s. In fact, we don’t even know whether this shop’s downsizing is a result of the new Tesco branch. We haven’t spoken to the owner, so we’ll just present the evidence and let you draw your own conclusions.

However, we do know this: there are already seven branches of Tesco within three miles of the town centre. An eighth is slated to open in the next few months, on Market Place. Do we really need it?

You know those recent stories about David Cameron’s airbrushed face? They might be a little exagerrated. Going by yesterday’s Cameron Direct event at the Madejski Stadium, the Conservative leader’s face really does have an unusually smooth texture.

It’s probably designed to match his smooth manner on stage, because, well practiced at this sort of unscripted Q&A, he knew exactly how to behave in front of what was a fairly undemanding audience.

Actually, you could’ve lifted some of his moves straight from the MP’s Guide to Good Public Speaking. After opening with a quip about Reading’s cup success (he must’ve clocked John Madejski in the front row) the responses to most questions ran to a pretty standard formula:

1. Strike thoughtful, hand on chin pose while listening to question (see our photos, above).
2. Pay tribute to the questioner (”very good question”) while considering a response.
3. Look directly back while answering, to create that “forget everyone else here” vibe.

Let’s not be overly critical though. He did turn up. We got about an hour of his time. And we could ask whatever we liked. Politicians don’t do enough of this sort of thing, and we applaud any efforts to open a dialogue with us ordinary voters. (Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg, can we pencil you in? Update: actually, Clegg did hold a similar meeting in Reading in 2008.)

There was the odd bit of fawning from the party faithful; our favourite was a question which started “I’m already a Young Conservative…” (not a very well-informed one - they’re called Conservative Future these days) before drifting off into something to do with Carol Vorderman. Yes, really.

The hundred-or-so people present managed to cover a good spread of subjects. Faith schools (Cameron supports them), Afghanistan (”let’s get the whole of Whitehall on a war footing”), house prices (”housebuilding targets are wrong”) and NHS dentists all got a look in during the 20+ questions. Disappointingly, there was no argy-bargy - in fact the crowd was polite to the point of being almost deferential.

Carol Vorderman question aside, we listened to everything intently. Sadly, we don’t feel we learnt much. Barring mention of a possible new National Security Council, there was nothing new and, although keen to talk about his big themes (”bottom up” government versus “top down” was a favourite), there wasn’t much in the way of specifics.

Tellingly, when asked for his “elevator pitch”, Cameron gave a restrained, cautious, slightly negative response.

“I don’t want to promise you the shining city on the hill until I can deliver it.” “It’s going to be difficult.” “I can’t promise you I’m going to end the country’s problems quickly.”

Fair enough, tell it like you see it, but we’d really been hoping for something a bit more inspirational. This certainly wasn’t the UK equivalent of the Obama-effect. Yes we can? More like no, we probably can’t, unless we get a good following wind and a lot of luck, and even then it’s going to be dicey.

Where was the hope, the optimism and the it’s-not-great-right-now-but-we’ll-fix-it tenacity?

We’re glad we went. And we’re impressed by Cameron’s efforts to resurrect the old-fashioned public debate. More, please, from all political parties. But ultimately, we don’t feel much nearer to understanding what we’ll get if the country votes Conservative in the election.

Did you skive off work to see David Cameron at the Madejski? Leave a comment to let us know if you read it the same way as us.

I am hungover today. I have a head as heavy as an anvil and a stomach like a bin that hasn’t been collected for three weeks, but frustratingly, I also have the urge to be productive and creative. These two states of mind tend to clash somewhat and it puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the day, until I get home and crack open the beers again and…well, you can see where I’m going with this. 

The ease in which I find myself falling into this vicious, viscous circle is compounded by the fact that once I’ve had the odd can at home I tend to get the urge to leave the house and share my drunken creative frustration with others. There is always something going on that is worth seeing at The Oakford Social Club, and so this tends to be where the like-minded head to in search of inspiration and hydration. 

It can be a funny mix of people at times, most notably between 5 and 7, when you have the be-suited middle aged types with their laptop bags and overcoats discussing the monthly sales figures, or comparing Jean from accounts with Margaret from marketing rubbing shoulders with the woolly jumpered, tattooed body piercing models that roam behind the bar and in the darkest crannies of the place.

But it’s friendly, and compared to a lot of places in town it’s very open minded. It serves a decent array of ales and beers, and there’s plenty of entertainment on offer, pretty much every day of the week.

They arguably have the best selection of live music nights in town, most notably the weekly BBC Introducing nights which happen on a Wednesday. Run by local promoters Mr Blind Pig and backed by BBC Radio Berkshire, they usually showcase an up and coming national act (recently they have hosted the likes of Chew Lips, Oddyssey and Baddies), and throw in some of the top local acts as support. Usually exceptionally well supported, you’d be lucky to find a more lively and interesting night midweek in the town centre.

Coming up over the next couple of weeks are I Blame Coco, Vienna Ditto and She Keeps Bees. Keep an eye on their website for more details and upcoming acts.

In fact it was there that I found myself last night and so it is to blame for today’s foul mood. So maybe don’t bother.

Yesterday’s result wasn’t bad, was it?

Reading’s 2-1 defeat of Liverpool, knocking them out of the FA Cup, was an historic achievement.  It was not as great as the Royals’ first victory against Rafa’s side (when Liverpool lost 3-1 in December 2007), but it was the more significant of the two. 

For a start, the encounter was at Anfield, a challenging and iconic venue.  The second reason is that both teams are going through difficult seasons at the moment.  Both are needing to win games.

After the final whistle blew last night, it’s now looking as if Reading have that important injection of confidence and Liverpool are staring forlornly into the abyss. 

Indeed, something appears to be very broken in Liverpool’s case (and I don’t think sacking the manager will change things).  They don’t seem to be having much luck this season, either: three of their key players were injured during yesterday’s game.   Ouch.  I do feel for their fans.  

Regrettably, I was unable to follow the game live.  I would have liked to have followed Reading Post reporter Jonny Fordham’s entertaining tweets, such as this one to treasure: “@CllrDaisyBenson Cannot believe it, amazing, possibly one of the best nights ever“.  Instead, news of Reading’s “shock” win came to me early this morning on Facebook.

I’m not very good at writing match reports, so here’s the YouTube video instead (quick, before it’s removed):

We’re a little surprised (but not displeased) to learn that David Cameron’s snow-affected visit to Reading has been rescheduled with impressive alacrity. The leader of the Conservatives will now visit the Madejski Stadium (we’re not sure which bit) on Thursday 14 January at 5.15pm.

We hadn’t anticipated the event being rescheduled so soon and have been caught on the hop a bit. We’re hoping to make it along to find out what Cameron has to say, but - as we’ll be working in central Reading that day and the venue is definitely not in central Reading- we need to doublecheck our diaries first.

From our perspective, the venue and timing could be more convenient, but the good news is the email we’ve received says Cameron is now willing to take questions “on any issue”. Wonder if he knows what he’s letting himself in for.

The new date is bound to mean some people can’t make it, so if it turns out you can get along, head over to the Reading West Conservatives website and register your interest. Maybe we’ll see you there.

One of the things we’ve enjoyed about this week’s snow is the range of snowmen and sculptures that have sprung up around Reading. There’s definitely something about the white stuff that inspires creativity.

We had a quick hunt around town yesterday with a camera (ok, round Forbury Gardens) and spotted these masterpieces. Click for full-size images.

We’ve also seen a few good pictures posted elsewhere in the last couple of days. We’re particularly impressed with this man and his dog on the Wokingham Road and this unusually proportioned lady, also with a dog. Is there something about building dogs out of snow that appeals to people?

(Thanks to @cosmicflood and @gavinaldrich for posting those on Twitter. Yes, we do use Twitter a lot.)

As a somewhat shy and retiring bloke who tends to want to shrink from confrontation and intimidation whenever it presents itself, a Friday and Saturday night out on the town in Reading can sometimes be as appealing as driving to work in this weather in a beamer fitted with slick tyres. All the chest beating testosterone and squealing oestrogen that oozes out of Friar Street boozers after 9pm can often make a timid man think twice about stepping outdoors. 

But let’s not let these people win us over! If you’re sick of the sight of your house and you fancy a night out without quite resorting to a pipe and slippers job, there’s plenty of options out there, and lots of exciting music to discover.  

For example, starting next Friday 15^th at The Red Lion pub on Southampton Street, Club: Us Not Them is a weekly live music night which  proved massively popular last year with a great varied crowd of people, young and old. Showcasing the best of the local music scene, there are three bands on each week who play for about half an hour each in a warm and unintimidating atmosphere. Entry is free and there are often good drinks offers behind the bar as well. 

So if you’re fed up of being looked at funny cos you’ve got a beard, or pushed around at the bar while trying to get served a warm pint of watered-down lager, check back next week when I’ll be back with more ideas to make all that nastiness a forgotten memory.

Right. Remember that Cameron Direct event we wrote about? It was meant to be your big chance to put questions about the NHS straight to the Conservative leader, in person. But now it’s been postponed.

The dodgy weather’s to blame (that or he was just scared of getting a frosty reception - geddit?), and while we understand the snow and ice might make it difficult for people to get to the venue, we’re rather disappointed nonetheless.

Still, it does mean we’re now free at about 6.30pm tomorrow. Wonder if Gordon Brown or Nick Clegg would be willing to fill in instead.

If you’re really interested to hear what Cameron has to say about the NHS, the event will still go ahead online. You’ll be able to watch it on the Conservatives website.

Having said that, given the choice between watching our possible future Prime Minister online or having a swift one in the pub, we’ll probably choose the pub, and wait for the rescheduled event in Reading. Who knows, it might come during a closely-fought election campaign. That’ll be interesting.

It’s still snowing in central Reading. Well, sort of. Either way, there’s enough of the stuff here already to make driving extremely tricky, cycling hazardous and walking fun in a you-could-be-about-to-fall-over-any-second kind of way.

A quick look round the middle of town suggests main roads are slippy and very quiet. We even saw a snowplough, a first for us in Reading. As you can see from our picture of South Street, side roads are completely covered in snow.

If you’ve not cottoned on already, it’s probably a bad idea to go anywhere at all by car unless you really really have to. And no, taking a trip to Tesco to panic buy does not constitute an essential journey.

For our money, walking is by far the best way to get around. As long as you have some stout shoes or wellies and don’t mind getting a bit damp, the pavements aren’t too bad - though they are likely to get worse as more people venture out and tread the snow down. At least there’s no traffic about, so you can cross the road with impunity for once.

Other websites are updated far more frequently than this one, so here’s our handy guide to getting the latest on the snow situation in Reading:

• If you’re planning to ignore advice and travel by car, try BBC travel, the Highways Agency and Reading Borough Council, who have some helpful live traffic cams. Don’t blame us when you get stuck.
• The Reading Buses website is being regularly updated with service information, though at the time of writing the news is simply that no buses are running.
• We hear the trains are holding up well, but keep an eye on First Great Western, Cross Country and National Rail to see for yourself. The National Rail site is running awfully slow though.
• Loads of schools are closed. If you have kids, you probably know the score already, but if not, there’s a list on the Reading 107 website.
• BBC Berkshire, getreading, the Reading Chronicle and Heart are all likely to have updates throughout the day.
• Finally, don’t forget Twitter. For first-hand experience and updates, you can’t beat it. Seriously. Follow the #rdg hashtag and perhaps you’ll see what we mean.

We’ve been admiring the snow coming down all evening, and decided to venture out to see what it’s like out there. We’re just back from a half-hour stroll in the neighbourhood.

Here’s the good news: there’s no gridlock. In fact there’s virtually no traffic of any kind whatsoever. Here’s the other good news: you probably won’t be going to work tomorrow. There’s at least three inches on the ground round here (or maybe more) and it’s still coming down, albeit a little slower than before.

They say pictures speak louder than words, so here you go. Click the photos to see ‘em big. And if you possibly can, get out there and enjoy it tomorrow!

Updated: Flickr user James **What You Saw** has uploaded a few good ones of the Oxford Road.

Larger versions on Flickr. Please don’t use these images without asking.