A fishy tale featuring Garra Rufa in Portsmouth

The other evening I went to get my feet nibbled. A few of my friends and I visited Top Notch Salon in Waterlooville to pay a visit to some very friendly Garra Rufa fish.

After seeing the Garra Rufa fish on The Only Way Is Essex I have been desperate to try it out for myself. On TOWIE the girls were bathing in a pool of them while drinking sparkling wine. My Portsmouth experience was nowhere near as eccentric.

Two of my friends were incredibly scared by the fish. They were bigger than I expected but they were definitely no piranhas. Putting their feet in to screams and giggles after 10 minutes, they’d had enough and it was my turn.

I went for it, I plunged my feet into the surprisingly warm water and let the fish do their work. The sensation was extremely tickly and very peculiar as they made their way in between my toes, hoovering up bits of dead skin.

After 10 minutes, I began to get used to the sensation and realised how much I’d love to fully immerse myself in a tank of the little fellas just like the TOWIE girls.

After 20 minutes I’d had enough. I took my feet out and inspected their work like an over enthusiastic boss. They had definitely done something to my feet, as they were certainly smoother. The big chunk of dead skin on the ball of my foot had obviously been too much for them as they had completely ignored that and been more interested in my toes. I think they were trying to tell me to invest in a pumice stone.

As far as the salon goes it was a bit dated and the staff kept their distance as we were obviously the last customers of the day.

Overall, it was a fun experience and one I’m glad I did while it’s still kind of trendy. I can’t see this particular craze lasting forever but for now it’s a giggle and worth it for the talking point.

We were referred to the salon from Groupon and paid £10.80 each for 30 minutes with the fish although we didn’t spend anywhere near that length of time with them. Apparently it was meant to include a foot massage but we didn’t get a mention of this on the day.

Portsmouth has its own shop called Pompey Fish Doctors on the Eastern Road in Fratton. They specialise in the fish and charge £10 for 15 minutes with the fish which includes a foot rub after.

Personally I would go again but probably not to Top Notch salon. Maybe I’ll give Pompey Fish Doctors a try next time, I wonder if they’ll let me get in the tank with a glass of bubbly like the TOWIE girls?

KIMBERLEY BARBER 

Blue Day 2011, Big Blue Walk

A short video showing the first Big Blue Walk - a sponsored walk along Southsea seafront in aid of the Tom Price Cancer Trust. Featuring interviews with Mark Acheson, Deputy Editor of The News and Peter Prince, Tom's Uncle and trustee to the Tom Prince Cancer Trust.

Blue Day is an annual event held in Portsmouth to raise money for the Tom Prince Cancer Trust to fund research into teenage bone cancer Osteosarcoma. It was set up in 2004 in memory of avid Portsmouth FC fan Tom Prince.

Thank-you to everyone involved.

Visit http://www.tomprince.co.uk/ to find out more about the charity or make a donation.

Visit http://www.portsmouth.co.uk:80/community/blue-day to find out more about Blue Day and ways to get involved. 

Southsea Life: New magazine out soon!

This is the reason why I am so busy at the moment... Get involved! 

Congratulations William and Kate! From Portsmouth's big screen

With an estimated global audience of 2 billion, the Royal Wedding was sure to draw a crowd wherever it was played.

Waiting for the ceremony to start

Onlookers and well wishers gathered at Portsmouth’s big screen in the city centre to watch William and Kate tie the knot. 

For those not lucky enough to have a street party happening on their doorstep, the big screen seemed the logical place to join in with the celebrations.

Lauren Coe, 19, from Corsham, Wiltshire said: “I just wanted to come and watch it with everyone else rather than watching it on TV so I could get more of a patriotic atmosphere.”

There was a mixture of people at the Guildhall but all watched intensely as William and Kate said their vows. Cheers erupted when they said ‘I will’ and some even opened the bubbly and let off party poppers.

Watching William and Kate say 'I will'

Shane Lowe, 20, a student at Portsmouth University said: “It’s a cause for celebration and a powerful moment in British history. I am quite patriotic and love anything to do with England. I thought I would come down and watch history in the making.”

Some people were in the city centre for other reasons but had taken the time to stop and watch the big moment.

Jo Field, 42, head of performing arts at Portsmouth College was at the last heat of Rock Challenge, a dance and drama competition at the Guildhall, she said: “I am not a royalist at all but if it makes people happy then that’s great.”

For all the latest news on the Royal Wedding visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11767495

For the schedule of Portsmouth’s big screen visit: http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/2012games/14386.html

Follow the big screen on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/BBCBigScreens 

The Guildhall, Portsmouth and its big screen

Tattoos are for life - not just for fashion!

In today’s modern society we see endless celebrities parading in front of us, showing off their new tattoos.

Last week the angelic teen-idol Miley Cyrus showed off her new tattoo to her Twitter followers. Rihanna famously has a controversial gun tattoo and a word spelt backwards across her chest so that she can read it in a mirror. Last August she had reached tattoo number fifteen. Even the nation's sweetheart Cheryl Cole has them; her latest addition took a whopping 11 hours to complete.

With tattoos becoming more a fashion statement than a personal one, how does having a tattoo affect the life of a normal person holding down a 9-5 in the real world?

Speaking about tattoo removal and her own personal experiences is Frederika Bird, a micro-pigmentation specialist from Portsmouth.

See Frederika’s website here: http://www.frederikadefinedmakeup.co.uk/

See Cheryl’s tattoo at: http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/cheryl-cole/news/255683-cheryl-cole-tattoo-girls-aloud-x-factor-ashley-cole

Read about Miley at: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/miley-atwitter-about-new-tattoo-15144593.html

Portsmouth City Council clears fly tipped rubbish from Hilsea allotments

Getting an allotment was meant to be an enjoyable and relaxing experience for one Portsmouth couple. After waiting over two years on the council’s waiting list, Lee and Marc were delighted to be accepted for a plot at the allotments in Horsea Lane, Hilsea.

Some of the tidier Hilsea alllotment plots

Since they have taken over the plot they have faced a bigger problem than just the weeds. They were devastated to find their plot had been used as an area for fly tipping.

Fly tipping is a growing problem up and down the UK and has been made worse by the introduction of the EU’s landfill tax, which has made waste disposal more expensive. Fly tipping is not only unsightly and costly to the taxpayer; it can also have a stressful impact on the general public who then face either removing the rubbish themselves or a time-consuming process contacting the council for help.

One of the neighbouring plot holders said: “Nobody will admit to dumping the rubbish there, what happens is one person leaves a pile of rubbish and then others add to it and then it ends up in such a large pile it is impossible for one person to move.”

The allotments in Portsmouth are some of the most popular in the country with an average waiting time of over three years. Portsmouth City Council runs the allotments and they charge rent per plot.

David Moorman from Portsmouth City Council said: “Over the years, a great number of items accumulate on allotment sites – most of which were brought onto the site for a genuine purpose. However when these reach the end of their useful lives, or when a plot is taken over by a new tenant, plot holders need to dispose of them. The council provides a skip every month for this purpose, or plot holders can take this rubbish to the local tip.”

The skip that the council provide for plot holders

He continues: “Sometimes when a plot has just been taken over there is nothing being grown yet, there may be a pile of things to dispose of. This plot is seen by some as fair game for dumping their rubbish, so what was a small pile grows into a large pile which the plot holder rightly feels is not their fault or responsibility to clear.”

If caught fly tipping you could face a fine of up to £50,000 and 5 years in prison. Recently a businessman in Essex was fined £10,000 after being seen fly-tipping twice at the same location. As for the allotments, if the council receive evidence of fly tipping they would look to prosecute the culprit. They would also terminate the tenancy of their much-sought-after plot.

The council removing the fly tipped rubbish from the site

The council have now cleared the rubbish from Lee and Marc’s plot and they hope that this will allow them to plant their vegetables in time for a bumper-growing season. Lee said: “We have waited so long for our allotment, I can’t wait to get started.”

For more information on the Portsmouth allotments visit: http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/8583.html

View information on how to rent an allotment in Portsmouth: http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/
PKS_Allotmentleaflet.pdf

Read up on tips on how to get an allotment all over the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/go_further_allotments.shtml

Join the National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners Limited at: http://www.nsalg.org.uk

MyStreet - I love Albert Road

Albert Road, Southsea

 For those of you that haven’t seen it already – here is a link to my video on Albert Road, Southsea. It has been entered into a national competition, MyStreet, check it out http://mystreetfilms.com/content/i-love-albert-road.

I am currently working on a new short video and am looking for subjects to cover. If anybody has a Portsmouth/Southsea story that they would like me to make a short video on then inbox me with your ideas and contact details. 

Portsmouth's Round Tower opens as an art gallery

A new art gallery opens tomorrow in one of Portsmouth’s most historic locations – the 15^th Century Round Tower in Old Portsmouth.

The Round Tower was one of the first fortifications to be built in Portsmouth and dates back to 1418. Although the tower itself stood empty since the Council bought it in the 1960’s, the Point Battery artists have used the arches nearby to display artwork for many years.

An artists impression of the finished development

The Artches project run by Portsmouth City Council, earmarked the area including the tower for development earlier this year. It hopes to ‘animate the built heritage of the seafront’ in Portsmouth. The Round Tower is the first of its buildings to be opened as a gallery space.

It will be displaying work from over 30 local creatives and the first exhibition will be ‘Strong Island’. Strong Island already have a big following on the internet as a site set up to ‘promote, showcase and inform people about Portsmouth’. 

Portsmouth University have been heavily involved with the project. The curator, Clare Sambrook, a senior lecturer in creative technologies at the university, plans to use the opening to promote her book ‘Creative Portsmouth’.

The gallery will be open Tuesday to Sunday and will be free of charge. The ‘Strong Island’ exhibition runs from Saturday to 3 May. A special preview night will be held on Friday night. 

More information on the gallery and its exhibitions, visit: http://www.theroundtower.co.uk/

For more information on Clare Sambrook and her book visit: http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/frontpagenews/title,125372,en.html

The Strong Island exhibition poster

Southsea Skate Park & Glorious Summer Days

The lazy summer days spent on Southsea Common are looking like far more of a fast-approaching reality. The sun has been shining on Southsea for the last week in an unusual warm spell for March. These warm sunny days have spurred me onto tidying up the garden and thinking about how to spend my summer break from uni.

Southsea Common will no doubt see some serious summer-lounging action. When thinking about how lucky we are to have such a glorious spot in our city, I came across an article in The News about the changes at Southsea Skate Park. 

I am so pleased that somebody has taken action and a group have taken over the day-to-day running from Portsmouth City Council. I hope that they can continue to run and improve such a historic and iconic part of Southsea.

Southsea Skate Park on a bright summer day

I have seen the impact that the skate park has on the city’s youth and anything that gives them something to take an interest in should be praised. There are too many young people at a loose end in the Portsmouth area and this centre creates a safe meeting place and gives them something to focus their energy on.

In one of its final acts before dissolving, Southsea Town Council have handed over cash to help Southsea Skate Park. Hopefully this cash will see a new lease of life for the centre. There has been talk of investment in a roof so those typically British rainy days will not halt play. Year-round opening and improved facilities certainly makes the future of Southsea Skate Park looks bright.

The café is now open at the skate park and is not only servicing the needs of the park users, but the manager has plans for the Common users too. So my lazy summer days spent down at the Common may just be slightly more refreshed with an ice-cold drink served direct from the skate park.

The official opening is this weekend and they have a whole host of activities planned for Saturday and Sunday. For more details see  http://www.southseaskatepark.com/.

Check out the posters that have been created by local artists especially for the opening at http://www.strong-island.co.uk/2011/03/13/southsea-skatepark-opening-weekend-posters/. 

One of the Southsea Skate Park posters

Snowboard Recycling Part II - Ride Revival

The snowboard-recycling theme seems to be continuing in my life. The boyfriend is keen to turn his old snowboard into garden furniture, as it will be cheaper, more eco-friendly and ultimately cooler than anything you can pick up in Ikea. He has been eyeing up the snowboard that currently has pride of place hanging as artwork in the hall and it looks like this once well-ridden and loved board is going to be reincarnated for the third time.

Looking through some sites, I came across Ride Revival. Their motto: “A ride for life not just a season.” They want to turn your old snowboards into artwork or chairs as mentioned in yesterdays blog.

Snowboard chair

Their site features funky looking chairs, which you can buy pre-made or if you want to give it a go yourself, you can buy the frame from them to create your very own snowboard chair. They also have a page where you can sell them your old board (although this does say – coming soon).

This is another example of a company saving hard-to-recycle items from landfill. According to the Ski Club of Great Britain, Tamworth SnowDome is so keen on the idea it is donating all its old rental boards to Ride Revival.

Their ‘Hiking a Line’ artwork looks fab and I’m sure it would make a welcome addition to any ex-seasonniare’s home. It would also look nice on the wall of my multi-million pound chalet in Val D’Isere… (daydreaming, lol).

Good work Ride Revival, smart chairs and artwork. I’ll be interested in what other products you can come up with. 

Check them out at http://www.riderevival.com/. Read their blog at http://www.riderevival.com/blog.php. Follow them on facebook or Twitter.

Ride Revival's website

Snowboard Recycling - ReRide Boards

While trawling through the great big car boot sale in the sky, EBay, I came across a vendor that caught my attention. A company called ReRide were advertising an old Apo snowboard. Their slogan impressed me: ‘We are ReRide. We never put a good board down.’

They claim to be: ‘Committed to getting that board in the back of your garage back out on the slopes, strapped to the feet of a new snowboarder.’

What an absolutely fantastic base for a business! There must be thousands of disused snowboards lurking in the UK’s garages and sheds.

My old snowboard has been proudly turned into a piece of art by hanging it on the wall. I have friends that have converted theirs into benches in their bar. That same bar is home to a very old and uber-cool mono-ski that was found at the end of the season sadly discarded into the rubbish room. It now has pride of place above your head as you enter the bar. This has got me thinking… If snowboarding became a mainstream sport in the 80’s and is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, then where are these retro boards?

Surely they can’t all be in landfill?

The original boards of the 60’s were made of varnished plywood but modern snowboards are built of fiberglass and plastic. Fiberglass recycling is extremely expensive and very rare, so most equipment ends up in landfill. The Snow Sports Industries of America is currently in its third year of developing a snow-gear recycling scheme. In 2009 it took in the equivalent of 80,000 snowboards. That’s a lot of snowboards.

While I acknowledge that the UK does not have a snow sports industry on its soil, equipment must be finding its way back here and into lofts and sheds. Any company that is committed to ensuring that snowboards can enjoy a second life deserves praise.

Well done ReRide! Keep up the good work!

Anybody with an old snowboard can trade it in against the cost of a new board through http://www.reride.co.uk/. You can also follow their blog http://reride.co.uk/blog/.

ReRide's website

First time!

Hello there...
Welcome to my blog! I'm going to attempt to convey a sense of the chaotic, stressful, funny, emotional and sometimes downright dramatic aspects of my life.
For now I will leave you with that little teaser...
Kim x