Beaten To It

In a previous post, I mentioned how one of my superideas was to open an independent record store in Southsea.

Someone's only gone and bloody done it, around the corner from my current residence.

Pie & Vinyl is the name. It's pretty much self-explanatory as to what they sell.  The front half of the shop is the dining area, with limited edition posters, vinyls and unusual ornamental objects, no doubt sourced from the local antiquey places which Southsea does quite well.

The back half is the main record store, and although it's quite small, has plenty of pleasing items in there (including a number of Pulp re-releases; the boyfriend told me he'd never seen them before, however as a massive band nerd, I was able to tell him the year of release, the record label, key tracks and who was singing on them, much to his despair).

On the day we went, it was a bit grey and chilly.  Passers-by were squinting through the steamed up windows to see the vintage treats and delicious food within.  I had an elderflower cordial and a Thai chicken pie, while boyfriend went for a Scotch pie.  They came with mash and minty peas TO DIE FOR, and a choice of gravy or liquor. It was a bit tricky to eat as I could only find what looked like a fish knife, which kept bouncing off the crust, but maybe they just hadn't finished the washing up.

The pies are stocked by one of my favourite brands, Pieminster, with various varieties that you can't order on their website (unless you do a massive bulk buy), and local butcher Buckwells, a popular shop which has queues outside it every Saturday.

Out back, the boyfriend picked up a Jack White single that he liked, while I plumped for Anna Calvi 'Suzanne & I' - a bit of a vanity purchase (Suzanne is my name. Obviously the song's not about me. We've never met, though she did give me a weird look once while I was waiting outside a venue for the Pigeon Detectives. Her band Cheap Hotel had been supporting and I'd seen then two days running, hence the weird look).

Pie & Vinyl also provides a place to pick up copies of The Stool Pigeon, which I hadn't seen here before (close inspection reveals it's available in quite a few places on Albert Road, but lack of disposable income has prevented me from visiting on a regular basis).

We also had a a little chat with the proprietors once we'd dined and spent all our money, and such lovely chaps they are, very friendly and keen to hear our comments.

I banned myself from visiting over Record Store Day as I am trying to save for a deposit for the next rental flat. Next time I am back in Southsea I will sadly be further away (at present it's a three minute walk there) but I will definitely come back. Even if I am slightly jealous they achieved their superidea before I did.

Pie & Vinyl on Facebook

Two Conversations At Once

Me: "I feel so bloated. I didn't eat much cake, but I had a bit of fizzy drink and now I feel huge. Do you ever get that? My stomach's just ballooned. I have to keep breathing in."

Girl: "It gets worse every time I look."

Me: "??!"

Girl: "Not you, sorry. I was talking about that girl's badly-fitting trousers."

In Honour Of The Local Elections

Me: "I tried booking an appointment for tomorrow, but the lady works for a council so she's really busy as it's local elections."

Girl: "Oh, I didn't realise that was tomorrow. Are the Conservatories still in power?"

(A few minutes passed while another lady and myself made jokes about the Conservatives being quite rigid, possibly corrugated, and they get really really hot in summer time. Then:)

Girl: "Who were the ones that used to be in power... the Lib Dems?"

Me: "Er, they're still in power now? They're in a coalition with the Conservatives."

Girl: "Oh no, I meant the ones who were in for ages and ages."

Me: "Labour?"

Girl: "Yeah, that's them."


Probably just as well that voter turnout was quite low.

*   *   *   *

Lady: "I'm doing a quiz where all the answers are creatures. The clue is 'off balance'."

Me: "It's hard trying to think of a word, then an animal it sounds like. Unsteady? Wavering?"

Lady: "Wobble? I suppose it sounds a bit like Womble, haha!"

Girl: "It could be that one, because Wombles are wild animals, they live in Australia."

Me: "Firstly, they tend to roam Wimbledon Common, secondly THEY'RE NOT REAL!"

G'day!