Latest news with #Pimm's
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
John Banville: The year in London that changed my life
After more desultory talk and a few more generous splashes of gin, we took ourselves off to lunch at Au Jardin des Gourmets in Greek Street. First off we had a Pimm's, for refreshment, and David related more of his adventures in and out of the publishing trade. He was cheerfully non-intellectual, but he had a sharp eye for a winner — he liked a flutter on the horses, too — and at the time he was betting on a novel due out in October, The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury, a writer I had never heard of. When we were done and the bill arrived I managed to get a look at it, bleared though I was from the gin, the Pimm's and the subsequent bottle of Château Margaux; the total made my eyes water. 'David,' I slurred, 'next time could I just have the money?' He twinkled at me. 'Ah but then, dear boy, I wouldn't get my lunch, would I?'
Time Out
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
When will Covent Garden's Wimbledon screens return for 2025?
It's almost that time again. In just a few weeks, we will be sipping a Pimm's and munching on strawberries as we watch world-class athletes frolic about in white as they thwack balls at each other as hard as they can. We're of course talking about Wimbledon. And if you didn't get tickets to the championships, no worries, because massive screens will be returning to Covent Garden this summer showing all of the tennis action. Wimbledon will be screened live in the central London piazza as part of Covent Garden's Summer on the Big Screen programme. From Monday, June 30 to Sunday, July 13 matches will be streamed from Wimbledon's Centre Court and beyond into the piazza. It's completely free to attend, just pitch up and grab one of the deckchairs that will be set up in the square. They will also have everything on hand to make the screening a proper occasion, serving Pimm's, strawberries and cream, artisan hot dogs, pick 'n' mix, ice cream and Godfrey's strawberries and cream flavoured popcorn. So, you won't have to make the pilgrimage all the way to Henman Hill to catch the tennis this summer (and there won't be any risk of having balls flying at your face, so it's a win-win). And if you can't make it to Covent Garden, there are all sorts of screenings and viewings taking place across the city. Here's our guide to all the Wimbledon screenings in London.
The Spinoff
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The dawn of 1989 and the night that saved me
In this excerpt from her new book This Compulsion In Us, Tina Makereti writes about the night she refused to go in her dad's car. It is the summer of my 15th birthday when Dad has the party. It's still the start of summer, the end of the school year, and even though it's mostly old people at this party, I'm glad to have free access to the booze. Usually I have a friend with me, but this night I don't, which is a relief really, considering what comes next. I don't know if I have any friends left at this point anyway, given the way the year has gone. There have been a number of poorly judged friendships and relationships from which I emerged as lonely and lost as ever. Too many cigarettes smoked and too many awkward experiments with bogan teenage rebellion. As usual, I don't think I've fooled anyone into thinking I have anything together or am cool in any way, which, embarrassingly, is probably all I want in life. I haven't learnt to embrace my inner weirdo yet. Or her outward manifestations. I'm in the kitchen leaning against the long Formica bench where all the drinks are lined up. Dad used to take me to the pub and give me 'ladies' drinks' like Pimm's and shandy, but I don't think he bothers policing what I'm drinking anymore. I'm in a conversation with Dad's best mate, who is ten or so years younger than him and not as gross as all the other middle-agers in the room. He always has an attractive girlfriend too. This memory is 30-something years old, so I don't know how we get to this exact moment. It's just suspended there, this one conversation and what comes after. We're talking about the nature of women's orgasms, and he has it wrong. 'That's not how it works,' I hear myself saying. I'm searching his face for some sign that he's taking the piss, that he has some ulterior motive. I might not be any good at dealing with kids my own age, but I have impeccable instincts when it comes to adults. 'But I thought when the guy shoots his load, you know, the woman is done too.' He seems genuinely puzzled, if slightly amused. 'Nah—it's different for her.' I've never actually had an orgasm, but I've read the collected works of Jean M. Auel and Alice Walker. Those books are educational. 'Really? I always thought that when it happens for him, it happens at the same time for her.' He pauses. It's impossible to have this conversation without imagining him banging away at his current girlfriend, and her efforts to look completely satisfied when he finishes. How could it be that none of them have told him? 'How does it happen for the woman then?' he asks. This is the big question. I'm not sure how to explain. It's one thing to point out how it doesn't happen, quite another to get into the intricacies of how it does. Anatomical words will need to be used. If I'm wrong, and if there is some other motive at play in this conversation, it could all get very uncomfortable very quickly. I'm not entirely sure why it has been comfortable to this point. People seem to be treating me like an adult. I've been told I look like one. But suddenly I don't have to explain. Suddenly Dad is there, yelling. 'What are you talking to my daughter about? I invite you into my home and you talk to my daughter like this?' 'It's OK. She's not worried about it.'' 'I'm worried about it.' 'It's not a big deal.' At this point, Dad becomes enraged. Of course it's a big deal. I don't understand the fuss. Nobody else understands the fuss. I've spent much of the last year being dragged to pubs and house parties by my father (better than leaving me home alone), surrounded by middle-aged men and their women. I've seen more than a few drunken liaisons that I wish I hadn't been privy to. But this is my dad. Some line, known only to him, has been crossed. 'Mate, I didn't mean anything by it.' 'How dare you talk to my daughter like that! How dare you!' People try to get Dad to calm down. But this makes things worse. Everybody get out. A punch or two is thrown and dodged. There is pushing. People are shaking their heads. 'Mate, you're crazy.' 'Out,' he yells. 'Get out, the lot of you!' People head towards the door. Some of them are still trying to calm him down. Maybe someone asks if I'm OK. I give them a noncommittal affirmative; what are they going to do if I'm not? Dad goes to see the stragglers off. The party's over. Friendship too. I retreat to the lounge. On Saturday mornings I come into this lounge and watch reruns of The Addams Family and the original Star Trek. There's a massive 1970s rock-wall fireplace in here, two old lounge chairs beside it. Other than this, the house is mainly empty of furniture. I sleep on a mattress on the floor. It's our third or fourth place this year, since my big sister left home. Soon it will be my birthday, the day before New Year's Eve 1988, and the following night, while getting a ride to a party, Dad will be so drunk he'll try to exit the car while it's speeding along the motorway. When we get to the party and discover how dire it is, we will both want to go home and he will insist on taking someone's car to get there. Afraid his drunk driving will kill me, I will refuse to get into the car with him, the first time I've ever done such a thing. It's not the first or the last time I will fear his drunkenness or his driving, but after a screaming row that raises the neighbourhood, we'll walk the two or more hours home just before the first dawn of 1989, exhausted but alive. In a couple of months we'll leave this house. Dad will leave town and I will stay to finish high school, boarding privately. That bleak New Year's will also be the night that saves me, since it will be the moment we both realise that it can't go on, and Dad will eventually give me the gift of his departure and my independence. But right now I am by the fireplace and the world is spinning. I close my eyes to enjoy the sensation. Things have gone quiet. Dad comes and sits across from me, by the fireplace. 'You OK?' he asks. 'Everything's spinning,' I say. 'Yeah, that happens sometimes,' he says. I can tell from his voice that I'm not in trouble. The fight has gone out of him, and now he sounds gentle. He leans back, mirroring my pose. 'You gonna puke?' 'No—I don't think so.' And we sit in companionable silence for a long time, the world spinning in bliss or madness, I don't know what.
South Wales Argus
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Penarth Lawn Tennis Club festival attracts 1,200 people
The annual event at the club saw people enjoying music and street food. The club's festival brought in a full crowd, despite concerns about the weather, with rain only starting after the headline act, The Shameless, finished their third encore. Al Cozens, the organiser, said: "It was a fantastic day. "We had been worried about the weather, but everyone turned up and joined in the festival spirit. "This has become a real community event. "It seems like the whole of Penarth turns out. "It was great to see everyone from young children to grandparents on the dancefloor." The festival not only supports the tennis club with crucial funds but also raises money for the club's chosen charities, the Welsh Air Ambulance and the MS Society UK. A fundraising Pimm's stall alone managed to raise more than £3,000. Charity volunteer Jan Cunningham said: "This is an amazing sum. "It was great to see so many people coming up and getting a jug of Pimm's and supporting these great causes." The annual bank holiday weekend festival featured five bands and a wide array of street food vendors, selling everything from curries and kebabs to pizza. For the first time, a 'Kidzone' was introduced, offering sports activities and face painting for children. Club chairman Martin Radford said: "It's incredible that this event is completely organised by our brilliant community of volunteers. "I want to thank everyone who was involved – from the people who organised the bands, the food, the bars and all the health and safety requirements - which was a massive task. "But of course, it couldn't happen either without the 50-odd members who put on blue T-Shirts to do a shift on the bar, clear up the rubbish or man the gate." The festival also provided a platform for emerging local talent, with Dear Strangers, playing their first gig. The club is always keen to hear from new acts interested in performing at the festival, and they can be contacted via its website. The club also expressed gratitude to the event sponsors, particularly headline sponsor Reid and Sons, owners of Penarth's popular Hickman's Restaurant.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major supermarket chain slashes price of Aperol Spritz in time for bank holiday
TIP TOP Asda has also launched a huge deal on Pimm's Published : 23:35, 21 May 2025 IF there's one drink that embodies summer, it's an Aperol Spritz. Tangy, refreshing and crisp, the tangerine-tinted apéritif is now majorly discounted at Asda - just in time for Bank Holiday Monday. 2 two spritz in Venice, in the background the view from the Accademia Bridge Credit: Getty The supermarket has slashed 40 percent off - it's the lowest price yet. The rollback will begin on May 22 and 70cl bottles will be just £9.98, down from £17.08. And for bigger parties, there's also a deal on the one-litre bottles for £17.14 down from £21.14. No loyalty cards are needed to pick up this bargain, and that's not all. Customers will be treated to a free reversible Aperol bucket hat. To make the perfect Aperol Spritz, use the 3-2-1 rule: three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water. Add some ice and an orange slice, and sit back and enjoy your tipple in the sunshine. The one-litre deal runs until May 24 and the 70cl ends on May 28. If the bittersweet thirst-quencher isn't your bag, Asda is also dishing out the deals on another summer staple: Pimms. One-litre bottles of the infused gin are £9.98, down from £13.48 - that's a saving of 26 percent. The Pimm's promo will end on May 28. Elsewhere, Aldi is selling Prosecco for just £4.99 a bottle - a vital Aperol Spritz ingredient. Shoppers can purchase the discount retailer's Italian Prosecco DOCG at a whopping 38 per cent discount from today. But you'll have to be quick as the offer is only available in stores until May 25. The 75cl bottles are described as having "vibrant notes of crisp apple and pear, complemented by delicate floral aromas". What's more, the supermarket is extending its savings to its still wine range. This includes their Animus Douro and their South African Sauvignon Blank with prices starting from just £3.99 a bottle. The Douro red is described as offering "warm red fruit and spicy aromas". It delivers notes of plums and cedar, pairs with pizza, chicken, pasta and is available for just £4.99, a 25 per cent discount. Whereas their South African Sauvignon Blanc sees a massive 33% discount at £3.99. For that price, you can enjoy "citrus fruits, with zesty lime and lemon zest, followed by hints of freshly cut grass and green bell pepper". 2 The deal runs until the Bank Holiday Weekend Credit: Alamy
