We’ve reviewed Roxy before, but having had the experience of being the only people dining there at 7.30pm on a Thursday night, we thought it was pretty important that we review them again. Especially since we saw that now (like many other places we really should round up) they’re offering BYO on Mondays and Tuesdays.

First up, I should say that my opinion of their breakfast has changed considerably since I left that last comment. I’ve been there for breakfast many times with the brunch club, and they’re always delicious, quick with the coffee which is sorely needed on Saturday mornings, and oh my stars, those hash browns – wow. In fact, they were nominated for Best Breakfast in the 2007 AWAs.

We’ve already told you about

• The handmade nation screenings on Monday
• The outdoor knit tagging action planed for Sunday
• Saturday pick for Craftyness is…..

….. The Island Bay Craft Village!

It’s  showcasing a gorgeous range of bags, jewellery, chocolate, cupcakes, clothes, photos, toys, brooches, scarfs, pottery, ceramics and more.

Head along to the Presbyterian Church at 88 The Parade in Island Bay from 10am till 4pm on Saturday 8 August to support NZ businesses and be part of the bustling atmosphere.

If you can’t make it this weekend, don’t despair – the Island Bay Craft Village happens on the second Saturday of every month!

Although Wellington’s been turning on some stunning days recently, winter’s still officially here for a little while longer…

To warm your wee souls, especially for those suffering from Film Festival withdrawal, the Film Archive (corner of Taranaki and Ghuznee Sts) has come up with a great Soup & A Seat concept.

It’s cinema condensed to fit into your hour-long lunchbreak. Each screening starts at 12:15pm on Fridays until 18 September.

And you get a film screening, including a hilarious range of docos, short films, even a Flight of the Conchords episode, and a cup of homemade soup FOR EIGHT BUCKS! 

What a beauty. First screening today at 12:15pm is the plucky 1975 doco Lost in the Garden of the World, which features, among others, Werner Herzog, Martin Scorsese and Dustin Hoffman, in fine 70s form.

Right now you can check out the start of the Outdoor Knit fence action on the cnr of Vivian and Bute Streets.

As lovely as 3 hearts are, that fence is still pretty ugly. Fences as a general rule are. So in an attempt to make something awesome out of something that is a big fat waste of land at the moment, Outdoor Knit are getting their craft on this Sunday, and everyone is welcome to join in.
 
Head yourself over to the fence on the corner of Vivian and Bute St in Wellington, and join stiX in weaving hearts of all sorts of colours into the fence, all the way along the Vivian St side of the fence.

You totally don’t need to know how to knit. And Outdoor Knit are supplying the yarn. All you need is fingers.

Check out the event planned for this Sunday over at Outdoor knit.

Traveling across the world to sold out crowds, it is Wellington’s turn to check out Handmade Nation!

Handmade Nation is screening twice at The Paramount theatre on Monday August 10th. Each screening will feature guest speakers, and a special Craft Showcase of local vendors.

Visit the Wellington Creative Website for full details.

In the 2009 Budget, the National Government announced an 80% cut in the funding provided to schools throughout New Zealand to run night classes or Adult Community Education (ACE).

In 2010 all school ACE funding will be replaced with a new approach that reinvests approximately 20% of current school-based ACE funding to re-focussed priority areas, such as literacy and numeracy. It is likely that there will be only a small number of schools receiving ACE funding for 2010 and beyond.

– Budget 2009 Fact Sheet [PDF, 42 Kb], available on the TEC Website

In essence, this decision will spell the end to over 100 years of night classes in New Zealand, and somewhat unsurprisingly the Community Learning Association through Schools organisation has organised a march tomorrow (Tuesday 4th August) in protest. 

(unrelated protest photo via KiwiFrenzy On Location)

Join the march against the funding cuts to ACE, leaving from Wellington High School (from Gate 4 at 249 Taranaki Street) at 2.15pm.  March down Taranaki Street, along Dixon and Victoria Streets, through Manners Street into Willis Street, down Lambton Quay, and arrive at Parliament around 3pm.

A few weeks ago, when we went to talk to Snapper, one of us mentioned how many people we see using cards still fastidiously wrapped in their original clear plastic wrapping.

We thought that, just like the plastic couch covers your house-proud aunt never ever did remove from her new lounge suite, these wrappings need to be torn off, and the card within liberated and made personal.

Well, it now turns out that thanks to Craft 2.0, the solution to this problem is at hand. It involves you.

Craft 2.0 are running the Smarten Your Snapper competition. All you need to do is make some sort of nifty cover, holder, or cosy for your Snapper card (or Snapper USB) and enter it into the competition for a chance to win a new Snapper card pre-loaded with $100. In addition, you could win a table at the next Craft2.0 at the Dowse, giving you a place to market your creation.

Full details are on the Craft 2.0 website, together with a couple of starter ideas.

Get busy: competition entries close on September 1 August 27!

There was proof today that provincial rugby can still actually get pulses racing: it just requires a giant inflatable Log o’ Wood and a typical Wellington day. Some sort of promotion was going on in Civic Square, when a cheeky gust did what [insert name of provincial team that you actually give a monkey’s about] has always longed to do: grabbed the Ranfurly Shield and whisked it away.

For some reason, there were only modest crowds to be endangered by the marauding trophy. Other than a macabrely gallows-like structure for a "test your passing skills" game, the only victims appear to have been a mother and child who were bowled over, and with any luck just momentarily dazed.

Luckily, there was a smattering of other passers-by ready to rush in and help subdue the quivering giant beast. If only the actual rugby were this exciting!