Choral, coffee, sing the praises

Joan: I always loved Caffeine Fixx, the coffee house in Liverpool Street. Dave of Caffeinator, Dave of Orange and Ceramic and Les of Mint ran it and it was great!
When they all moved on, I even wrote to the Chronicle to give vent to my grief. Ryan kept it ticking over for a while as Rapido and then, somehow, itt lost its sparkle. I stopped going.
Well, the sparkle is back. Renamed The Villa and wearing sexy black as its external garment, freshly white inside, the building looks and feels great. The coffee is excellent, the food is yummy and the cosy, comfortable chairs are a treat.
This place, once again, has heart due to new owners, husband and wife team Ross and Zina.
Ross is local and does the yummy baking and creates the excellent coffee, working a 12-hour day but always wearing a smile.
Zena comes from Queensland and is an example of just what Whanganui needs. To hear her sing the praises of our great city is music to one's ears. She loves the people, the old villas, the trees, the river, the cafes and restaurants and the many activities here, especially the sports facilities for the kids and the arts. A most exuberant personality, she is warm and friendly and interested in all her customers. A big welcome to them both.
Mike: Central Baptist Church resounded with the voices of New Plymouth's City Sounds and the Wanganui Community Choir last Saturday afternoon. This innovative venture for the end of year programme came about because Sue Lupton, conductor of City Sounds, previously lived in our city, where she held that same position.
The programme was carefully structured , the Combined Choirs providing the opening and closing sections, both groups having two brackets of their own and guest artists adding to the occasion. In addition there was a pleasing balance to the selection of items - show songs, jazz elements, compositions reflecting Christmas and some vibrant, bouncy African numbers, garnered, probably, from the years Sue lived on the continent.
City Sounds began with an African hymn led by a powerful soprano, followed by a choral medley and Java Jazz. The latter had enormous audience appeal as it expressed the desire and overwhelming need for coffee in our barista-driven modern lifestyle. Later they gave us two compositions based on the festive season.
Guest artist Max Munneke presented a Prokofiev work, the piano's notes reminiscent of waters of a stream, murmuring over rocks. Shayla Hawkins, young in years, but experienced on stage, pleased the audience with a beautiful, well-modulated rendition of Memory from Cats, not the easiest song to tackle. I look forward to hearing her thrilling voice next year in Whhanganui High School's Annie. It is always good to see youngsters on stage, and the Junior Community Choir was a real joy. Grinning shyly at each other, fidgeting in endearingly unselfconscious fashion, they delighted the audience, especially their proud parents, with tuneful singing and clever harmonies.
Our local group offered a strong delivery of You Raise Me Up in their first session, then , after the interval, took the concert by storm with their items. In Riversong, it was fascinating to watch the choir of more than 50 gazing intently at conductor Lynn Whiteside, responding immediately to her every gesture. Trusting her implicitly, they were in complete control of the lovely Celtic Celebration. But the best was yet to come. Lynn moved to the piano, Johnny Greenwood took over as conductor and proceeded to guide the singers through a wonderful miscellany of tunes from Les Miserables. For many, this ranks first among musicals, with the strongest, most hauntingly beautiful and emotional melodies, and nobody would have been let down by what they heard. Skilfully using five soloists at various points in the medley, this was an outstanding piece of entertainment, thoroughly deserving the prolonged ovation.
With 80 members on stage, the Combined Choirs concluded the afternoon with a bouncy An African Celebration and a rousing He's Still the King of Kings. It was a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable occasion.
Joan: I parked the car a little way from Dublin Street roundabout and walked along to read a small notice that I had spotted in among an unusual type of planting on the edge of the Corn Market Reserve. "For the enjoyment of all", it said, "but please only pick the leaves of the spinach and spring onions." What a brilliant idea! Are there more of these areas that I have missed and is this the start of something big? I am intrigued.
Joan: I wish it known that my winning of the People's Choice competition at the Sarjeant last week was entirely above board! Ross and Bobbi Mitchell-Anyon donated a "pot of gold" or $750 in $2 coins, to the artist who received the most votes in the Whanganui Arts Review exhibition. The prize was won by Karen Morrison for Heroes Versus the World. She was, naturally, thrilled. Both of us received our prizes in a lovely examples of Ross' work. This is as near to a prize for artistic endeavour that I shall ever receive, gained by entering the competition and then being picked out in a draw from all those who voted.
¦Ideas and comments to mjstreet@xtra.co.nz