Crazy Golf at Wilmslow Live 2025

There will be a Crazy Golf course at the free Wilmslow Live 2025 event in Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Wilmslow Live 2025 takes place in Bank Square from 12pm to 7pm on Saturday 21st June.

Check out the Wilmslow Live 2025 website for more information.

A 'Blockbuster Video' shop in Croydon, South London

A look at a 'Blockbuster Video' store in Croydon, South London.

I recently saw a post on LinkedIn that there was a 'Blockbuster Video' shopfront in Croydon! Luckily a friend of ours was down that way recently and managed to take a couple of snaps of it.

It's intriguing to see the shopfront (and what's in the window) in 2025!

You don't see red telephone boxes that often anymore either!

The Power of Parker - filmed in Stockport - is back on the telly

The new series of The Power of Parker starts today, Friday 30th May.

The second series of The Power of Parker will be available to watch on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer from Friday 30th May.

This series of the Stockport-based comedy will be set in 1992.

We won't need to tape the new series as it'll be available on the BBC iPlayer too

We're looking forward to watching - the first series was very funny, and also interesting to see all the filming locations in and around Stockport.

Last November I saw some of the set in Stockport, with the former Bright House shop on Princes Street being turned into 'Parker's Power & Electricals' electrical goods shop!

Watching the first series we also noticed that there was still a piece of Tandy signage in the town!

Rocky Reefs Crazy Golf at Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping in Doncaster

Doncaster's Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping centre has a Rocky Reefs Crazy Golf course set up for an Under the Sea themed adventure taking place from May to September.

Rocky Reefs Crazy Golf is a 9-hole layout.

Check out the Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping website for more information.

We played a previous pop-up crazy golf course at the Lakeside Village in Doncaster on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2016.

A minigolf postcard from Sasbachwalden, Germany

A look at an old miniature golf postcard showing the Miniatur-Golfplatz in Sasbachwalden, Germany.

This postcard was posted on the 5th August 1974.

MINIATUR-GOLFPLATZ SASBACHWALDEN mit Pension Bohnert. PERUTZ-Coloraufnahme Nr. OI4279. Müller-Fotokarten - Freudenstadt-Schwarzwald. Posted 5th August 1974

The course is still there - and my brother Christopher actually visited it in 2023!

Höfner Stübl Minigolf in Sasbachwalden. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, August 2023

Check out the Höfner Stübl Minigolf Facebook Page for more information.

A minigolf postcard from Hotel La Toja in Pontevedra, Spain

A look at an old miniature golf postcard of the course at the Hotel La Toja in Pontevedra, Spain.

LA TOJA (GALICIA) Gran Hotel y golf miniatura. Grand Hotel et petit golf. Grand Hotel and miniatura golf. Serie II - Num. 9760. Unposted. Undated

Interestingly the course is called 'golf miniatura', 'et petit golf' and 'miniature golf' to cater for the languages of different guests.

Looking online, while the hotel (Eurostars Gran Hotel La Toja) is still there it no longer has a minigolf course.

A minigolf postcard from Holiday Club Playa del Sol, Estepona, Spain

A look at an old miniature golf postcard showing the course at the Holiday Club Playa del Sol in Estepona, Spain.

The card is unposted and undated.

No. 631 - HOLIDAY CLUB PLAYA DEL SOL. Estepona (Costa del Sol-España). DELTA. Unposted. Undated

A minigolf postcard from the Galeries Fleuries in Cannes, France

A look at an old minigolf postcard showing Le Golf Miniature at the Galeries Fleuries in Cannes, France.

This postcard is unposted and undated.

CARTE POSTALE. 512. CANNES. Galeries Fleuries. Le Golf Miniature. Unposted. Undated

"Galeries Fleuries" translates as "Flowery Galleries" and the area was a popular attraction in the 1920s and 1930s.

A minigolf postcard from Hotel Palma Nova, Mallorca

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Hotel Palma Nova in Mallorca, Spain.

331 - HOTEL PALMA NOVA. PALMA NOVA. MALLORCA. Posted to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Date unknown

Looking online it doesn't look like the hotel's course is still there.

A minigolf postcard from Zagreb

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Illica, Zagreb.

Izdavač Zadružna štampa. Zagreb, Illica 35. Posted, date unknown

This postcard was posted and has a stamp from Yugoslavia on it, however the postmark with the date on it is unclear.

Looking online the course could have existed next to Lake Jarun.

There is a course nearby at Mini Golf igralište.

A minigolf postcard from Bredene Aan Zee in Belgium

A look at an old miniature golf postcard of a course in Bredene Aan Zee, Belgium.

This postcard shows the Klein Golfspel / Golf miniature course and was posted to Croydon, England on the 19th August 1968.

BREDENE a/ZEE - Klein Golfspel. BREDENE s/MER - Golf miniature. L 18. NELS. MEXICHROME France. Posted to Croydon on the 19th August 1968

The course is still there, having opened in 1950, with the business expanding over the years.

Visit the Minigolf Bredene website for more information.

Bredene Aan Zee is a small seaside town in Belgium. It's next to Ostend.

While checking out the old postcards of minigolf course in Belgium and the online maps of the locations there are still plenty of places to play the game. This stretch of the Belgian coast would be superb for a minigolf tour.

A minigolf postcard from the Sport-Motel Zweisimmen in Berner Oberland, Switzerland

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Switzerland.

This postcard was posted to Ingatestone, Essex, England. However the date is unknown as the postmark is unclear.

Mini-Golf Sport-Motel. 3770 Zweisimmen, Berner Oberland. 8217 Photoglob-Wehrli AG, Zürich. Printed in Switzerland. Posted to Ingatestone, Essex. Date unknown

Looking online the Sport-Motel is still there, however the minigolf course doesn't look to be there anymore.

Arnie Says "You'll be back!"

We spotted this Terminator-themed ice cream van on the M60 at the weekend!

Arnie Says "You'll be back!"

Happy Shopper shops on 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost

Check out the Channel 5 programme '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost'.

It was brilliant to be able to contribute to the Channel 5 documentary '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost' and help to tell the story of Happy Shopper shops.

A sign at a Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent (2022)

This programme follows 'The 1980s Supermarket' that was broadcast last year, and which included a feature on Happy Shopper shops in episode 3.

A ghost sign at the old Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk (2020)

You can watch both programmes via the Channel 5 website:

• 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost
• The 1980s Supermarket

Playing Crazy Pool at Roxy Ball Room Merrion Street in Leeds

You can find a Crazy Pool course in the basement of Roxy Ball Room Merrion Street in Leeds.

We played the Crazy Pool course at Roxy Ball Room Merrion Street in Leeds on Saturday 24th May while meeting up with our friend Cat for a meal at The Oxford Place in the city.

In our game on the 9-table layout I scored the win with a round of 17, Cat was runner-up with 26, with Emily shooting a 30.

Crazy Pool is a mix of crazy golf and cue sports, with the game played on a table using a golf ball to tackle obstacles, and played with a cue rather than a putter.

I've previously played Crazy Pool at the Roxy Ball Room venue at the Manchester Arndale.

Ten of Roxy Ball Room's 19 venues are home to Crazy Pool layouts, they are:

• Birmingham (Victoria Square)
• Bristol (Union Street)
• Leeds (Merrion Street)
• Leicester (Humberstone Gate)
• Liverpool (Hanover Street)
• London (St Mary Axe)
• Manchester (Arndale)
• Nottingham (The Cornerhouse)
• Sheffield (Charter Square)
• York (The Stonebow)

Some Roxy Ball Room venues have Mini Golf courses called Roxy Golf. We've played the Leeds and Manchester venues, and have swung by the Liverpool location on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Roxy Leisure website for more information.

Seven months until Christmas Day!

There are now 'just' 214 days to go until Christmas 2025.

Last November we played the Christmas-themed minigolf course from Lancashire Crazy Golf at the Northwich Christmas Extravaganza

Another superb meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds

A meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds - a 100% gluten free restaurant.

We had another fantastic feast at The Oxford Place in Leeds yesterday. There were some very nice additions to the menu - including Chicken Tacos and 'Caesar' Prawn Tacos!

It's brilliant that the menu is 100% gluten free.

Check out The Oxford Place website for more information.

National Postcard Week

This week has been National Postcard Week 2025.

We're massive fans of postcards (sending, receiving and collecting) and have a BIG collection of minigolf postcards from the UK and around the world.

The postcard below is something of a 'holy grail' in my collection.

The Eternit Miniature Golf course at Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Village. This Photo Precision Limited postcard was sent on the 8th July 1977

Not only is the card a full view of a Crazy Golf course, but it also has a message on the back about playing Crazy Golf! In the thousands of minigolf postcards I've got this is one of very few that mentions playing the game and the only one specifically saying "Crazy Golf"!

Pontin's Prestatyn Holiday Village, Central Beach, North Wales. Postally Used on the 8th July 1977 Photo Precision Limited

When did you last send or receive a postcard?

A postcard from a Crazy Golf course in Fleetwood - sent on this day in 1966

A look at an old postcard from Fleetwood, Lancashire.

This old minigolf postcard from my collection was sent from Southport to Solihull on the 24th May 1966.

The card shows a now long gone Crazy Golf course. As well as the pier, itself demolished in 2008 following a fire.

Minigolf Postcard - 425 Crazy Golf Course and Pier, Fleetwood. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC GREETING CARD CO. LTD. LONDON. Posted 24 May 1966

We've played minigolf in Fleetwood on our Crazy World of Minigolf, at the also now long since demolished Crazy Golf course at Marine Gardens. We've also visited the course between the Pitch & Putt and the beach. That particular course has recently been refurbished and reopened, and is one we need to play.

Old minigolf postcards from Stella-Plage, France

A look at a pair of old minigolf postcards from Stella-Plage in the Pas-de-Calais region of France.

The reverse of each of the postcards call the game 'Le Golf miniature'. Neither have been posted and are undated.

455 STELLA-PLAGE (P.-de-C.) Le Golf miniature. F. Gambier, Photo-Editeur, Etaples - Le Touquet. Photo Véritable. Unposted. Undated

479 STELLA-PLAGE (P.-de-C.) Le Golf miniature. F. Gambier, Photo-Editeur, Etaples - Le Touquet. Photo Véritable. Posted. Date unknown

Looking online there are four minigolf courses in the Stella-Plage area:

• Mini Golf Merlimont
• Mini-Golf du Touquet - this looks like it could be the location on the postcards.
• House of Free Time
• Mini-Golf, Berck