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

A minigolf postcard from Alassio, Italy

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Alassio, Italy.

This postcard was sent to Leeds on the 3rd December 1972.

ALASSIO. Minigolf e scorcio di spiaggia. Le Minigolf et la plage. The Minigolf and the beach. Der Minigolf und der Strand. Birier Vision. P. MARZARI S.R.L. SCHIO. AL. 409. Posted to Leeds on the 3rd Dec 1972

The caption on the reverse of the card 'Minigolf e scorcio di spiaggia' translates as 'Mini golf and a glimpse of the beach'.

Looking online this minigolf course is still there! You can find it at Bagni Don Bosco, on Via Roma.

A minigolf postcard from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer in France

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Saint-Pair-sur-Mer in the Manche region of France.

The reverse of this postcard calls the game 'Golf miniature'

SAINT-PAIR sur MARE (Manche). Golf miniature. Editions GABY. PHOTO VERITABLE. Posted. Date unknown

It's interesting to see that this course was built on the beach/in the sand dunes.

Looking online, it looks to be a long lost minigolf course. However, you can find a course in the seaside town at LE SOFT mini golf et restaurant on Rue du Golf!

Old minigolf postcards from Seaton Carew

A look at a pair of old miniature golf postcards from Seaton Carew in County Durham.

Both show the same minigolf course, albeit from slightly different angles. They were both posted in 1966 - one from Consett to Hampshire in August, the other from Hartlepool to Rochester in September.

The Sea Front, Seaton Carew, 14. M AND L NATIONAL SERIES POST CARD. Posted from Consett to Hampshire 30 Aug 1966

The Front, showing Putting Green & Promenade, Seaton Carew. M AND L NATIONAL SERIES POST CARD. Posted from Hartlepool to Rochester 7 Sep 1966

The course in these postcards are long gone. However, you can still play minigolf in Seaton Carew at Lofty's Crazy Golf.

A minigolf postcard from Carteret in France

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Carteret in the Manche region of France.

This postcard shows Le Golf Miniature in Carteret. It was never posted and is undated.

31 - CARTERET (Manche). Le Golf Miniature. ARTAUD Père et Fils. Editions GABY. PHOTO VÉRITABLE. Unposted. Undated

Looking online, there is a minigolf course - Mini-golf du parc des Douits - in Barneville-Carteret that could be the location of the course on the postcard. Both are in wooded areas.

A minigolf postcard from Fuengirola, Spain

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from the Mare Nostrum Hotel in Fuengirola, Spain.

This old postcard showing a miniature golf postcard at the Mare Nostrum Hotel in Fuengirola was posted to Welwyn Garden City on the 22nd October 1974.

1.357. FUENGIROLA. Hotel (MARE NOSTRUM). Posted to Welwyn Garden City on 22nd Oct 1974

An old minigolf postcard from Duinbergen, Belgium

A look at an old miniature golf course postcard from Duinbergen, Belgium.

This postcard calls the game 'Le Petit Golf' and was sent on the 25th July 1958.

Duinbergen - Le Petit Golf. Photothill, Bruxelles. No. 72. Posted 25 July 1958

Duinbergen is a part of the seaside town of Knokke-Heist in West Flanders, Belgium.

Looking online, there is a Miniatuur Golf course on Duinbergenlaan that could very well be the same location as the postcard.

A Crazy Golf postcard from Filey

A look at an old Crazy Golf course postcard from Filey, North Yorkshire.

This particular postcard was sent from Scarborough to Thirsk at 10.15am on the 29th August 1980.

Minigolf Postcard - Crazy Golf, Filey. F.0226. Printed & Published by E. T. W. DENNIS & SONS LTD., SCARBOROUGH. Posted from Scarborough to Thirsk at 10.15am on 29 Aug 1980

There's still a minigolf course at the same location in Filey. We played a previous incarnation of the current layout back in 2008 when it was the 9-hole Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course.

The course was refurbished in 2023 and we're yet to return for a game on the new layout.

Also in 2023 we were immortalised on a piece of Filey artwork (that was also turned into a postcard) by Leeds-based artist Jack Hurley (aka Loud Ribs) as part of his tongue-in-cheek, affectionate and characterful Rubbish Seaside 'Dystopia-on-Sea' collection!

A minigolf postcard from Magaluf, Mallorca

A look at an old postcard from the Hotel Jamaica in Magaluf, Mallorca, Spain.

This old minigolf postcard shows a course at the Hotel Jamaica in Magaluf. It was posted to London, however the postmark and date of sending isn't clear.

022 - Hotel Jamaica. MAGALUF - Mallorca. Posted to Bow, London. Date unknown

Looking online, Hotel Jamaica closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2016.

A minigolf postcard from Hohenpeißenberg, Germany

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Gaststätte-Pension Rigi Alm in Hohenpeißenberg, Germany.

The postcard of the restaurant-guesthouse (gaststätte-pension) shows a minigolf course as one of the four images.

Minigolf Postcard - Gaststätte-Pension Rigi Alm Hohenpeißenberg Obb. Franz Milz, Füssen  Allgäu. Unposted. Undated

Hohenpeißenberg is in Bavaria.

Looking online the Gaststätte-Pension Rigi Alm is still open. However, the minigolf course doesn't appear to be there anymore.

An old miniature golf postcard from Droitwich

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from our collection.

The Putting Greens, Raven Hotel, Droitwich, Worcs. Postally unused 'Gravure' postcard by Lucas Engraving Co. Ltd., Birmingham. No date

The Raven Hotel on St Andrew's Street in Droitwich has stood empty for several years. Looking at satellite views of the location it does still look to have a garden area.

A minigolf postcard from the Saracen Sands Hotel in Palermo, Italy

A look at an old minigolf postcard from the Saracen Sands Hotel in Palermo, Italy.

This particular postcard was never posted and is undated.

SARACEN SANDS HOTEL - ISOLA (PA). Palermo, Italy. Unposted. Undated

An old minigolf postcard from Zeewolde, Netherlands

A look at an old minigolf course postcard from Flevo-Nature in Zeewolde, Netherlands.

FLEVO NATUUR - HOLLAND. midget-golf. Unposted. Undated

Looking online, Flevo-Nature in Zeewolde is a naturist camping site. The minigolf course is no longer there.

The reverse of the card calls the game 'midget-golf', a name minigolf has been commonly referred to as in the Netherlands since the 1930s.

A Crazy Golf postcard from Skegness

A look at a Crazy Golf postcard from Skegness, Lincolnshire.

The course in the photo is in the same location as England's first Crazy Golf course.

This particular postcard was sent in 1972.

CRAZY GOLF. SKEGNESS. A Sapphire Card. LS2225. Posted from Skegness to New Basford, Nottingham in 1972

The first Crazy Golf course in England opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926.

In May 2015 the course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Sadly the course was removed and the area has had a hotel and drive-thru built on it.

The Power of Parker returning for second series

The second series of The Power of Parker starts on Friday 30th May.

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

We're looking forward to seeing The Power of Parker back on the box

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!

A minigolf postcard from Mayrhofen in Austria

A look at an old miniature golf course postcard from Mayrhofen.

This postcard was never posted and is undated.

MINIGOLFPLATZ IN MAYRHOFEN, ZILLERTAL. F2119. Hans Hruschka, Mayrhofen, Tirol. DAS FOTOLABOR DER BERGSTEIGER. Unposted. Undated

Mayrhofen is a town in the Zillertal in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Looking online this particular course is still in the town! You can find it at Brandbergstraße 362, 6290 Mayrhofen, Austria.

The course at the Zweiender Restaurant & Minigolf opened in 1964.

It looks like a superb location for a game of miniature golf.

Visit the ZweiEnder Food and Golf website for more information on Minigolf Mayrhofen.

Check out the Minigolf-Atlas for information on courses in Austria (as well as Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg).

A minigolf postcard from Cherrystone Bayshore Campground in Virginia, USA

A look at an old multi-view postcard from the Cherrystone Bayshore Campground in Virginia, USA.

This old postcard includes one image showing a miniature golf course at the Cherrystone Bayshore Campground in Cheriton, Virginia, USA. It was posted on the 8th September 1978.

CHERRYSTONE BAYSHORE CAMPGROUND. Cheriton, Virginia. Plastichrome by COLOURPICTURE. Posted SEP 8 1978

Looking online Cherrystone Campground still exists, and there's a Mini Golf course there too!

A minigolf postcard from Vale do Lobo in the Algarve, Portugal

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Vale do Lobo in the Algarve, Portugal.

This old postcard shows a minigolf course at the Vale do Lobo Golf Resort in the Algarve, Portugal. It wasn't posted and there's no date on it.

Vale do Lobo, Algarve, Portugal. Unposted. Undated

Looking online it appears that the course is still there, with a few updates over the years.

Check out the Vale do Lobo website for more information.

A minigolf postcard from Las Palmas

Here's a postcard from the Hotel Don Juan in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA/ESPAÑA. HOTEL DON JUAN. Unposted. Undated

The hotel is now known as AC Hotel Gran Canaria. Looking online the minigolf course isn't there anymore.

Looney Golf in Bradford has had a makeover

The crazy golf courses at Looney Golf in Bradford, West Yorkshire have been updated.

The team at Looney Golf in Bradford have completed renovations of the crazy golf courses at the venue.

It'll be interesting to see the new courses at Looney Golf on a return to the city.

When we played, there were two 8-hole minigolf courses at Looney Golf - the Neon Jungle and the Dump Yard - plus a bonus hole.

Check out the Looney Golf website to keep up-to-date with the updates at the venue.

Looking on the Looney Golf website there have been other updates at the venue since our visit and it's now also home to Wacky Billiards and Crazy Archery!!! Plus an escape room, table tennis and pool tables.

A Craz-e-Golf postcard from Skegness

A look at a Craz-e-Golf postcard from Skegness, Lincolnshire.

The course in the photo is in the same location as England's first Crazy Golf course.

Craz-e-Golf is an interesting name for the game and not one we'd seen before

The card was posted to Liverpool from Skegness on the 21st June 1977 (a Tuesday). Note the nice postcard cancellation on the card too

The first Crazy Golf course in England opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926.

In May 2015 the course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Sadly the course was removed and the area has had a hotel and drive-thru built on it.

Happy 45th birthday Pac-Man

Pac-Man was first released in Japan on this day in 1980.

A small selection of my Pac-Man collection

I like to celebrate the brilliant video game character as often as possible!

Playing Pac-Man in Morecambe

Related blog posts:

• Pac-Man

Happy Shopper shops

Looking back at our visits to Happy Shopper shops since 2020.

We felt very nostalgic during the coronavirus pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper in Ipswich and I remember seeing the Happy Shopper shops and branded products a lot when I was growing up in Oxfordshire back in the 1980's and 1990's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper shops have since been rebranded as Premier shops. Including this one we visited in Sittingbourne, Kent back in 2022.

This Happy Shopper shop in Sittingbourne has since rebranded to Premier

Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time

Since spotting the old shop in Preston we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.

The most recent Happy Shopper shop we visited was S & A Singh on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. There are still a few others in London and the south of England we need to get to.

Here's a list of posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Ashwellthorpe
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent 1
• Burton-on-Trent 2

You can view my YouTube Playlist of Happy Shopper shop videos here.

Minigolf postcards from Knokke-Zoute in Belgium

A look at two postcards from the past.

Here are two postcards showing the minigolf course in Knokke-Zoute in Belgium. The sepia one was posted in 1955, while the colourised version is unposted.

Note the different names given to minigolf on the two cards - 'Golf miniature', 'Kleine Golf', 'Miniature Golf' and 'Minigolf'.

Knokke-Zoute - Golf miniature. Kleine Golf. Ern. Thill, Bruxelles. No 130. Posted 10 November 1955

Knokke-Zoute - Kleine Golf. Golf miniature. Miniature Golf. Minigolf. ARTCOLOR BRUXELLES. 25. Unposted. Undated

A minigolf postcard from New Brighton

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from New Brighton, Wallasey.

This unposted and undated postcard shows a long lost minigolf course at Victoria Gardens in New Brighton on the on the Wirral peninsula in Merseyside.

VICTORIA GARDENS & BATTERY, NEW BRIGHTON. Photo Precision Limited. R76713. Unposted. Undated

While this course is gone, you can still find two courses in New Brighton - at Championship Adventure Golf.

Crazy Golf at the Fantasy Island Theme Park in Ingoldmells, Skegness

A look back at the Crazy Golf course at Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells, Skegness, Lincolnshire.

What a setting for a game of crazy golf!

We played the Crazy Golf at the Fantasy Island Theme Park in Ingoldmells on this day in 2011!

At that point the 12-hole outdoor Crazy Golf course was the 240th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Fantasy Island website for more information.

Fantasy Island is now home to an 18-hole course called Lava Creek Adventure Golf. It's a course we need to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.