And… exhale. January is over for another year and with the arrival of February comes the promise of spring, lighter days and the return of booze! This was my first year doing Dry January and I plan to celebrate 31-days of being alcohol free at my monthly Wine Club. Originally called ‘Book Club’ we rebranded when we realised the only thing on our intended reading list was a wine menu. We worked our way from Languedoc to La Rioja to Marlborough to Bordeaux and when we found ourselves in the Loire Valley, we got a taste for the Muscadet and stuck around. We try to mix the venue up a bit, but this month we will be at The Lordship, who serve a very nice Viognier.

While I hibernated for much of January, Angela was one of the lucky few to get tickets to an up close and personal evening with Stella Parton at The Palmerston. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous feast of Home Style American food, served the way it is in the Smokey Mountains from recipes that Stella cooked with her mama and sister, Dolly, for many years. You can read Angela’s interview with Stella in SE21, SE22 and SE23 magazines.

There’s plenty to tempt you out from under your duvet this month. Anyone born before the 80s will love Club Local at EDT on 3rd February. DJs will be throwing you back to the days of MTV, the King of Pop, Madonna, Womack & Womack, Soft Cell, Snap!, Lionel Ritchie and all those one hit wonders of the decade. There will also be a tribute to George Michael… *sobs*

However, if you are looking for something a little less energetic, Dulwich Picture Gallery will present the first photography display bringing together work by the British modern artist, Vanessa Bell and the American musician, writer and artist, Patti Smith on 8th February.

The Robot Zoo at the Horniman opens just in time for half-term. Where else can you expect to meet a robotic rhino, a squid with 18-foot tentacles and a huge housefly with a vacuum cleaner for a mouth?

Meanwhile up on One Tree Hill, The Southwark Sinfonietta, an orchestra composed of local musicians, will give a concert at St Augustine’s Church on 19th.

There are also plenty of networking opportunities for local businesses this month. Cooking with Scissors is held on the last Wednesday of the month and is a great way for likeminded professionals to meet, make new contacts and gain new business. It is held upstairs at The Palmerston – please email sbn@cookingwithscissors.co.uk if you are interested in attending.

Next month our Mothership, SE22 Magazine, will celebrate 12-years in business. I am sure we will be raising a few glasses of fizz to that!

As always, you can find details of all local news, events and ticket information over on our events page. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @arounddulwich.

This article first appeared in the February 2017 issue of SE22 magazine.