Many students will be leaving home for the first time and will suddenly begin to realise the true cost of living.  Even though Student Unions up and down the country try hard to shelter the newcomers from the true price of beer there will come a time when the blue and brown beer vouchers are thin on the ground.

For less than thirty pounds you can buy a complete Home-brew kit – tomorrows professional drinkers need to be able to reflect back on the good old days when they brewed pints for less than 40p but failed to heed the manufacturers advice of storing for two weeks after bottling/barrelling resulting in getting an upset tummy.

Students coming to the South West will find very few home brew specialist shops – Exeter Students can stock up at Quayside homebrew a curious shop which stocks a good range of beer kits, equipment and ingredients for homebrew enthusiasts and newcomers to the sport.

I’d like to mention my personal favourite but was horrified to find that Merv and Hazel at the homebrew centre have retired. Cheers!!

For a medical student or anyone beginning a medical training course a stethoscope is a must. I believe that some medical schools have a list of recommended stethoscopes for medical studeents so beware if buying one as a gift – it may not be approved by the medical school.  The Littman cardiology III stethoscope is almost certainly on the list of any Medical School and although it is higher in price than many other Littmann stethoscopes you can be sure it will be a high quality tool for the job.

A colleague just mentioned “pens” but I suspect this generation of students would prefer a groovy portable pc,  notebook or laptop computer. And what a choice there now is – even adding colour options (at a price) to “reflect your style”.  The only way forward would be to take the views of real customers and a selection of blog posts help identify things to look for, avoid and recommended shops to buy from.The laptop rural family living blog suggest Toshiba Laptops which although far from the cheapest laptop offers a good range of entry level and professional machines.  On the other side of the coin our chum at Extreme Power laptops cites laptops as the topic of his latest post although it is not especially helpfull.

For 2nd 3rd year returning students  who have overspent and already living a life and funding studies with credit cards – a 0% credit card (on balance transfers) to help ease the repayments before they find gainful employment (or crap jobs) after college.

Alternatively you could just stuff  a wad of notes in a brown envelope and let them decide.

If only there was a pasty gift voucher – Munch on and best wishes to all new students.

Mother’s Day, Sunday 2nd March, Pam Ayres is to perform a show that will be broadcast via satellite live to 16 cinemas in the Picturehouses chain of cinemas.

Unlike the Wurzels who gladly included Exeter in their 2007 World Tour Pam has turned her back on live shows in Exeter and the South West.

Pam is however more hip to the beat than her fan base expect spitting lines such as

The thing about Pam you need to understand – I’m hot like the Ginsters fresh out the pan.

Ask me no questions – I’ll tell you no lies – Im tasty like the Pasty or Meat and @tater pie

Pam’s last tour of comprised 16 shows coast-to-coast in Australia, which included a full house in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, as well as fully sold out performances at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms for the Festival Fringe.

The show at WIMBORNE – Tivoli Theatre will be broadcast live and direct ny satelite to the following Picturehouses at 3pm:

• ABERDEEN Belmont
• BATH Little Theatre Cinema
• BRIGHTON Duke of York’s
• CAMBRIDGE Arts Picturehouse
• EDINBURGH Cameo Picturehouse
• EXETER Picturehouse
• HENLEY Regal Picturehouse
• LIVERPOOL Picturehouse at FACT
• LONDON Clapham Picturehouse
• LONDON Gate Picturehouse
• LONDON Greenwich Picturehouse
• NORWICH Cinema City – Rumours that Delia will be re-launching herself at this event unfounded
• OXFORD Phoenix Picturehouse
• SOUTHAMPTON Harbour Lights Picturehouse
• STRATFORD-u-AVON Picturehouse
• YORK City Screen Picturehouse

Cinema Tickets at around £15 are available for all cinemas on 0871 704 2068, or more information at www.picturehouses.co.uk/pamayres

As yet I have yet to discover a link that I can catch a live webcast or even a podcast of this special event via broadband internet which would be helpful for those unable to afford or find it difficult to attend.

“Pam Ayres is a proper poet, whose wistful, funny, and perceptive verse captures both the joy and unfairness of life.”
Sunday Times

Warm and witty, direct and droll, the sharply funny Pam Ayres has been amusing and entertaining her many fans for years…