We continue the occasional series wherein Winston expounds on things that currently make him happy...

84) The Entertainer's Club turns two! The new Entertainer's Club had its first outing last month and it was a staggeringly successful opening bash. Around two hundred people packed into the big bar (is it still called Humphrey's? Probably not...) at the Bureta Park Motor Inn, necessitating a mass importation of chairs to accommodate the crowd. There were three bands on offer that night ranging from the blues of Brilleaux to jazz from Jeff Smith and the friendly sounds of The Self-Righteous Brothers. Sadly, despite the name of the club, no jugglers, fire-eaters of comedians were present.
Next Sunday (14 July) is the second show and it'll be interesting to see if a similar audience turns out. Once again it's happening at 5.00pm and costs $10. This time you can hear the cheerful stylings of local jazz quartet the Woody Woodhouse Connection, featuring Woody's piano and vocals, Chris Schnack on bass, Harvey Win on drums and trumpeter Brian Geoghan. There'll also be a rare appearance from New Zealand country legend Brendan Dugan. Just the two acts (and again, no jugglers, fire-eaters or comedians. Maybe next time...).

85) The Almighty Johnsons are back! Yep, it has to be about the weirdest series ever made for television in New Zealand but The Almighty Johnsons, that saga of Dannevirke's Norse gods, is back for a third series. It started this week and – if you're not already a fan, hop on board. This time they even filmed an episode in Tauranga!

86) Music in Te Puna! Given the ever-growing population there is remarkably little live music out in Te Puna, especially since The Quarry became Nourish and stopped opening at night. Enter Rosie Holmes, who is organising a series of concerts over the next few months at the Te Puna Hall. First up is Penman-McNeill-Alley on 19 July.
The trio will be guests at the Wellington folk festival this year and are going to be playing at the Auckland festival in January 2014 and, despite a name rather blandly made up from simply three surnames, should be well worth seeing. All three have serious credentials. Chris Penman is a lovely singer from a well-known folk family; she has appeared at all the country's folk festivals and has albums available with Mike Moroney and with her family. Bob McNeill has won three New Zealand Music Awards, all for Best Folk Album – enough said. And Dave Alley is a great slide guitarist and much more besides.
The concert starts at 7.30 pm in the Te Puna Memorial Hall, at the corner of Te Puna Road and SH2. Admission is $15 and refreshments will be available. For more info, contact Rosie at [email protected]

87) It's got to be Gouda for you! One side-effect of the ever-increasing quality of New Zealand cheeses has been the rising difficulty in buying imported varieties. The joys of a ripe Pont L'Eveque are getting harder and harder to experience. Fear not if your tastes run to Dutch cheeses, as the Gouda Shop & Delicatessen on Cameron Road (by Sixth Ave) has a whole bunch of them. What a joy to see those whole wheels of beautiful cheese stacked floor to ceiling on a wooden shelf!
Goudas, Maasdam, a pile of stuff from the Netherlands, plus the Meyer Cheeses Kiwi range. There's even an alarming-looking green Wasabi Gouda. They also sell Dutch-focused deli treats and – should you need them - clogs. (And, as I learnt, it's pronounced with an 'ow” not an 'oo”.)
And, just while we're on things foodie, this weekend (6 and 7 July) brings us the Seriously Good Food Show at the ASP Baypark Arena. Tickets are $10 and I assume there will be a bellyful of food available for tasting as well as appearances from that peculiar modern hybrid, the 'celebrity chef”.

88) New Music! Singer/songwriter Matt Bodman has a new album out, very good news for fans of his impressive debut. It's called Hallelujah Circus, recorded locally with local musicians and artists contributing to the project. At present it's an internet-only release and can be found at http//mattbodmanandthevalentinegrind.bandcamp.com/album/hallelujah-circus. I'll be reviewing it soon.