Raise it? Well sort of...

This Sunday sees the installation of our temporary roof structure in the courtyard at Stray's. I say temporary because, technically, that's what's it's known as - it will be suspended on legs and will cover the whole area of the courtyard but will still give the feel of being outside.

This is great news in itself as it means customers will now have year-round access to the most popular area of the building. Also, company directors Liz Mack & Jane Oldfield will be able to exercise unlimited creativity in decorating the area for Christmas etc which should look pretty good, if the Tapas rooms in No.20 are anything to go by.

But I'm really excited because what it allows us 'Jazzers' to work on is the development of the 'live' events at Stray's. One of the challenges we've been facing recently is the shortening daylight and cooler evenings. The last two weekends have seen us bringing the musicians inside and not using the courtyard for seating which, obviously affects the business and customers alike. With this new weather-proof space, we'll be able to offer more visibility for diners to sit and watch the jazz and also, we'll have more seating on offer.

So, as of next weekend, all the jazz will be played in the courtyard and if you want a jazz-side seat, we'll be able to offer this to more of you than ever before - which I believe is a 'win-win' situation!

Saturday Aug 7 - Highly Suited Duo

This Saturday sees the first visit to Stray's of the unique duo, Highly Suited. The duo comprises of Vocals and piano in the style of Nat King Cole with a sound of very early Harry Connick jr (if you've ever heard him at 18).