17 January 2016
Commando was especially imaginative in the Christmas present department this year and one in particular was something I had to wait to appreciate. Sunday was the day I finally could. It was a two person gift and, as Commando was on a long Sunday run, CJ came along to share the fun. The only dampener on the excitement was the weather. After two beautiful blue sky days I had high hopes but Sunday morning dawned wet and grey. Continue reading Time, bells and feeling like Quasimodo
15 January 2016
Still smiling at memories of happy Playschool mornings I retraced my steps to Swift Road and carried on to its end at the shoreline on Victoria Road. Right on the corner is a wastewater treatment plant callied the Poo Farm by locals. It has been known to give the area a bit of an unfortunate pong from time to time. Recently it’s been extensively modernised so hopefully whiffy Woolston is a thing of the past. It certainly smelled fine when I passed today. Continue reading Woolston waterside, back to my roots
15 January 2016
Friday morning was all blue sky and the first frost of the year. It was too nice not to be out walking So I thought I’d take a little wander back in time to a place I lived for seven years in the 1980’s. Once it was called Olafs tun, after the tenth century Viking leader Olaf I, who established a fortified tun on the east bank of the Itchen. Later this was adapted to Olvestune and this is how it was known in the Domesday Book. Finally it became Woolston, probably as a result of cargos of wool carried across the river from nearby Itchen Ferry Village. What little is left of Itchen Ferry Village is now part of Woolston. Continue reading Woolston, a walk down memory lane
13 January 2016
Standing in front of the last mural on Orchard Lane, feeling slightly disappointed that my quest had been so easily completed, I debated whether to walk up into town for a coffee or just go home and have one there. It was still quite chilly so I decided on the latter and, rather than retrace my steps, I thought I’d walk over Northam Bridge. When I turned towards Threefield Lane though I spotted something on the side of the block across Orchard Lane. It looked suspiciously like another mural. Continue reading Holyrood Estate, more than meets the eye
13 January 2016
A council estate in the centre of Southampton might not seem like a very interesting place to visit but bear with me because this particular council estate has quite a lot to offer. Besides, my recent attempts at woodland walks have been thwarted by mud and this walk involved no mud whatsoever, which could only be a bonus. What it did involve, along with being the place singer Craig David grew up, was history and art, two things I’m quite fond of. Plus there would be a nice walk over the Itchen Bridge and almost certainly a coffee. If I couldn’t have woods this was the next best thing. Continue reading Seven murals and some ice
7 January 2016
On Thursday morning I had an appointment with the dentist. Driving there was an option but parking is in short supply near my dentist and I really could have done with the exercise after a very lazy December so I decided to walk. After my appointment I thought I’d have a wander in Hatch Grange which is nearby and then maybe through West End Copse for good measure. I fact I might even walk through Hum Hole on the way there too, three woods in one walk, how much better does it get? Continue reading The walk that never was
6 January 2016
Last night the weatherman on the evening news told me the country would be shrouded in mist and fog for most of the day. My weather app appeared to agree. All Autumn I was waiting for a chance to take photos of mist swirling over the river but all we had was rain. This looked like it would be my chance so I went to bed thinking about an early morning riverside walk, swans emerging from eddies of mist, maybe even black swans. Continue reading Never trust the weatherman
5 January 2016
With a feeling of disappointment, CJ and I turned to leave St Edward the Confessor church. We’d expected to see stones from Netley Abbey at the base of the tower but there were none. I’d hoped to find a longer footpath but I hadn’t. We were heading back to the path and the gates when I saw what I thought were gargoyles at the base of the arch of one of the doors. A closer look, showed there was no pipe for water to come out so technically they were chimeras or bosses, used to frighten evil spirits. They were quite badly weathered but I took a picture of the best one anyway. This was when I noticed the door was open. It felt like my lucky day after all.
Continue reading One door closes, another opens
5 January 2016
According to the weatherman Tuesday was going to be the best day of the week. In fact it looked like it would be the only dry day. Obviously a walk of some kind was in order and I had a place in mind. For a long time now I’ve been wondering about a curious gateway along Abbey Hill at Netley, not far from the abbey. Countless times I’ve passed it on the way to somewhere else and wondered where the path leads but I’ve never had the time to check it out. Today was the day I did. Continue reading The secret of the curious gateway
2 January 2016
Surpisingly, while I was standing in front of the Red Lion, the rain stopped. Maybe I could continue my tour a little longer and go from the village pubs to the churches, or at least one church. There may have been a lot of pubs in Bitterne Village but there were also a lot of churches, most of which are still standing at least in some form. Obviously the people of Bitterne are more fond of their churches than their watering holes. Continue reading From the pub to the church