2022 – I Walk Alone

Beware catfishers, and ten-a-penny Keanus!

I am old enough to remember a time when SPAM meant tinned meat — spiced ham produced in 1937 and popularised during the food shortages of World War II. I remember seeing the Monty Python SPAM sketch for the first time, too. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here. Of course, the sketch came out in the 1970s before the internet existed. It was twenty years before unwanted messages began popping up in ever-increasing numbers, and like the spam on the menu in the Monty Python sketch, drowned out everything else. That was when the word got its modern meaning. This sort of spam was on my mind in the second half of 2022.

My top indie reads of 2022

Writers usually begin life as readers. My love of books began long before I could read, with bedtime stories and Sunday mornings in Mum and Dad’s bed, with Dad reading chapters of books aloud. In fact, it was why I wanted to learn to read. One chapter at a time was never enough. If I could read, I could keep going until the end. Soon, visits to the children’s library became the highlight of my week. This year I have been mainly reading other independent authors, and boy, what wonderful stories I’ve discovered. Such a change from the formulaic tomes churned out by the big publishing houses. Anyway, for my last post of the year, I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you. I’ve included the links, so you can read along if you like.

More Monks Brook at Valley Park Chandler’s Ford

At the end of June, Commando took me along for the ride when he went to a training event at Up and Running in Chandler’s Ford. Obviously, I wasn’t interested in learning about running shoes, but the nearby footpath leading to Valley Park and five (or six according to some sources) parcels of woodland did capture my attention, especially as Monks brook ran through them. So, I waved goodbye to Commando, then set off to find the footpath and make the most of the next hour or so.

Sneak preview ~ A Dish Best Served Cold

You may have noticed that I’ve been quiet for the last couple of weeks. This is partly down to a horrible cold and a great deal of snuggling under a blanket, feeling sorry for myself whilst coughing and sneezing. I have also been busy reading through proofs and approving cover designs for my next novel, A Dish Best Served Cold. The book is set in Southampton in 1935 and features, amongst other things, a famous gold robbery at Croydon Airport. I promise I will tell you more about the research that went into this book later, but for now, I will give you a sneak preview to whet your appetite.

Silence, sacrifice surprises and swans

One of the first things people notice when entering the Old Cemetery’s main gates is the Cross of Sacrifice. It stands alone, in front of the Church of England chapel, signifying that Commonwealth War Graves are present. In fact, the cemetery contains 127 graves from the two world wars and others from earlier wars, including the Battle of Waterloo, the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Indian Mutiny and the Boer War, along with many Titanic graves. It was also the reason I chose the Old Cemetery as the halfway point in my morning walk with CJ on 11 November.

Hares of Hampshire

Today, I thought I’d brighten the dismal November gloom and take you back to June, when the sun was shining and the streets of Southampton were full of hares. Of course, there weren’t real hares hopping about. It was another wonderful art trail, like the rhinos, zebras and deckchairs we’ve had in the past. Because of Commando‘s unfortunate tussle with a blue bin lorry, we almost missed them, but a week or so later, he felt up for a walk, so we headed to town for a touch of hare spotting.

Carrying a torch

Parkrun number 463 on 22 October was my turn to write the run report. In time-honoured fashion, I’d prepared some of it in advance, mostly about the ghosts of Southampton Common and the old gallows because Halloween was fast approaching and I like to add a bit of history to my reports. The rest I would fill in later with any PBs, milestone runs and interesting incidents. Morning mist swirled across the flats as we headed towards the set-up team, and the words of Keats To Autumn ran through my head, Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness . . . When I learned them for my English Literature O Level, I was a Haley and had no idea I’d be a Keates one day.

The eleventh hour

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the Allies and Germans signed an armistice. It didn’t officially end the Great War, but it was the beginning of the end. The armistice expired after thirty-six days and was extended several times before the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919 brought lasting peace. Each year, on the day the guns fell silent, we stop, remember our war dead and lay wreaths of poppies to recall the flowers that sprang up in the fields where the soldiers fell.

Parkrun tourism and a wedding

Our parkrun tourism on Saturday 4 June was a little out of the ordinary. It was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and Commando wasn’t running because of a minor injury, but that wasn’t what made it strange. It was actually the wedding day of two of our friends, Helen and Andy, and they were beginning their nuptials at the twenty-fifth Bartley parkrun. Bartley parkrun is in Totton, so at least we didn’t have too early a start, although it took us a while to find the venue. It’s also a very new parkrun. Race number one was on 18th December 2021, and Helen and Andy have been part of the core volunteer team from the outset.

May in the old cemetery

As it’s Halloween, I thought I’d share some more tales from the Old Cemetery, although the walk in question was on 21 May, so it was more sunshine and flowers than dark spookiness. Bright pink rhododendrons were bursting out everywhere I looked, and the cemetery was resplendent. It would have been easy to be lulled into a false sense of security, but the shady corners still had a slightly sinister aura. These and the graves in them were what interested me, along with the secrets they keep.

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7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30