August 2013 was coming to a close and, while Commando ran off into the drizzly rain for his second eighteen miles I spent a lazy morning messing about in the garden planting seeds. It had the makings of an idyllic and relaxed day but, as usual, things didn’t go as planned… Continue reading locked out – first published 25 August 2013
15 February 2016
The second week in February seemed to be all about distractions stopping me going out walking. On Tuesday an appointment got me out of the house for a walk to town and back but there was no time for more than a quick snap of a very high tide by the rowing club on the Big Bridge. The river path I used to take to work was flooded and I was glad I didn’t need to walk that way. After that things went downhill quickly. First there was the Tax Man. Continue reading Distractions, tax, paint and fluff
28 July 2013
Commando and I both set off at the same time this morning. He was off on a thirteen mile run and I was off to the Airport to look for a rhino, an eight mile journey there and back, give or take. He disappeared round the corner while I waited on the island in the middle of the main road to get across. Sometimes I wish I could run, these little jaunts would be so much faster. Still I’d probably miss loads of stuff if I did. Continue reading Hunting down Airport Rhino – first published 28 July 2013
21 January 2016
With our little bag of granary loaf crusts we walked towards the jetty. The black swans and their five little cygnets were nowhere in sight but we thought we might tempt them out if we were lucky. A handful of gulls floated on the river and a few more were in the air but it was quiet in the cold sun. We were both full of cold and feeling less than our best and when we came to the bench just before the jetty CJ said he wanted to sit down. At first I thought he was feeling tired from the short walk but it turned out he had a plan. Continue reading Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
At the end of a busy day the last thing you want to see on the way home is a huge plume of smoke ahead between you and home. That is exactly what happened on the evening of 26 July 2013 as Gail and I were heading for the Itchen Bridge. By the time we realised what was burning it was too late to turn back. We’d just have to find a way around it if we could. Continue reading southampton’s burning – first published 26 July 2013
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
In early June 2013 CJ accidentally got a taste of homelessness and almost frightened me out of my wits. There was a worrying development on the river path and I seemed to have chocolate on the brain. The latter is probably quite normal. I also discovered that irritating survival expert and TV personality, Bear Grylls, has his uses. Continue reading Bear Grylls as a new diet tool – first published 10 June 2013
10 October 2015
My nightmare about the check in at Heathrow turned out to be something of an omen for what was to come although not in quite the way I expected. Suffice to say, my welcome to America was not at all welcoming and most certainly not an experience I’ll be rushing to repeat. The following is a tale of woe that certainly doesn’t reflect on all my lovely American friends. It says more about the lack of organisation and common courtesy of the staff employed by American border control at JFK. Continue reading Welcome to America
28 September 2015
Having handed in my notice and walked away I didn’t feel the relief I’d expected. What I felt was numb and sick. A rash of job applications ensued. For me, working is mostly about being independent and my savings would only last so long. Probably I should have been outside in the beautiful Indian summer sun but I felt I had to keep plugging away. Never before have I intentionally left a job with no new job to go to and, even though Commando was incredibly supportive, it was terrifying. At least having a driving licence meant I could look a little further afield and, with that in mind, I made sure I went out in the car every day, trying to push the boundaries a little further each time. Continue reading Consequences
16 August 2015
Before I prised myself off the bench in St Bartholomew’s churchyard I spent a moment or two looking at Google Maps on my phone. If I walked back to the road and carried on along Brook Lane I knew I’d end up on the other side of the village near Broad Oak. It would be a simple matter to return the way I came, a tried and tested route. That would have been a little boring though and my initial plan had been for a circular route. My main problem was that the church hadn’t been quite where I’d expected it, or at least the paths leading to it hadn’t. That’s the problem with satellite maps, things look far different on the ground. If I walked through Manor Farm it looked as if I could get to Tanhouse Lane and, from there, eventually, back to Bursledon Road. In hindsight it may have been a touch on the ambitious side. Continue reading Show me the way to go home, an exercise in getting lost again!