Tag: Cygnets

Monks Brook, heat and an invasive species – first published 14 July 2014

My mid July walk in 2014 had started off on a sour note but had soon improved when I had an up close and personal visit with a black swan. As I walked on towards the reed beds and, ultimately, the White Swan pub, I sipped my water. The early morning rain combined with the sun seemed to have sucked up all the air and left behind a damp stickiness. Even along the river there was little breeze and my pace slowed considerably. Still, I told myself this was not about speed but about getting out and walking, enjoying the nature around me and the sun on my skin, if not the sweat trickling down between my shoulder blades. Continue reading Monks Brook, heat and an invasive species – first published 14 July 2014

White Swans – first published 25 May 2014

In December 2013 the White Swan pub at Mansbridge flooded. Floods are not a new thing for the Swan, it happens with monotonous regularity and I suppose it’s the price you pay for sitting on the edge of the river. Usually the flooding is limited to once a year at most. Mostly it gets cleaned up and reopens in a week or so. The winter of 2013/2014 was different, the water rose, receded a little, then rose some more, all through December, January and February. It rose higher than I’ve ever known it, closing the whole road at times. In Late May 2014, it finally reopened and, of course, I had to go along to have a look. Continue reading White Swans – first published 25 May 2014

Where are the songs of spring?

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3 November 2016

When Keats wrote to his brother and sister in law of his daily Winchester walks he ended at ‘the most beautifully clear river,’ the Itchen, probably where it crosses Five Bridges Road. In his letter he said, ‘now this is only one mile of my walk I will spare you the other two till after supper when they would do you more good,‘ but he never mentioned it again. Even so, it stood to reason he hadn’t just turned around and walked back the way he came and I had a good idea of the route he would have taken. The clues were all there in the final verse of his ode To Autumn.  Continue reading Where are the songs of spring?

Autumn leaves along the river

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26 October 2016

In the end CJ chose the river for our walk home from Hatch Grange, even though it was the longest route. With the sun in the sky and the rich vein of Autumn colour we seemed to have hit once we passed Allington Lane, I wasn’t complaining though. Continue reading Autumn leaves along the river

Counting chickens

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12 October 2016

When my street view hunting turned up what looked very much like another boundary stone, albeit half hidden behind a wheelie bin, CJ and I were itching to go and see it for real.
“It might not actually be a stone,” I said as we set out along the river this morning. “We shouldn’t count our chickens before they’re hatched.”
Even so, there was a thrill of anticipation in both of us, if it was a stone, it was one that no one else had found. It felt like a very big thing and we couldn’t help getting excited.  Continue reading Counting chickens

Southampton City Archives, more questions than answers

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11 October 2016

As we walked through Aldermore after our final boundary stone discovery I knew the time had come to visit the City Archives to see if I could find any more information about the eleventh and twelfth stones. Several fruitless searches on the Common and Golf Course Road had left me wondering if they even existed and, if there were any answers to my questions, I guessed this was where I’d find them.  Continue reading Southampton City Archives, more questions than answers

Another Saturday, another Parkrun

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8 October 2016

Last week Commando made a park run comeback. This week it was the turn of our friend, Sarah, to return to running, this time after major surgery had kept her on the sidelines for some time, marshalling, token collecting and generally cheering everyone else on. Of course Commando would be running again too so I went along to cheer them both on. Continue reading Another Saturday, another Parkrun

A very special parkrun

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27 August 2016

Parkrun is becoming a bit of a regular Saturday morning event for me these days, although, obviously, I don’t run. Sometimes I help out, doing things like marshalling, sometimes I just watch or have a wander on the Common, other times I walk it. What I’ve never, ever been asked to do before though, is blow up balloons. This was a very special parkrun though.  Continue reading A very special parkrun

A one handed clock, cygnets and a few trains

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21 July 2016

Monks Brook Meadows is connected to Monks Brook Playing Fields via a tunnel under Stoneham Way. It was an oasis of shade on our hot walk. We were slightly reluctant to leave it. The playing field is bordered by more trees and meadow but we walked through without stopping this time. There are only so many pictures of flowers even I am willing to take. The next part of our journey was not one I was looking forward to.  Continue reading A one handed clock, cygnets and a few trains

A milestone

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25 June 2016

Most of yesterday was spent staying at home while the boiler was fixed. The boiler packing up right in the middle of the storm turned out to be no coincidence. The plumber who came to look at it found it full of water. It had probably been blown in through the flue and it wasn’t the only flooded boiler he’d seen that day either. He spent some time drying it out with my hairdryer and then more time fitting a new something or other that had died because of the water. At least it’s now fixed and we have hot water again. This was probably a good thing because there was a very special parkrun this morning and I had an idea it would be muddy.

Continue reading A milestone