Fog – I Walk Alone

Percy and the Royal South Hants

On 11 January, I stood on the corner of Lyon Street and Onslow Road in the fog and thought about the best route home. The quickest way was to walk to the end of the road and turn left onto Derby Road and then right onto Mount Pleasant. I was so close to the Royal South Hants Hospital, though, it seemed silly not to see it while I was there. After all, it had played a pivotal role in Land Fit For Heroes, and I could almost imagine Percy running along the road in the dark. Of course, the hospital he would have seen no longer exists — at least, most of it doesn’t.

Misty St Denys morning

A cold, damp blanket of fog hung over Southampton on 11 January. As I crossed Cobden Bridge, I heard the haunting sound of distant fog horns and watched a lone gull circling. It felt as if he and I were alone on the river. Of course, we were far from alone, but walking in the fog imparts a feeling of splendid isolation. The water hanging in the air muffles the hum of traffic, and fellow travellers appear, like spectres out of the gloom, then disappear again as soon as they’ve passed. I’d planned to walk along the river, but the lack of visibility made me change my mind. Instead, I thought I might check out a few locations from my work in progress. St Denys was a key feature, so I walked across the bridge.

Badger Farm, running in the fog

8 January 2017

The first CC6 of the year was at Badger Farm, near Winchester. Despite a thick fog as we headed towards Winchester, there was no getting lost. This could be considered as something of a miracle given our track record. We both remembered walking through Badger Farm during the Winchester Half Marathon and the map told us the event was almost in sight of St Cross Hospital, divided from it by the railway line. Even so, finding the Sainsbury’s car park which also acted as the official race car park, was touch and go. When we did, I was delighted to see an open Starbucks. Continue reading Badger Farm, running in the fog

Fog horns, fairy cobwebs and an identity crisis? – first published 30 April 2014

A dash up the Big Hill last thing before the shops shut at the end of April 2014 got me wondering what exactly I was. The light was wonderfully golden, the sky was grey and brooding and everything looked bright and washed clean after the rain. Somehow I couldn’t quite enjoy it because I’d left my phone at home and I couldn’t take a photo. My mind seemed to be programmed to think of everything in terms of a photo and I couldn’t work out how it happened? I thought I was a writer not a photographer. As I walked home I puzzled over it. Continue reading Fog horns, fairy cobwebs and an identity crisis? – first published 30 April 2014

Janesmoor Pond, fog, mud and Santas

11 December 2016

Lately life seems to have been nothing but one race after another. This morning we were up early yet again, heading for a race. This though, would be the last race of the year. In an epic piece of bad planning on the part of the people who plan races, there were actually three races going on this morning in different parts of Hampshire. Without a time machine though, we could only go to one and Commando chose the CC6 at Janesmoor Pond. Continue reading Janesmoor Pond, fog, mud and Santas

Bad Service Good Service and a world bursting with life – first published 14 March 2014

With just a week of leisure left to me before I start my new job I was desperately trying to get prepared and tick off all those little jobs that had been waiting in the wings. The first thing I had to do was make a doctor’s appointment for an epilepsy review. I’ve had epilepsy for twenty odd years now, thankfully fully controlled by medication and these yearly reviews are one of the few reminders that my brain is not quite like everyone else’s. You would think getting an appointment with the practice nurse would be fairly simple, especially as I had a whole week absolutely free and it takes all of five minutes. You’d think it would be easy to get through to the surgery in the first place. You’d be wrong on both counts. Continue reading Bad Service Good Service and a world bursting with life – first published 14 March 2014

An island in the clouds – first published 11 december 2013

One of the hardest things about losing my job at Silver Helm was walking away from the wonderful views over the city from our office on the fourteenth floor. In the penultimate week a foggy day brought some of the most breathtaking yet. They were all the more poignant because I knew they were going to be some of the last. Continue reading An island in the clouds – first published 11 december 2013

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