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
Towards the end of July 2013 I was still in single digits in terms of rhinos found but the rhino hunting malarkey was turning out to be a rather enlightening exercise. Not only had I been led to parts of the city I’d never seen before, I’d been seeing parts I did know with new eyes. Alongside getting a bit of extra exercise I’d discovered the work of some fantastic local artists and I was just about to have a reminder of the power of perseverance in the face of difficulties and learn about a truly wonderful charity I’d had no idea about before. Continue reading Mirrors, rhinos and achieving the impossible – first published 25 July 2013
The day little Prince George was born I discovered there were way more rhinos to find than I thought. My original research and the map told me there were thirty six. Then I downloaded an app for my iPhone and discovered there were baby rhinos too. These were not exactly in plain sight either, but hidden in shops and cafes. All of the sudden the rhino safari looked a great deal harder than I’d bargained for. There was only one thing to do, get out there hunting for them. Continue reading Baby rhinos and a baby prince – first published 22 July 2013
Finally I’d done it, I’d walked the whole Itchen Navigation, well as much of it as I could given stolen bridge, burst banks and bits I just couldn’t find. Now I was in Winchester and there were rhinos to hunt, well one anyway. First though, there was the little matter of working out exactly where in Winchester I was. Continue reading Winchester and a rhino disappointment – first published 16 July 2013
It seems fitting that the first of the resurrected posts from my old blog in 2016 should be about the rhinos that decorated my city back in 2013. When I spotted the first ones in early July I wondered what on earth they were but when I found out there were a trail of them to be discovered I was quite excited. There’s nothing quite like a treasure hunt to whet the appetite for walking. The rhino posts are topical right now because there is a whole new trail coming this year. This time it will be painted zebras gracing our streets, there’s already a Facebook page all about them and I can’t wait to start searching.
Continue reading my first rhino safari – first published 11 July 2013
In early July 2013 the weather was beautiful so I went for a lunchtime walk in the parks and discovered a mystery. Brightly decorated rhinos were appearing all over the place and I had no idea what they were all about although I quite liked them. There was also a rather unfortunate incident in the downstairs office that made me wonder if I was the world’s dumbest PA and Gigi was the world’s dumbest marketing manager. Continue reading worlds dumbest PA and rhinos in the park – first published 10 July 2013