September 2013 and I was being made redundant again. Sleep didn’t come easily. My brain wouldn’t shut up with what if’s, how’s and whys. After the news broke I went home trying to put a brave face on it and failing miserably. The dinner that was waiting for me when I got in went uneaten, I microwaved it then sat looking at it until it went cold. Continue reading The beginning of the end – first published 25 September 2013
13 March 2016
Sunday started rather early. Commando was taking a run leader course at the Bourne Academy in Bournemouth and CJ and I went along to have a day by the seaside. Once he’d disappeared into the building we set off into a misty morning that held a promise of sun later on. Although we were heading for Bournemouth beach, the first part of our journey took us south west into Poole. Continue reading The Bourne valley, seaward bound
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
20 October 2015
Commamdo was, understandably, a little nervous about driving seventy two miles on Canadian roads. After all, that’s like driving from our house to London, which in England would be counted as a pretty long drive. Of course, in Canada it’s considered just down the road and we couldn’t come all this way without seeing one of the wonders of the natural world. Not wishing to get caught up in the morning rush hour, we had a leisurely breakfast and then took a slow wander down to the car park. The worst part turned out to be getting out of the city. Once we got onto the Gardiner Expressway the traffic eased a little. Now all we had to do was follow the sat nav, keep looking at the road signs and try to be in the right lane at the right time. Simple? Probably not but Commando managed it. Continue reading Niagara, where America and Canada collide
At the beginning of March 2013 I was lucky enough to be given a CD of eye witness stories from the D Day landings by a retired BBC broadcaster who was going to give talks on the Silver a Helm D Day cruise. After a bit of a false start I downloaded it to my iPod. It made for an atmospheric journey to and from work. Continue reading Quirky sculptures and war stories – first published 5 March 2013
Getting made redundant from Mad House was the best thing that ever happened to me. Even though I’d made some wonderful friends, I’d hated every minute of the job. It felt like three years of hell on earth. It’s possible I was the only person in the building inwardly cheering when they made the announcement. Then I got the job at Silver Helm and it seemed like everything had happened for a reason. Then, on 19 Fenruary 2013, something happened that made me question everything.
Continue reading A deja vu kind of day – first published 19 February 2013
8 to 11 April 2015
My second week of early shift started with a breathtaking Wednesday sunrise over the River Itchen. Pinkening clouds on the horizon painted the gently rippled water where a pair of lonely swans dipped their heads searching for breakfast. I dawdled along the boardwalk drinking in the beauty of it all. Half way along the Suki II seemed to be floating on the dawn sky and the trees on the far bank were half hidden in early morning mist. Through it I could just make out my usual path beside the jetties and the line of little yachts. Continue reading Orange, pink, blue, a splash of yellow and a dash of red and white