Last weekend I bought some minced pork and local eggs from Charles Baynham, our finest butchers in Chandler’s ford.
I used the minced pork to make some Chinese dumplings for the Chinese New Year (yes it’s the Year of the Pig, as I heard you asked!)
Charles Baynham has run this friendly, traditional butcher for 40 years in Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about Charles Baynham in Chandler’s Ford
Dear readers, please be assured that I’m not mad. It’s only January and I’m talking about Selwood’s Christmas tree – their bright, stunning tree that gives us a glimmer of hope on those endless cold, dark evenings.
While I processed a backlog of my Chandler’s Ford Today emails today, I came across an email from Richard Bright, the owner of Selwood. [Read more…] about Why am I Talking about Selwood’s Christmas Tree in January?
Yesterday morning I took the 7.14 train from Chandler’s Ford to London Waterloo. The return ticket (including London Underground all zones) cost £90.
Ideally I should have taken the 6.06 train, but I wasn’t feeling safe to get to the station so early by myself. Recently I’ve heard of news about people being mugged in Eastleigh and Chandler’s Ford, so was a bit more concerned. I considered driving to the station, buying tickets from the machine near the platform, but …. what if someone jumped out from nowhere and I was on my own? I also considered driving to Southampton Airport Parkway but parking would have cost £15 per day. [Read more…] about A Grand Day Out to London from Chandler’s Ford
Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all our writers, readers, contributors, and friends ……
It’s a brief message – I want to thank you all for writing, reading, commenting, and sharing our articles. [Read more…] about Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Chandler’s Ford Today
As the government is in Brexit turmoil (‘near Civil War’, according to the BBC), we’re bringing you some stability here from Chandler’s Ford for a change.
The annual Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Christmas Market brings the sort of stability, unity, and friendship that we all need at times of crisis. Last weekend I went to the market, as I had done so for many years, and felt warmth, joy, and a genuine sense of hope for the future. [Read more…] about Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 45th Christmas Market 2018
I walked past Chandler’s Ford war memorial this morning and saw this wreath:
[Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford War Memorial – In Loving Memory of William Joseph Tosdevine
There was a rainbow in the morning and the rain stopped for the Remembrance parade and services.
At the Chandler’s Ford war memorial, a crowd of hundreds – from veterans to youth groups, families, and people of different ethnic groups – all gathered to pay their respects.
Hursley Road looked like this in 1918 (peace day celebration), and 1989. [Read more…] about Remembrance Sunday in Chandler’s Ford 2018
Summer seems to have gone. According to the BBC, there’ll be rain for many parts tonight, torrential in places. Squally winds in the south. UK flood warnings have been issued.
This morning, however, I saw something heartwarming on my way to work.
Walking past Desborough Road in Eastleigh this morning, I stopped at a house, which has a mini free library in the front garden. [Read more…] about Little Free Library on Desborough Road in Eastleigh
Eastleigh is marking the 100th anniversary year of the end of the first world war today. The event pays tribute to Eastleigh’s role in the First World War.
In Eastleigh this afternoon, I visited a re-enactment of a field hospital, some vintage military vehicles, and have seen great displays by charities and businesses, such as Hampshire Scouts, One Community, Defense Medical Welfare Service, British Legion, Eastleigh and District Local History Society, Eastleigh Gurkha Nepalese Association, Royal Air Forces Association, the Rotary Club, Air Cadets, Peter Green, and local author Paul Nolan. [Read more…] about Eastleigh Remembers – Truly Memorable
This morning we joined our friends Mike and Alison Standing, together with Deborah Hockney (Alison’s sister) and her family on A Walk for Adam.
The walk aims to raise awareness of the high level of suicide that occurs in our society, especially amongst younger men, which seems to get hidden from view from the general public.
The 40-mile walk started from Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church this morning, and will spread over 4 days. Today we completed our first day’s walk and arrived at Winchester Cathedral. Friends and families will continue the rest of the journey over the next 3 days. [Read more…] about A Walk for Adam – from Chandler’s Ford to Winchester Cathedral
In 2016, I published an article about our 92-year-old War Veteran Frank Damerell from Chandler’s Ford.
Frank Damerell was a Night Fighter Navigator. The aircraft was the well-known Mosquito.
Recently, Frank was interviewed on BBC Radio Solent, talking about his Mosquito missions in World War Two on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show.
Click the image to listen to Frank Damerell – the WW2 RAF Navigator remembering his beloved Mosquito (3 minutes’ long). [Read more…] about WW2 RAF Navigator Frank Damerell Remembers His Beloved Mosquito
Today’s Fryern Funtasia in Chandler’s Ford was fun, as usual, and it was very well managed. Congratulations! I heard a few children fainted due to heat, but hope they have had some rest and are now feeling better. The organisers deserve our praise – they have put in so much effort to make sure everything ran so smoothly. [Read more…] about A Great Community Event: Fryern Funtasia 2018
Due to our good reputation over nearly 5 years, Chandler’s Ford Today community website receives a lot of emails from readers each week (such as missing cats and where to find a butcher).
Today we decide to start an Advice Column on Chandler’s Ford Today. There must be some Agony aunts and Agony uncles out there (i.e. YOU). [Read more…] about Ask Chandler’s Ford Today: We’re Relocating to Chandler’s Ford…
A while back, the Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church was busy collecting signatures of people in the Church and its community. Visitors to carol services, customers in the Dovetail Café, and all the groups who use the premises were being invited to sign in charcoal or chalk on special paper.
These names have now been turned into a work of art by an artist, Rev David Hollingsworth, who is skilled at community works of art. [Read more…] about Dovetail Art Project with Revd David Hollingsworth
Congratulations to Caroline Husain from Chandler’s Ford, who has been named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2018.
Caroline has been recognised for decades of ‘services to charity and the community in Chandlers Ford’ with a BEM (The British Empire Medal). [Read more…] about Congratulations! It’s a BEM for Caroline Husain from Chandler’s Ford
Last night I attended the Candlelit Carol Service at Eastleigh Baptist Church. My friends have recently joined the church and sang at the choir, so I went there for support and friendship.
The service was absolutely brilliant, uplifting, and enjoyable. It was beautifully intertwined with poetry, drama, and songs. There was a choir made up of adults and children, a top-class 4-people band, a modern drama (family got stuck on M25; a sulky teenager; train being late), a classical play (with costumes; tea-towel-headed shepherds that sort of thing), and Spoken Word. The Spoken Word was beautifully written: short passages in rhymes, and the narrators were passionate with their narration. To top that, both screens highlighted the keywords being read, so the visual impact was very powerful. [Read more…] about Beautiful Christmas Church Services 2017. How’s your Christmas Day?
This morning I attended the church service at the Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church.
The service was led by Rev Dr Howard Mellor. He is a great speaker and his speech was full of humour. He started off showing a blue and white t-shirt representing Huddersfield Town, as he told us he watched the match yesterday and he showed his support for the blue and white team!
I don’t know anything about football, but his introduction using football seemed very well received. [Read more…] about Christmas in Chandler’s Ford 2017
This morning, veterans and a few hundreds people commemorated those who lost their lives in the two World Wars and later conflicts, at the Chandler’s Ford war memorial.
Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 12 November in 2017, is a day to remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom.
A two-minute silence was held across the country and wreaths were laid at memorials.
In Chandler’s Ford, people old and young were gathering at the war memorial, outside the St. Boniface Church on Hursley Road, including 93-year-old war veteran Frank Damerell, Night Fighter Navigator (the aircraft was “The Mosquito Night Fighter”) during the Second World War. [Read more…] about Remembrance Sunday in Chandler’s Ford 2017
Once a year I go to the Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market in Chandler’s Ford to buy a few Christmas cards (I don’t have that many friends to send cards to) and use it as a chance to catch up with friends, and also have my coffee morning with friends at the Dovetail Centre Café. [Read more…] about Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 44th Christmas Market 2017
Last month we shared a video Welcome to Hiltingbury, Chandler’s Ford. The video was created by Jack Smark, a 13 year old Year 9 pupil from the Toynbee School.
Today I found Jack’s new video, named South Millers Dale. Jack is the founder and creator of Tondore Productions. He is an aspiring cinematographer and would love to film movies and film documentaries. [Read more…] about New Video: South Millers Dale
