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travel

My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 3

September 2, 2020 By Doug Clews 2 Comments

Parthenon - image by timeflies1955 via Pixabay

Many Greek Migrants had joined the ship at Piraeus, headed for Australia and New Zealand.

After Suez, this led to an additional source of entertainment every day, in the form of Greek Dancing in the Ballroom. Most of the participants were, of course, Greeks, but lessons were also provided by Greek instructors for Non-Greeks who wanted to learn. Such dances as the Sirtaki, which featured in the 1964 film, Zorba The Greek, were most popular. That particular dance featured in Greek Restaurants in Perth we discovered.

Greek Dancing in The Ballroom. Photo: Chandris Lines
Greek Dancing in The Ballroom. Photo: Chandris Lines

Also after leaving Suez, a School was set up for Non-Greek kids, and a creche for the toddlers. The School was staffed by volunteers with teaching experience, and the creche by willing mums … this was great for the kids, and, unlike home, it wasn’t compulsory, so they loved it! [Read more…] about My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 3

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Tags: Australia, memory, storytelling, travel

My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 2

August 30, 2020 By Doug Clews 1 Comment

The Old Port Of Piraeus from a postcard

I was prompted to write this article by the inclusion of a photograph of the ship ‘Australis’ in Part 121 of Adelaide Goater’s Journal ‘Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford’, published on this site by her Grandson, Rick Goater, on 12th. April 2020 … Thank you Rick!

A couple are from my own meagre collection.

See My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 1

***********************************

Day 3 – we are about to enter Piraeus, the very old port for Athens, and Greece as a whole.

The Old Port Of Piraeus from a postcard
The Old Port Of Piraeus from a postcard

[Read more…] about My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 2

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Tags: Australia, memory, storytelling, travel

My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 1

August 26, 2020 By Doug Clews Leave a Comment

Photo: s.s. ‘America’ from a United States Lines Brochure

I was prompted to write this article by the inclusion of a photograph of the ship ‘Australis’ in part 121 of Adelaide Goater’s Journal- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford, published on this site by her Grandson, Rick Goater, on 12th. April 2020 … Thank you Rick!

s.s. ‘Australis’ berthed at Southampton in 1973 in her new grey / white livery.
s.s. ‘Australis’ berthed at Southampton in 1973 in her new grey / white livery.

s.s. ‘Australis’ berthed at Southampton in 1973 in her new grey/white livery

Above photo by Les Fisher, via Flickr, from his album ‘Old family photos – A collection of memories’

Most other photos used are from Chandris Lines ‘Official’ brochures, unless otherwise stated. A couple are my own.

My love affair with this beautiful lady lasted just 3 weeks, from Wednesday 9th. March 1966 until Friday 1st. April 1966, only to be
re-kindled in October 2000 when I started writing my life’s memories, but that, my friends, is another story … [Read more…] about My Love Affair with a Beautiful Lady – Part 1

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Tags: Australia, memory, storytelling, travel

Care in a Time of COVID

May 7, 2020 By Mike Sedgwick 5 Comments

We are beginning to think of ending the lock-down. How different will it be afterwards?

That little strand of RNA wrapped up as COVID-19 has altered our behaviour. It has shut our institutions; schools, universities, travel, industries, retail and the legal system. Health, policing, food and pharmacy remain active with some local travel.

Some of us have been able to work from home and found it satisfactory. A friend is wondering why he keeps a London office; a weekly meeting in an office hired for half a day may be sufficient. Others strive to work amid the domestic activities of children and housework. The fashion for open-plan living areas in houses has not helped.

Coronavirus image by Karolina Grabowska

[Read more…] about Care in a Time of COVID

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Covid-19, local businesses, medicine, memories, news, science, storytelling, travel

How to make the daily exercise more interesting

April 18, 2020 By chippy minton 13 Comments

street name we

Taking our COVID-19 permitted daily period of exercise is good for our health, but the restrictions on “keeping it local” can make it  bit monotonous.  So why not add a bit of variety and adventure to your walk by finding a route where you can spell out a word or phrase with the first letter of street names.

In true Blue Peter fashion, here is one I made earlier. [Read more…] about How to make the daily exercise more interesting

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, coronavirus, Covid-19, daily exercise, local interest, quiz, travel

How I Feel about the Pandemic

March 12, 2020 By Gopi Chandroth 2 Comments

Karolina Grabowska photo of stars - image via kaboompics

As I walked briskly in keeping with the exercise requirements of my diet regime, listening to the intoxicating and incessant drumming in Get Ready by Rare Earth, I had an epiphany: I could be dead in a few weeks because of the pandemic.

Karolina Grabowska photo of stars - image via kaboompics

I didn’t panic, but looked up at the sky and everything appeared so very special – the stars, the golden pancake moon darting between clouds, and even the clouds themselves for their amorphous fluffiness. [Read more…] about How I Feel about the Pandemic

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M27 Closure; Eastleigh Derailed Freight Train

January 31, 2020 By SO53 News 2 Comments

From tonight the M27 will be completely closed in both directions between junctions 3 (M271) and junction 4 (M3) this weekend – from late evening Friday 31 January to early morning 3 February. Read Chippy’s report: M27 Closure 31 Jan – 3 Feb.

To add to the chaos, there’ll be disruption on your train journey. Since Tuesday, a rail line has been blocked after a freight train derailed in Eastleigh. The line between Southampton Central and Basingstoke and thousands of people have been affected.

Route Director, Mark Killick, explains what happened and what they’re doing to get the railway reopened for Monday. “We apologise for the continued disruption and line closure; passengers should continue to check with @SW_Help before travelling.”

Eastleigh derailment - image via Network Rail
Eastleigh derailment – image via Network Rail

Watch the video below and see the huge task of repair:

#EASTLEIGH derailment update. Our Route Director, Mark Killick explains what happened and what we’re doing to get the railway reopened for Monday. We apologise for the continued disruption and line closure; passengers should continue to check with @SW_Help before travelling. pic.twitter.com/K15cmhhz71

— Network Rail Wessex (@NetworkRailWssx) January 31, 2020

[Read more…] about M27 Closure; Eastleigh Derailed Freight Train

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Tags: Eastleigh, M27, news, railway, Roadworks, Southampton, Traffic, travel

M27 Closure 31 Jan – 3 Feb

January 26, 2020 By chippy minton Leave a Comment

roadworks

The M27 will be completely closed in both directions between junctions 3 (M271) and junction 4 (M3) this weekend – from late evening Friday 31 January to early morning 3 February.

roadworks

matrix sign

This is the third and final closure required for the replacement of the Romsey Road bridge.  More details can be found on the Highways England website. [Read more…] about M27 Closure 31 Jan – 3 Feb

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Tags: Eastleigh, M27, news, Roadworks, Southampton, Traffic, travel

What’s Your Poison?

December 31, 2019 By Mike Sedgwick 2 Comments

James Parkinson's Essay on the Shaking Palsy, 1817

What’s yours? A question asked in bars around the country; whisky, gin, beer. In another context, the question is not asked, because most of us are not interested, but the answer is given at length. What’s your disease?

There is no one so proud as the, now recovered, person describing how baffling and serious their disease has been. ‘None of the doctors knew what it was; I even saw the professor and he did not know.’

bear having a cold image Myriams-Fotos via Pixabay

I eavesdropped on one such conversation at a drinks party. The man described his symptoms well and insisted that the disease was a mystery. I interrupted and asked, did he suffer from diarrhoea and vomiting about two weeks before the illness started? How did I know? He had not realised that this was the start of the illness. [Read more…] about What’s Your Poison?

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Tags: memories, science, storytelling, travel

Snakes and the Supernatural in Sri Lanka

December 28, 2019 By Mike Sedgwick Leave a Comment

Eclipse viewed through cloud. For the techies - Exposure 1:2000th second, f8, 129mm, ISO 80 Camera - Lumix DMC-TZ80

Eclipse

Fifteen years to the day after the terrible Tsunami swept across Sri Lanka, another powerful natural phenomenon struck awe and even fear for some of the rural people. The morning sky turned dark.

We had travelled upcountry to a place called Naula, close to the line taken by the total eclipse of the sun. Our friends packed a welder’s visor in their overnight bag. I thought David, an engineer, was planning to do some welding when we reached our destination, but it was his wife who had the foresight. She follows events in the heavens and told us of the eclipse.

When the time came there was cloud cover which was fortunate for me as I managed to take photographs of the eclipse through the clouds. In between the clouds, we observed the eclipse through the visor.

Observing the eclipse from Sri Lanka
Observing the eclipse from Sri Lanka

The cook and some of the staff where we stayed thought it was an intervention of the gods and wanted to go to the temple. Many people did visit temples, churches, kovils and mosques but it was the schoolteachers who could tell them what was happening. We collected the staff and let them all have a look through the visor. One of our Sri Lankan friends explained what was happening, but I am not sure we convinced them all.

Eclipse viewed through cloud. For the techies - Exposure 1:2000th second, f8, 129mm, ISO 80 Camera - Lumix DMC-TZ80
Eclipse viewed through cloud. For the techies – Exposure 1:2000th second, f8, 129mm, ISO 80 Camera – Lumix DMC-TZ80

[Read more…] about Snakes and the Supernatural in Sri Lanka

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Tags: Christmas, culture, Sri Lanka, storytelling, tradition, travel, viewpoint

The Black and White Dog

June 22, 2019 By Gopi Chandroth Leave a Comment

In case I had forgotten, I am reminded. I am back in Delhi, the city of my childhood. “Be careful”, cautions Maya, the caretaker who I had known as a young school girl and is now a mother of three daughters in their twenties. Two of Maya’s front teeth are missing, like absent milestones of time, marking the passage of some 40 years. “Be careful of the dogs, big brother”, she warns me.

I go to the balcony and look outside. Hordes of stray mongrels roam the streets. Some have colourful winter coats on. Occasionally, they settle some canine scores with sporadic fights, but are peaceful on the whole. [Read more…] about The Black and White Dog

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Stolen Murder

June 8, 2019 By Gopi Chandroth 4 Comments

Editor’s note: A new Saturday Story series by Gopi Chandroth

A short version of this story recently won the first prize in a competition held by the Society for Civil and Public Service Writers (SCPSW).

The SCPSW membership is open to civil and public servants, current or retired, including local government, NHS and the police. Contact Gopinath.chandroth@gmail.com for more information. [Read more…] about Stolen Murder

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A Two-Way Ticket for Goats

June 1, 2019 By Gopi Chandroth Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: A new Saturday Story series by Gopi Chandroth

A short version of this story recently won the joint first prize in a competition held by the Society for Civil and Public Service Writers (SCPSW).

The SPCSW membership is open to civil and public servants, current or retired, including local government, NHS and the police. Contact Gopinath.chandroth@gmail.com for more information. [Read more…] about A Two-Way Ticket for Goats

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Tags: creative writing, culture, storytelling, travel, writing

Sri Lankan Bombings

May 2, 2019 By Mike Sedgwick Leave a Comment

I have visited Sri Lanka over 15 times now, living there for several months every year for the last 10 years. Early visits were during the civil war and there were inconveniences such as roadblocks, curfews and limitations on travel.

On one occasion my friends arranged an escort to the airport. There were no problems with me giving lectures at the University and to audiences containing Sinhala and Tamils. [Read more…] about Sri Lankan Bombings

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Tags: adventure, culture, education, history, news, Sri Lanka, storytelling, travel

Travelling for Lisa

February 19, 2019 By Roger Clark 6 Comments

Sequel story to: Doctor’s father makes second epic journey in daughter’s memory after snapping wrong penguin on 8,000-mile trip (The Telegraph), and Trip of a Lifetime – My Antarctic Trip on Chandler’s Ford today.

Overview

Lisa loved to travel and her extreme joy of being abroad was expressed in several of her diaries. She wrote about the places she visited, whom she met and how she felt on the journey. People and places were often recorded in her photo album. [Read more…] about Travelling for Lisa

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, inspiration, memory, ovarian cancer, storytelling, travel

Camels, Smallpox, Big Cats, Wolves and Philosophy

January 28, 2019 By David Lamb 2 Comments

The Camel

Several years ago I was invited to serve on a European Council relating to the welfare of performing animals. I don’t know whether it actually started or disappeared into the mists of EU bureaucracy. I have interests in teaching animals and recently took an opportunity to spend some time with a delightful camel in France. [Read more…] about Camels, Smallpox, Big Cats, Wolves and Philosophy

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Tags: community, education, philosophy, storytelling, travel

A VERY L–O–N–G Shot from Australia

January 25, 2019 By Doug Clews 9 Comments

Phil, a friend of ours from Sheffield, England, is over here in Perth, Western Australia at the moment visiting family … on Saturday, he visited us in Glen Forrest, as he has done for the past eight years.

On this occasion, he presented me with a copy of Barbara Hillier’s book, ‘CHANDLER’S FORD, A PICTORIAL HISTORY’ (1994 edition – Front Cover shows Fortune Court and a VERY blue sky) … Phil bought it via Amazon U/K from a bookshop in Reading, Berks … [Read more…] about A VERY L–O–N–G Shot from Australia

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Tags: books, community, travel

What is Happening in France? The Gilet Jaunes Protests.

January 7, 2019 By David Lamb 2 Comments

Who are the Gilet Jaunes?

The gilet jaunes or yellow jackets movement is a populist, grassroots political movement for economic justice that began in France in 2018. An online petition posted in May reached 300,000 signatures by mid-October and was followed by regular mass demonstrations beginning on 17 November. I spend part of my life in Normandy. The following report is based on my personal experience. [Read more…] about What is Happening in France? The Gilet Jaunes Protests.

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A Grand Day Out to London from Chandler’s Ford

January 5, 2019 By Janet Williams 15 Comments

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

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Tags: adventure, culture, days out, education, London, travel

Party

December 30, 2018 By Mike Sedgwick 2 Comments

It is the season of parties, not to be left out, we are arranging one. Is it any different in Sri Lanka?

Invitations –

Sri Lankans do not seem to plan their diaries too far ahead nor do they always respond to invites but they turn up on the dot. There is no angst about who to invite and there is no angst about who should come. If you have friends staying, you take them along. [Read more…] about Party

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Tags: adventure, Christmas, Sri Lanka, tradition, travel, writing
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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

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Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

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My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

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History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

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My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

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Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

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Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

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History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

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