Chandler's Ford Today

Mike Sedgwick

Why Don’t They Say They Are Nappies?

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The kids have gone out for a ‘Works’ evening. That means mountains of chips, steak and sticky toffee pudding all washed down the gullet with tsunamis of lager and rioja. They would not be well the next day.

So, as often before, we have our lovely 20 month old granddaughter to look after for the night. My wife is a super Nana and takes it all in her stride. All went well until 4.00am when my wife got up. Not for the baby but for the Norovirus which had struck. [Read more…] about Why Don’t They Say They Are Nappies?

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The Good and the Bad of Fryern Arcade

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People blog about, talk about, write about and visit Fryern Arcade in Chandler’s Ford so there must be something good about it.

Shortly after Fryern was opened in 1967, Ian Nairn, an architectural journalist wrote in the Observer (October 8th 1967) about Fryern and compared it with a similar development, the Fairwater Centre, in Cwmbran, South Wales. [Read more…] about The Good and the Bad of Fryern Arcade

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Open Data as Old as Domesday

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The recent Unconference on Open Data Camp UK in Winchester was the first gathering of Open Data enthusiasts for them to swap ideas, knowledge and to exchange data and to thrash out some of the technical issues of databases.

The Unconference meant that it was less structured and more informal than a conference. [Read more…] about Open Data as Old as Domesday

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My Poignant Visit to Auschwitz 30 Years Ago

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Some 30 years ago I found myself in Krakow, Poland, alone in a communist country with contact phone numbers that did not work and meet and greet arrangements that had gone wrong.

I had a day to fill and looked at the hotel tours of castles, lakes, mountains, ski centres, pretty villages or Auschwitz.

Auschwitz? Was that really a tourist attraction? Should I go there?

[Read more…] about My Poignant Visit to Auschwitz 30 Years Ago

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Review of Eastleigh BBC One Question Time 2015

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BBC One’s Question Time moved to Eastleigh for last night’s programme, which took place at The Point theatre. Those taking part were:

Esther McVey MP – Conservative Employment Minister
Diane Abbott MP – Prospective Mayor of London
Paul Nuttall MEP – Deputy Leader of UKIP
Tim Farron MP – Lib-Dem spokesperson on Foreign Affairs
Amol Rajan – Editor of The Independent
Broadcaster David Dimbleby – Chairman [Read more…] about Review of Eastleigh BBC One Question Time 2015

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Chandler’s Ford Guide Book Entry

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Chandler’s Ford is like a well-engineered machine. It works smoothly, runs well and does not break down.

It is serviced thoroughly by Eastleigh Borough Council; traffic flows are fluid and it has good bus services and a railway station.

The shops here are more than adequate with three supermarkets (Co-operative Food, Asda, and Waitrose), [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Guide Book Entry

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The Voice And A Raven

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The most difficult job in television must be producing an advert that people will watch.

When the adverts come on, most people get up to make a cup of tea or visit the loo or maybe start to argue about what to watch next.

There have been some notable adverts worth watching. The first UK commercial TV advert was for SR toothpaste [Read more…] about The Voice And A Raven

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Winter Solstice

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This is an important time of the year for everyone, not just for Christians.

Neolithic man recognised the winter solstice, the time when the sun stands still. It was a desperate time, cold, dark with food stores running low.

The sun hovers close to the southern horizon at dawn and appears to cease its daily regression towards  [Read more…] about Winter Solstice

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Christmas 70 Years Ago

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It was Christmas Eve 1944; my sister and I had been packed off to bed with the warning common to all children that if we were not good Father Christmas would not visit. I remember how dark it was in the house with the blackout curtains.

Our house, in Sheffield, had a special role to play in World War II. We had a telephone. [Read more…] about Christmas 70 Years Ago

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Log Fires

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You must have lit fires when you were young and out in the country.

It’s frowned upon by adults but you have to do these things to learn.

The first lesson is that wet things do not burn. The second is that there is nothing as satisfying as something cooked on your own log fire. [Read more…] about Log Fires

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Sweets Glorious Sweets

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There was a time when there were no sweets. Adults used to talk about Mars Bars, Kit Kats, Gobstoppers and Acid Drops. I had no idea what these were but they sounded desirable.

During WWII there were no sweets.

If you were lucky and could put on a cough, there may be a few pence worth of cough sweets. There were like the Fishermen’s Friends you can get today but bigger. You could suck one or maybe two but no more. They were good currency in the playground, you could swap one for a cigarette card. [Read more…] about Sweets Glorious Sweets

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What Does Christmas Mean For Non-Christians?

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We can all enjoy Christmas. It is not necessary to focus on baby Jesus and the traditional story of shepherds and three wise men.

Last Christmas was spent in Sri Lanka, a country with only 10% Christians but where the Buddhists (70%), Hindu and Muslim all joined in the celebrations.

We had to dress as Santa and his helper [Read more…] about What Does Christmas Mean For Non-Christians?

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Jesters, Mentors and Advocates

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Jesters are portrayed as fools but they are clever. They make us laugh and gasp at their cheeky and audacious remarks. Their humour is barbed and aimed at a person or persons in powerful positions.

A jester must have someone to jest about. In court they performed the important function of saying things to the King and Queen that no courtier dare speak. [Read more…] about Jesters, Mentors and Advocates

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Comet Rendezvous

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Today one of the boldest, most audacious and exacting feats of space engineering will be attempted. The European Space Agency (ESA) will attempt to land Philae, a lander module, from the Rosetta spacecraft onto a comet known as 67P Churyunov.

Rosetta has already made 3 orbits around the sun and is near to completing a fourth. [Read more…] about Comet Rendezvous

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Hutments

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After Nick John’s post about the Hutments I made enquiries from a friend, Robbie Sprague, who was born and bred in Chandler’s Ford. He wrote to me as follows:

Chandler’s Ford Local History, by Robbie Sprague:

[Read more…] about Hutments

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Fluoridation – Have We Tripped Ourselves Up?

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We are not to have fluoridation in this part of the country. Southampton City Council is against it. We have to ask why and our leaders do not tell us.

There is no doubt that our dental health is poor and that fluoridation is a cheap and effective way of improving it. [Read more…] about Fluoridation – Have We Tripped Ourselves Up?

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