In all walks of life, we build on what has gone before. Well, there is no point in reinventing the wheel, so to speak. One person’s discovery often does lead to someone else taking that discovery and doing something special with it.
Isaac Newton confirms this thought with his quote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Fryern Funtasia was such a great success. The weather was quite ‘unpredictable’ but the drizzle didn’t seem to bother us. The event was well organised, and the atmosphere was superb. When people said it’s a ‘community’ event and it truly was. There was something special for everyone, whatever your age. There were favourite games and crafts for children, and there were also boats and steam train for enthusiasts. There was a stilt walker who entertained and surprised the kids. Animals. Music that filled the air. Ice Cream.
The Mayor of Eastleigh Cllr Dave Pragnell and the Mayoress Jean went round to meet many people. At the u3a pitch, the mayor spoke with Pam Moffat (Vice Chair) and Dave Claxton (Chair) about u3a and their role within the community. [Read more…] about Fryern Funtasia 2025 – Drizzle, Sunshine, Stilt Walker, Steam Train, Puppet Shows … What an Amazing Event!
We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead – Winston Churchill.
Tuesday, May 8 th 1945, was an ordinary day. I was seven years old, and the only special event was that we had an egg for breakfast, a real egg, not dried egg powder, which came in
packets from America. When the newspaper dropped through the letterbox, mother picked it up.
‘The war is over,’ she cried, waving the paper high above her head. She rushed out into the street. ‘It’s over, the war is over,’ she shouted gleefully to an empty road. She gave me a hug and a kiss. ‘The war is over, it’s peacetime now.’ [Read more…] about VE Day – Thursday 8th May 1945
Chandler’s Ford Parish Council invite residents to come together to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday 8th May, at Hiltingbury Recreation Ground, from 8.45pm.
“With live music from Michelmersh Silver Band from 8.45pm, why not bring a chair and join us at Hiltingbury Recreation Ground. The Beacon will be lit at 9.30pm with reading of the official tributes. The evening will be closed by the singing of the hymn ‘ I vow to thee my country’ as performed by local resident Emily Blackledge, accompanied by Michelmersh Silver Band. Join us.” [Read more…] about VE Day 80 Celebrations in Chandler’s Ford – Thursday 8th May 2025
Dear readers, you must have seen many intriguing postbox toppers around Chandler’s Ford. They surprise us, delight us, and make us smile. A splash of colour; a creative design; a world re-imagined. For the past few years, the remarkable ladies (with some of their ‘helpers’) from Chandler’s Ford u3a have graced our streets and quiet lanes with their creations made with love and crafted with great skills. You may even feel a bit uplifted on a mundane trip to Asda, as the topper may remind you of an upcoming special celebration or a significant historical event, or its playful, whimsical nature may take you back to your childhood.
Credit: Special thanks to Sandra and Dave Claxton for providing the story and all the photographs in this article below.
Since the amazing response to our 25th Anniversary Postbox Toppers of 2023, our “Topper Ladies” have barely stopped in their endeavours producing themed Toppers for the King’s Coronation, Remembrance Week, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Summer, the Olympics and were even asked to produce a Postbox Topper to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Eastleigh Borough last May.
[Read more…] about Who are the Mysterious Postbox Topper Ladies in Chandler’s Ford?
Mow lawns regularly now, but think about leaving some areas long for wildlife and to encourage flowers to bloom. Reseed bare patches or lay turf. Tie in climbing and rambling roses, sweet peas and clematis as they climb. Summer bedding can be planted out towards the end of the month.
It’s always a joy to have a lovely night out at Ritchie Hall to see the latest production from our excellent local amateur theatre group, The Chameleons. This time Janet and I went to see Sudden Death at Thornbury Manor. (And yes I did have to fight the impulse to type Thornbury Wood there! Well, it is local!).
I have a soft spot for murder mysteries and this one was different in that the audience were able to interrogate the cast about “who did it”. It’s the first time I’ve been to an interactive murder mystery play and it was news to me there are such things. Naturally I have heard of murder mystery weekends etc but nothing like this for the stage. I live and learn!
[Read more…] about Review – The Chameleons – Sudden Death at Thornbury Manor
The popular Fryern Funtasia is back on May Bank Holiday Monday 5th May between 12 noon and 4.30 pm. The community event is held at Fryern Recreation Ground in Chandler’s Ford. There will be a rich variety of activities and stalls, including The Hand in Hand Puppet Team, which will be performing there for the first time. [Read more…] about May Highlights in Chandler’s Ford – Fryern Funtasia and Christian Aid
It is ironic that, regardless of whether you create honest or dishonest characters or both, you do have to be honest about how you create them. What do I mean by that?
I mean you create a character who is fully rounded, where readers can see why they are the way they are, even if they disagree with them, and your characters are not set up as cardboard cutouts. They have to seem real and believable, an honest creation if you like.
But you can have fun with honest and dishonest characters and naturally literature abounds with both kinds.
As I write a lot of flash fiction and short stories, I need to create a lot of characters. I do re-use some but not many compared to the numbers I’ve created in total. My characters often have one story in them, though occasionally one may play a “bit part” role in another tale.
For me, any good story of whatever length is all about what happens and, specifically, what happens to the lead character. I must know what happens to them. I must care about what happens too, even if they’re a villain and I am hoping their evil plans will fail. I also need to know whose story it is.
[Read more…] about What You Need to Know About Character Creation
With apologies to the late Jane Austen, I will start by saying it is a truth universally acknowledged that writers have two obsessions, okay three if you count chocolate, but what are the other two?
[Read more…] about Writers and Stationery – A Match Made In Heaven
You take in what makes a story work subconsciously. Even as a child, when I read the classic fairytales, I knew on the third time of something occurring, there would be a different result leading to the happy ever after ending. I had no idea that was the Rule of Three in action. I just knew if this didn’t happen, there was something wrong with the story. I also knew early on I had to want to find out what happened to the characters so there had to be something interesting about them to grab my attention (and just as importantly keep my attention going).
Check roses for blackspot, remove any infected leaves and treat with a fungicide. Sow hardy annuals and wildflowers in gaps in the garden. Feed borders with a general purpose fertiliser such as Growmore and mulch with compost or well rotted manure.
Plant summer bulbs such as alliums, eucomis and lillies. Cut back Penstemons now. Take a close look before pruning, some produce a mass of new shoots at the base of the plant, so old stems should be cut back close to the soil.
When new growth is visible only along the stems, trim them to 15-20cm from the ground, just above a shoot.
To encourage bushy growth on Marguerites, Pelargoniums and Fuchsias in the greenhouse, pinch out the tips. Spray weeds on driveways and paths this month when they are actively growing. Use a spring/summer feed on the lawn (it should be high in nitrogen to encourage strong leafy green swards) Carry on sowing vegetables directly into prepared soil including carrots, turnip, peas, broadbeans, spinach and lettuce. Sow tender courgettes, cucumbers and pumpkins in a heated propagator or sunny window sill.
Plant out autumn sown sweet peas.
Springtime is one of my favourite times of the year. The other one is autumn, funnily enough. I like both ends of the spectrum. Life as it begins and life as it begins to ebb and fade.
I love spotting the Virginia Creeper in our area and seeing it change colour from red to green and back again. Lovely plant. As I walk the dog it is great to spot the crocuses and other spring flowers emerging, though I am a little saddened my snowdrops have now finished.
It is great being able to walk Lady in the early evening and still be in daylight when only a month or so ago, the same time would have seen me coming back home with her in the dark. It also means we can put her light up collar away for a bit. It is odd walking with a glow in the dark dog (at least around her collar!) though she doesn’t care.
It is a pleasure to welcome fellow Swanwicker, Joy Wood, to Chandler’s Ford Today. I met Joy at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and we often “cross paths” via Facebook. Say what you like about social media, and many do (!), but when used properly, it is a fabulous way to keep in contact with your writing colleagues.
[Read more…] about Author Interview: Introducing Joy Wood, Storyteller
I’ve had the privilege of being listed in competitions, being one of a selection of winners for a competition, and have since gone on to judge short story and flash fiction competitions.
The joy of a reputable writing competition is, if you win or are listed, you have something invaluable to add to your writing CV. They can be great ways to build up that CV. It shows an agent or publisher someone else decided your work was publication worthy. It can also show a commitment to your writing.
I’m regularly on both sides of the writing exercise equation as I do them often and set them too. I run a monthly flash fiction group on Zoom for the Association of Christian Writers which is great fun and I set exercises as part of the topic for the evening.
I also have been to many workshops and courses and continue to do so (especially The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, which I’m looking forward to going to again this year). Inevitably writing exercises are set in these things.
There is a huge variety of writing exercises to try. I’ve developed some firm favourites which I often use to inspire ideas for stories I submit to places such as Friday Flash Fiction, where I have a 100 word story published most weeks.
Cut back herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses that have been left over winter. Prune Buddleja to a low framework of stems to encourage new flowering growth. Split over crowded herbaceous perennials to keep them flowering well. Feed ericaceous shrubs such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris with an ericaceous fertilizer.
Picture the scene. You discover this dodgy lamp. You polish it. A genie appears and grants you the ability, as a writer, to create your own wish list. You can have five items on it. Better still, all of those wishes will be granted. The only rule here is no wish should be harmful. You think fair enough and then compile what you would wish for.
So what would I choose and why?
Author interviews are a joy to conduct and to take part in on the other side of the questioning too. They take many forms, of course, but all can help the writer with their marketing. It pays any writer to be prepared for interviews, even if you’re not yet published.
You can study interviews already out there, including the ones I share here on Chandler’s Ford Today and figure out how you would answer the questions if they were put to you. This is invaluable practice for working out how to talk about the writing you do.
And you will need to talk about it at some point, else how will anyone know about it?
