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.
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
At the back of a class of 5-year-olds, I watched a teacher telling a story. Thirty children sat silent and still with mouths agape and eyes fixed on the storyteller. The story, like most children’s stories, held a moral. It was Big Bell and Little Bell. Here was the power of storytelling.
Most of us can remember being told stories. I remember a story about a man pulling a sword from a rock. Grandfather told stories of engineering feats that went wrong. There was a railway engine whose boiler burst as it tried to climb Lickey Incline near Birmingham and how bank engines were provided afterwards to help the climb. [Read more…] about Tell Me a Story
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.’
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?
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.
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.
Edited by Allison Symes
Image Credit: All images were supplied by Peter Russell
Hello again. I am Peter Brent Russell and I was a child of the Hook Road hutments from June 1950 to Summer 1955. This is Part 3 of my series on The Hutments and, this week, I will be looking at my recollections of hutment life. I will also share my recollections of the other families there.
Once again, if there are further memories/information people would like to share, I would love to hear from you via the comments section. It would be nice to fill in the gaps wherever possible.
[Read more…] about Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 3
Edited by Allison Symes
Image Credit: All images were supplied by Peter Russell
I am Peter Brent Russell and I was a child of the Hook Road Hutments for the first five years of my life – June 1950 to Summer 1955. This is Part 2 of my series on The Hutments and, this week, I will be looking at my family background and how we came to be at there at all.
It would be lovely if memories could be shared and if there is further information that people have, please do send in your comments. It would be nice to fill in the “gaps” especially on hutment numbers and family surnames.
[Read more…] about Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 2
Edited by Allison Symes
Image Credit: All images were supplied by Peter Russell
My name is Peter Brent Russell and I was a child of the Hook Road hutments for the first five years of my life – June 1950 to Summer 1955. I’ve been following and contributing to the main discussion thread on this website since Spring 2016 and noticed the ‘related posts’ by John Rolfe and Liz Stothard/Dee, where photos have been uploaded.
(Editor’s Note: The links to all of the previous posts on The Hutments will follow at the end of this post and throughout the series).
I’ve arranged with Janet Williams to share my posts on The Hutments here, where I can present the results of my research from 2016 onwards and, more personally, upload my family’s recollections and photos for others to share.
Many of my findings are based directly on the clear recollections of my mother, Claudia Ruth Russell. I can no longer ask her any questions, as she sadly passed away, aged 97, in October 2018.
This web page is a tribute to her and my father. [Read more…] about Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 1
Channel 5 has recently shown the “Secrets of the Mr Kipling Factory” programme. This has triggered many people’s memories, especially those who used to work at Manor Bakeries in Eastleigh.
Our reader Jill Mayes shared her memories of Mr Kipling with us:
Watching Mr Kipling cakes. Both my parents, myself and lots of friends worked for them at Manor Bakeries at some time or other in Eastleigh. I worked off of cupcake alley and they even made my wedding cake. The test bakery cakes were lovely. My mum got a free box of cakes every Christmas until she died. 🧁🍰 exceedingly good memories.
On Friday 20th September, the Curious Café (at The Dovetail Centre, Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church) will be hosting Claire Gradidge, local author and winner of the Richard and Judy “Search for a Bestseller Competition 2019”. [Read more…] about Meet Local Author Claire Gradidge at the Curious Café on 20th September
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
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
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
About two weeks ago, I noticed this posting on a Facebook page called Chandler’s Ford Neighbours:
“Having a big clear out and I’ve found my Nan’s old freezer book! The first entry was July 1973 and the last was Feb 2006!
She kept her freezer so organised!
It’s fascinating looking at the prices of things over the years!” [Read more…] about An Ordinary life – Iris’ Incredible Freezer Books
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
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.
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
Every day the media carries reports of wars, diseases and many evil things. There are times when reflections on this state of affairs involve a religious dimension. People from many faiths might pray for a better world and sometimes hope that their prayers might be answered. [Read more…] about Have You Ever Thought How Much Happier the World Would be Without Disease, War and Crime?
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
The origin of stories is an interesting one in itself – oral was king long before print became a reality. It had to be given the lack of literacy as we know it now but what I find great is that the oral tradition is still hugely important and will remain so. This to me implies a consistent flow of stories over the centuries and long may that continue. The world of stories should not remain static (otherwise it will stagnate and what stagnates dies). [Read more…] about The Story of Stories – Ali Baba
A short while back I went for a Chinese Take-away meal. I was served by a youngster aged between seven and eight years old. She tapped my order on to a computer screen which transmitted details to the kitchen staff, then calculated the cost of my order, which I paid, and very professionally counted out my change.
I then began to read the newspaper which was lying on the counter, but the girl said ‘Please don’t read that paper’. I looked puzzled and she added, ‘Please, I don’t want you to read that paper’. Facing such strongly expressed feelings I decided not to read the paper and pushed it to one side. [Read more…] about Chinese Take-away Meal
Christmas is a busy time of year for most charities and the Jubilee Sailing trust (JST) is no exception.
Having enjoyed a lovely day at the Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Christmas Market, we also attended the Romsey Christmas Market and most recently the Winchester Christmas Market in the stunning setting of Cathedral Close. [Read more…] about Sailing into Christmas with the Jubilee Sailing
