Two or three times a year, the coconut boy comes around to harvest the coconuts. This year he was delayed as there has been so much rain it has left the palm trunks slippery.
There are six coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) in our garden here and they all have a ‘loverly bunch’ on them. Two of the trees are King Coconut, a variety of large yellow nut found in Sri Lanka. [Read more…] about Dispatches from Sri Lanka: a Loverly Bunch of Coconuts
I read the appeal for help by Hampshire Police to find a missing teenager in Chandler’s Ford, which led me to a post by Mike Sedgwick back in April about Chandler’s Ford Policing: Burglaries and Traffic Problems and the fate of Eastleigh Police Station.
These stories in turn led me back to my own memories … [Read more…] about A Night in the Cells
I spent a fascinating and hugely enjoyable afternoon at Chandler’s Ford library yesterday where I attended a talk on “Growing up in Chandler’s Ford in the 50s and 60s” by local ‘lad’ Martin Napier.
Extra chairs had to be brought out to accommodate everyone. [Read more…] about An Interactive Local History Talk by Martin Napier
An important department of the University of Peradeniya is Agriculture. It teaches the management of all things agricultural and hosts a seed bank.
Its experimental plots, rather like allotments, are planted with crops with the aim of increasing production in natural ways. [Read more…] about Agricultural Restaurant in Sri Lanka
By Jean-Louis Bravard
Note: This short story is to be read after my previous article, Where is My Tattoo?.
The surgeon who took my tattoo away was delighted with himself when I met him two weeks after the surgery. He had a broad smile and told me convincingly that my cancer was gone. Big smile. Nice to hear about 6 weeks after I was first told, “you have a cancer”. But… this is England and there always is a but. [Read more…] about The Washing Machine
By Peter David Shuttler
Here I am at the age of 83+ with still vivid memories of my early life at Chandler’s Ford.
I will have to skip for a moment but you will realise the relevance.
While I lived at Woodbridge (Tasmania) our local GP was a Dr Wilson. When mother was out here she went to visit him. Realising that she was originally from Chandler’s Ford he said that he did his internship at Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about My Memories of Chandler’s Ford in the 1930s and 1940s: Part 2
Having a quiet evening and sitting with the door and windows open listening to the rain hammer down and waiting for the next flash of lightning. In flew a bat, large, about 40cm wingspan.
It did half a dozen circuits of the room and then found its way out. It reminded us that it is Hallowe’en back home. [Read more…] about Bats and Hallowe’en
By Peter David Shuttler
I was born in Chandler’s Ford in 1932 – lived at Kingsmead (corner of Winchester Road and Ford Road) until 1946.
I tried to contact Barbara Hillier some years ago as I have two copies of her book. I sat next to David (Ginger) Hillier in Miss Drover’s Grade 4/5 in 1945/46. [Read more…] about My Memories of Chandler’s Ford in the 1930s and 1940s: Part 1
It is good to be back in Sri Lanka. We have been here enough times now to feel it is a second home. All those weird tropical things are becoming familiar. I had forgotten how noisy the night is after rain. All those frogs and things calling out for a mate. The fireflies too, silent and magical in the darkness. [Read more…] about Back to Sri Lanka
Inspired by the history posts in Chandler’s Ford Today, Chandler’s Ford Library invites residents to attend a talk by Martin Napier.
Martin published a popular series on Chandler’s Ford Today, Growing up in Chandler’s Ford in the 1950s and 1960s, last summer. [Read more…] about A Talk by Martin Napier at Chandler’s Ford Library: Growing up in Chandler’s Ford in the 1950s and 1960s
We have had many reminiscences about WWII. Here is one about the end of it all. The newspaper is dated 1945. At the time I was with my family, on holiday in Filey, Yorks. Picnics and games were organised for us children on some waste ground at the rear of our lodgings. [Read more…] about VJ Day
Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.
Part 6 (Final)
I remember that, due to the shortage of diesel (distillate) and petrol, the buses were powered by gas, generated by a converter of some description, which was located on a little trailer towed behind the bus (very dirty and smelly).
[Read more…] about My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 (Part 6)
Some of you may recall an Antiques Roadshow of 1987. An elderly couple brought in a picture of a night scene in the desert with horses, palm trees and a group of travellers around a camp fire. [Read more…] about Genius, Madness and Serendipity
Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.
Today I’m going to share an eye-witness’ account of what happened in WWII in Winchester, recalled and written by David J. Ward, at that time a student at Peter Symonds’ School, Winchester. [Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 5)
The Big Freeze in 1963 was followed by the ‘Chandler’s Ford Floods’!
As the snow melted, the resulting melt water had to go somewhere – and the river systems were unsuited for the rush!
Monks Brook and its tributaries were much narrower then and the bridges formed obstructions to the passing waters which rushed through. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Breaking Free from North End School (Part 8)
Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.
Extracts from The Doug Clews Story, or As I remember it, 81 years on.
[Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 4)
In the winter of 1963 we suffered the worst winter weather for many years.
Snow started falling on Boxing Day 1962, and snow covered the ground for over two months or more.
I was 15 when the coldest winter occurred.
We still rode to school on our bikes, on icy roads and still carried out duties as paperboys, delivering the newspapers. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: The Big Freeze in 1963 (Part 7)
After two days driving through France we arrived at our gîte in Provence for a holiday.
It is a delightful place in a 40 acre estate of olive trees and a lavender field. There were no guests in the other gîtes so we had the whole place, including 3 swimming pools to ourselves. One border of the estate was a river and half a mile upriver was a waterfall or cascade as the French call them. [Read more…] about The Waterfall
About the writer: Doug Clews lived in Chandler’s Ford between 1938 and 1966. Now living in Perth, Western Australia, Doug shares his fascinating childhood memories of Chandler’s Ford with us.
Extracts from The Doug Clews Story, or As I remember it, 81 years on. [Read more…] about My Memories of ‘The War Years’ in Chandler’s Ford: 1939 – 1945 (Part 3)
I remain a club cyclist to this day, having ventured into competitive cycling in the 1970s. I won a few trophies with the Sotonia Cycling Club of which I am a Vice-President.
I remain involved in riding, timekeeping races, and enjoy the companionship and camaraderie the sport offers those of all ages. Some of my present day clubmates are over 80 years of age, and are still active, so there must be some benefits to cycling! [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: A Summer of Hope and Sorrow (Part 6)
