Peter Shuttler, Doug Clews, and Martin Napier have contributed some interesting posts about their childhood experiences of Chandler’s Ford between the 1930s and 1960s.
I thought I would complement these by writing about some of my memories from more recent times and see how much has changed – and how much has stayed the same. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford from the 1980s – Part 1
The Friends of St. Anne’s Hospital, Liuli, is a charity that was set up 21 years ago to support the work of and send donated goods to a hospital in a remote area of Tanzania.
In that time 20 containers have been packed and dispatched from Chandler’s Ford via Southampton Docks. [Read more…] about The Friends of St. Anne’s Hospital, Liuli
One of my favourite short local walks is the stretch of the Itchen Navigation from Bishopstoke to Allbrook.
It is a rural idyll, yet never more than a few hundred yards from the built-up area and/or railway yard. [Read more…] about My Favourite Short Walk – Itchen Navigation from Bishopstoke to Allbrook
News of the death of an old acquaintance or colleague reached me last week and raised some uncertainty about whether to go to the funeral or not. “Yes.” I said. “I knew him, once, a long time ago. Sorry to hear that he had a stroke and died.” [Read more…] about It’s Not My Funeral
“Is there anyone out there who can give me a good reason why a lot … not all … of cyclists ride on the road when there is a perfectly good, and expensively made cycle way nearby?
For example, Castle Lane from Chandler’s Ford to Baddesley, Baddesley to Rownhams, Bishopstoke to Eastleigh?”
So asks a recent post on Streetlife, a popular local Social Media site. [Read more…] about Why Don’t Cyclists Use Cycle Lanes?
As 1963 started, I found myself more embroiled in preparations for the crucial exams in the spring.
My real energies were directed towards bikes and boats though!
I was never a very keen scholar, and spent far more time studying boats in magazines, than I did revising!
I knew I was poor at maths and physics, so effectively gave up on those subjects, and concentrated on English, History and Geography, where I knew I had hopes of positive results. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Witnessing My First Powerboat Race (Part 11)
I returned to the weekly “Club Room” meets throughout the Autumn & winter of 1961/2, with The Cyclists Touring Club. Their Southampton Section, as it was titled, organised weekly Sunday club-runs (rides), to a variety of destinations, always with afternoon tea booked at a venue.
These venues varied in type, from pubs that provided simple bread, cake and tea, meals, to the few cafes, or even a couple of farmhouses! [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Bikes, Boats, and Adventures (Part 10)
I think that my ‘awareness’ of motor boats probably came from the early days of our little family moving from London to Chandler’s Ford.
Dad used to take us to Southampton, on a Saturday afternoon, and would see motor launches on Southampton Water from the Royal Pier, and also from my favoured ‘window seat’ of Mayes’ restaurant, where we often enjoyed afternoon tea, looking out across the Pirelli factory towards the “New Docks”. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: My Passions with Bikes and Boats (Part 9)
On the main road into Kandy there is a narrow doorway leading to Dharmawickrama, a school for 1,000 girls.
My wife Brenda arranged to visit to see what a state school is like. The contrasts within were striking. The building was poorly maintained and conditions were crowded and there were few facilities, no play area, squatter toilets, builder’s rubble in some corridors. [Read more…] about Journey to Sri Lanka: Creating a Local Library for 1,000 Girls
Tropical diseases? Not your problem? Oh yes they are and not just because of the need for anti-malarials when you go on holiday.
I heard about some of the problems and successes at the first International Meeting on Tropical Medicine to be held in the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. I went along and learned a few thing of general interest. [Read more…] about Tropical Diseases – What You Need to Know
I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. They usually mean giving up alcohol, which is not a huge problem for me as I don’t drink much, or chocolate and that is where I do run into difficulties!
However, I thought I would list some things I would love to see in 2016, all of which would benefit Chandler’s Ford and its residents.
(Editor’s note: For new readers to Chandler’s Ford Today, just to say that once in a while this site has kind of become Sri Lanka Today, while our well-loved writer from Chandler’s Ford travelled to Sri Lanka as analysing snake poisons seems to be a fun hobby when you retire.
A few more interesting stories from Sri Lanka will soon appear in the next few days. Happy reading!)
To get to our house in Kandy we have to go through a tunnel. The alternative is a 3 km detour. The other day we had the Granddaddy of Tropical Storms with torrential rain from 3.00 pm until about 3.00 am. In the morning the tunnel was blocked and we had to get to work via another route. [Read more…] about Dispatches from Sri Lanka – The Tunnel in Kandy
A choir of girls was scheduled to sing carols in the foyer of a new five-star hotel here in Kandy. As some of the girls attended the school where my wife Brenda has worked, we went along.
I expected to see a crush of proud parents but there were none. [Read more…] about An Unusual Carol Concert in Sri Lanka
I went to London on 5th December 2015 for the Bridge House Publishing/Cafelit joint book launch celebration. Naturally I left from Chandler’s Ford Station!
Though Bridge House published my first story in print, A Helping Hand in their Alternative Renditions anthology, this year I was going because my short story, The Magic Flute, is in The Best of Cafelit 4.
This was one of the books being launched, the other being Bridge House’s anthology for 2015 called Snowflakes. [Read more…] about My Year-End Review and Book Launch
Yes, I know that when it comes to Christmas, I am a miserable old fart.
This year I will be 7,000 miles from Chandler’s Ford; will I be unhappy because…? [Read more…] about Christmas in Sri Lanka: 9 Things in England I’ll Miss This Christmas
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
Did you know that every bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin is made in Hampshire?
Laverstoke, between Whitchurch and Overton, is the home to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery. [Read more…] about Days Out: Spirits from a Hampshire Village
*** Please note that information in this article was correct at date of first publication (December 2015), but may have changed subsequently. Please use more up to date sources for the most recent information on emergency numbers ***
It used to be just 999 for the emergency services, but now there is a whole host of numbers we can use to summon help. But which is which, and when should we use them?
This is the emergency number for police, ambulance, fire brigade, coastguard, cliff rescue, mountain rescue, cave rescue, etc. Note the important word ‘EMERGENCY’. This number should be used only when urgent attendance by the emergency services is required – for example someone is seriously ill or injured, or a crime is in progress.
Calls are free, and 999 can be dialled from a locked mobile phone. [Read more…] about 999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Must Know
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
I believe Hampshire may be unique as a county in having 3 cities within it – Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester. As a result there are plenty of historical connections to our area, some of which make for excellent days out.
The fact we can directly access the Isle of Wight, and there are many historical connections there, gives us even more to see and do. [Read more…] about Hampshire Historical Connections
