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Life as a Small Publisher: Allison Symes Talks to Gill James

May 1, 2015 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

Gill James Bridge House publishing

Gill James and I met at the Isle of Wight Writers’ Conference, which was run by Felicity Fair Thompson from 2000 to 2005.

This was a weekend conference based in Shanklin or Sandown with guest speakers. There was a special speaker after the main Conference dinner on the Saturday night. David Nobbs (Reggie Perrin) and Raymond Allen (Some Mothers Do Have Them) were just two of the after dinner speakers who entertained us all. [Read more…] about Life as a Small Publisher: Allison Symes Talks to Gill James

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Tags: arts and crafts, blogging, books, Chandler's Ford, interview, literature, reading, review, travel, writing

The Doctor Who Experience by Allison Symes

April 3, 2015 By Allison Symes 14 Comments

The Doctor Who Experience by Allison Symes

I’ve loved Doctor Who since I was a child. I was gripped by the stories, terrified by the Daleks (while at the same time enjoying every moment of being terrified!) and couldn’t wait to tune in to the following week’s edition.

As I was growing up you had one story spread over several parts and it seemed an age before I was to find out if Tom Baker, “my Doctor”, was going to pull the leads apart that would lead to the destruction of the Daleks in Genesis of the Daleks. [Read more…] about The Doctor Who Experience by Allison Symes

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Tags: BBC, Chandler's Ford, days out, Doctor Who, education, entertainment, film, history, review, storytelling, train station, travel

Why Don’t They Say They Are Nappies?

March 14, 2015 By Mike Sedgwick 8 Comments

nappies - why don't they say they are nappies?

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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Tags: family, review, storytelling, travel

Jane Austen: An Appreciation by Allison Symes

March 6, 2015 By Allison Symes 17 Comments

Jane Austen appreciation by Allison Symes.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Pride and Prejudice is the greatest of all Jane Austen’s works.

It is a blueprint for romantic comedy and Elizabeth Bennet remains one of my favourite literary heroines, being quick witted and intelligent at a time when that was not particularly welcomed. (It isn’t always welcomed now in some places, unfortunately). [Read more…] about Jane Austen: An Appreciation by Allison Symes

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Tags: books, Chandler's Ford, Chandler's Ford Library, community, days out, education, history, Jane Austen, library, literature, local interest, reading, review, storytelling, travel, Winchester, Winchester Cathedral, writing

What Has Happened to Oakmount Road?

March 3, 2015 By chippy minton 11 Comments

What has happened to Oakmount Road Chandler's Ford?

What has happened to Oakmount Road in Chandler’s Ford? It was closed for a week recently while a number of random strips of tarmac have been pasted in the roadway.

In some places they look quite reasonable – uniform straight lines, joined at right-angles: [Read more…] about What Has Happened to Oakmount Road?

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, community, discussion, Eastleigh, Eastleigh Borough Council, Leigh Road, local interest, Oakmount Road, travel

Butterflies in February

February 26, 2015 By Mike Sedgwick Leave a Comment

Butterflies in RHS Mike Sedgwick

Butterflies in February? Poor things will be caught in the next frost. But not if they are in a hothouse.

For the next week or so there is a magnificent display of butterflies in the Glasshouse at the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens at Wisley.
[Read more…] about Butterflies in February

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Tags: days out, family, gardening, leisure, nature, photography, social, travel, wildlife

What Has Chandler’s Ford Done for Me?

February 20, 2015 By Allison Symes 13 Comments

What has Chandler's Ford done for me by Allison Symes

How many lives do you have? One? Two (the one at work, the one at home for example)? Three (work, home, involvement in amateur dramatics or the church, say)?

I have had multiple lives in Chandler’s Ford but will focus on two: before becoming a dog owner and since then and before becoming a writer and since. Chandler’s Ford has influenced both. [Read more…] about What Has Chandler’s Ford Done for Me?

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, Chandler's Ford Library, community, dog, Hiltingbury, Hocombe Mead, leisure, nature, pets, storytelling, train station, travel, viewpoint, walking, writing

Dawn Patrol That Wasn’t

February 15, 2015 By Mike Sedgwick 3 Comments

Dawn Patrol That Wasn’t - by Mike Sedgwick.

The plan was to get to the Gliding Club early and fly the Falke motor glider at first light.

I met my pilot friend in the dim light of dawn and we got the aircraft out of its hangar. After an inspection and a short taxi round to the refuelling bunker we added 25 litre of mogas. [Read more…] about Dawn Patrol That Wasn’t

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Tags: how-to, leisure, travel

Days Out: Blashford Lakes

February 8, 2015 By chippy minton 5 Comments

Blashford Lakes New Forest review chippy minton

For my latest suggestion of places to go for a day out I’m going to turn to what I call the New Forest’s best kept secret – mainly because I’d never heard of it until a couple of years ago.

Blashford Lakes, near Ringwood, is a set of former gravel quarries that have been flooded and turned into a nature reserve. It is run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. [Read more…] about Days Out: Blashford Lakes

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Tags: charity, days out, history, hobby, nature, recommendations, review, travel, wildlife, Wildlife Trust

Book Review: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

February 6, 2015 By Allison Symes 8 Comments

Allison Symes reviews The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey.

Books can be dangerous because they deal in ideas so I reckon the two most dangerous places in Chandler’s Ford are our wonderful library and W.H.Smith at Fryern since one lends out books and the other sells them!

It is also fantastic that, especially after the loss of The Arcade Bookshop, we have another bookseller and our library is a real asset. May both keep going from strength to strength.
[Read more…] about Book Review: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

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Tags: books, Chandler's Ford, Chandler's Ford Library, community, education, entertainment, Fryern Arcade, history, library, London, reading, review, storytelling, travel, Winchester, writing

Snow Bound

February 3, 2015 By Mike Sedgwick 4 Comments

It is rare for snow to affect life here in the balmy South very much. This morning was different. Overnight we did some babysitting.

“Why are you called baby sitter?” asked our grand daughter, “You never sat on us, even when we were small.” [Read more…] about Snow Bound

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Tags: family, history, nature, storytelling, travel

My Poignant Visit to Auschwitz 30 Years Ago

January 26, 2015 By Mike Sedgwick 1 Comment

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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Tags: education, history, memory, politics, storytelling, travel, viewpoint, war memorial, writing

From Chandler’s Ford I Get around

January 23, 2015 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Allison Symes: from Chandler's Ford I Get Around

I love travelling. I love seeing what’s going on around me and comparing different places with home.

But despite living near an airport, flying is the one major form of transportation I’ve never used.

I’ve travelled in many different forms, including having a donkey ride on a beach and a pony trek (when I was a child), but have yet to be above terra firma. [Read more…] about From Chandler’s Ford I Get around

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Tags: adventure, Chandler's Ford, community, culture, days out, museum, storytelling, train station, travel, viewpoint

Chandler’s Ford Guide Book Entry

January 3, 2015 By Mike Sedgwick 14 Comments

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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Tags: architecture, Central Precinct, Chandler's Ford, Chandler's Ford Library, community, culture, education, Fryern Arcade, Hiltingbury, history, local businesses, local interest, Methodist Church, The Hilt, Thornden Hall, travel

Days Out: Pendon Museum

December 31, 2014 By chippy minton Leave a Comment

Here’s the first of what may become an occasional (or very occasional) series of suggestions for days out.

It’s my opportunity to recommend places that you might not otherwise hear about, or think of to visit.

My rough criteria will be that it has to be do­able as a day trip, and have admission charges that won’t break the bank – [Read more…] about Days Out: Pendon Museum

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Tags: days out, history, museum, recommendations, review, travel

Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 4 of 4)

December 27, 2014 By Brian Green 1 Comment

This will be the last of my ramblings about what I felt on and after my various visits to Israel.

Firstly, I would like to consider my sole visit to the Upper Room, scene of the Last Supper.

This was something which I had approached with considerable anticipation. Unfortunately, I was not appreciative of what seemed more like a nondescript block of flats, with the upstairs room entered via a suspended walkway more suited to downtown New York. [Read more…] about Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 4 of 4)

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, church, community, culture, education, history, memory, storytelling, travel, viewpoint

Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 3 of 4)

December 20, 2014 By Brian Green Leave a Comment

The Sea of Galilee – let this be the starting point for our wanderings around the land that was home to Jesus and his disciples.

Tiberias is the town from which most of today’s visitors make the start to their appreciation of the area. A short boat trip across the water to Capernaum is a high spot: half way over the skipper orders, “Stop engines.” You just drift in the intoxicating silence. [Read more…] about Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 3 of 4)

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, church, community, culture, education, history, memory, Montgomery of Alamein, school, storytelling, travel, viewpoint

Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 2 of 4)

December 13, 2014 By Brian Green 2 Comments

Here are a few more recollections – secular and spiritual – about the land in which Jesus lived and which is now the focus of attention for an increasing number of pilgrims.

Nearly all of them arrive at Bethlehem in coaches which park in the large central square. The name of this square? You might think it would be something like Central Square or Bethlehem Square, but it is Manger Square.
[Read more…] about Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 2 of 4)

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, church, community, culture, education, history, memory, Montgomery of Alamein, school, storytelling, travel, viewpoint

Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 1 of 4)

December 6, 2014 By Brian Green 2 Comments

Until fairly recently few people from Chandler’s Ford had visited Israel, but now there are some of our parishioners who have joined groups of pilgrims and flown to the Holy Land. Some had pre-conceptions, other had eyes and minds open, ready and willing to accept anything which would strengthen their beliefs.

Here are a few of my own observations – certainly not all with a religious connection – which I hope will bring back happy memories. [Read more…] about Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 1 of 4)

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, church, community, culture, education, history, memory, Montgomery of Alamein, school, storytelling, travel, viewpoint

A Playground Of Concrete And Cranes

December 5, 2014 By SO53 News 5 Comments

Otterbourne - Chandler's Ford bypass

By Emma Golby-Kirk

In these days when the roar of motorway noise disturbs the peace of the otherwise tranquil suburb of Chandler’s Ford, it is hard to imagine the excited anticipation with which residents awaited the building of the Chandler’s Ford by-pass back in the 1960s.

In December 1967 the Otterbourne-Chandler’s Ford by-pass was opened. This six-mile stretch of dual carriageway created a fast link from Compton to Bassett. It cost [Read more…] about A Playground Of Concrete And Cranes

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, community, development, history, interview, local interest, nature, travel, Velmore
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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

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History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

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Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

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