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Buddhist Rituals

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Sri Lanka reveals itself more interesting the longer one stays here. We are back here in Kandy to study snake bites and Brenda is teaching and working to improve the library at a poor school.

I decided to research some of the improvements in the country since Independence in 1948 and got involved with some historians. The idea is to link events around the first road ever built in Sri Lanka, their A1 from Colombo to Kandy. Near the start of the road is the temple of Kelaniya. [Read more…] about Buddhist Rituals

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Remembrance and Thanksgiving

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November is a month of remembrance.

Remembrance services will be taking place throughout the Borough of Eastleigh on Sunday 13 November 2016.

The Royal British Legion calls on the nation to unite in commemorating Remembrance Sunday at the 2016 Cenotaph Service and Parade in Whitehall on 13 November.
[Read more…] about Remembrance and Thanksgiving

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Too Many Coffee Shops in Eastleigh? Think Again.

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A new coffee shop has opened in Eastleigh town centre.

Now, your reaction to this might be “Bill Bryson was right; Eastleigh needs a new coffee shop like a fish needs a bicycle”.

In a previous post Coffee vs Discount in Eastleigh I pondered the reasons for the consumer demand for expensive coffee. [Read more…] about Too Many Coffee Shops in Eastleigh? Think Again.

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Coffee vs Discount in Eastleigh

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I had an eye test appointment last week in Eastleigh. This was the only reason I needed to go to the town centre, but while I was there I visited one of the many coffee shops for refreshment.

As I sipped my Americano I wondered why. Why had I decided to spend over £2 on a coffee that I didn’t really need when I was only a five-minute walk from home where I could have one for nothing. Why is a coffee stop now regularly included in a routine shopping trip? Why do we need so many coffee shops? [Read more…] about Coffee vs Discount in Eastleigh

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Why Don’t Cyclists Use Cycle Lanes?

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“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?

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Should We be Charged for Visits to the GP?

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Should we be charged for visits to the GP?

I heard a report on the radio this week about an article in the British Medical Journal discussing the pros and cons of imposing charges on patients for visits to the GP surgery. [Read more…] about Should We be Charged for Visits to the GP?

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An Unusual Carol Concert in Sri Lanka

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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

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Christmas in Sri Lanka: 9 Things in England I’ll Miss This Christmas

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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

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Always Annoyed in August (Are Exams Easier?)

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Parenthood changes your outlook in many ways. One way is when it comes to secondary school education and beyond, with exams in the offing, you can be guaranteed every August without fail your blood will boil.  You will be annoyed. Why?

Because, without fail, somebody will claim, as the national exam results are much improved, the exams must be getting easier. That same old tired mantra comes out every August. Your blood boils every August. QED. [Read more…] about Always Annoyed in August (Are Exams Easier?)

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GCSE Maths Problem: Hannah’s Sweets

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There’s been a lot of talk on social (and other) media about “that maths question”. A problem in last week’s GCSE Maths paper that stumped a whole cohort of candidates.

I suppose the resultant Twitter storm is the modern day equivalent of sitting outside the school gates discussing the exam that we had just taken. [Read more…] about GCSE Maths Problem: Hannah’s Sweets

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Exams “Dumbed Down”? View of an Invigilator

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Kids Today!!!!

When I was young, we never behaved like kids do today!

Actually I think we did, or we’d have liked to, except the knowledge that parents, policemen and shop keepers would give us a clip around the ear stopped us going too far. [Read more…] about Exams “Dumbed Down”? View of an Invigilator

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What Has Chandler’s Ford Done for Me?

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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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My Poignant Visit to Auschwitz 30 Years Ago

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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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Ruby: Winner of the Official Pedant Award

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Today Chandler’s Ford Today is going to honour one of our regular commenters with The Official Pedant Award.

The winner is Ruby.

Ruby has made 76 comments on Chandler’s Ford Today so far.

In the current Private Eye Issue (No. 1384, 23 January to 5 February 2015), Ruby (or better known as Ruby Barefoot) has made it to Pedantry Corner. [Read more…] about Ruby: Winner of the Official Pedant Award

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From Chandler’s Ford I Get around

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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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Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 4 of 4)

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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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Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 3 of 4)

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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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Israel – Ancient And Modern (Part 2 of 4)

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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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Land Off Castle Lane – North Baddesley – Proposed Housing Development

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I was fortunate in meeting with my local Councillor recently (Valley Park ward, Test Valley Borough Council) and in the conversation we touched upon the thorny subject of housing development.

Apparently, there is a proposed new development up in front of the planning committee currently which effectively tacks on around 300 homes to the edge of the Knightwood Park development as it borders Castle Lane – [Read more…] about Land Off Castle Lane – North Baddesley – Proposed Housing Development

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