A little aviation history

Cemetery gates

The Old Cemetery is a particular joy in spring, with flowers bursting out between the graves and the paths firm and dry. No matter which path I take, there are things to see, both new and old. The names on some graves feel like old friends because I see them so often. Others, I notice for the first time, and their stories intrigue me. Many are personal, but others are entwined with the story of Southampton. The Moon family grave is one of these.

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A day at the races

Goodwood, the old pit lane pavilion

The first Sunday in February found Commando and I leaving home at an ungodly hour to head to Goodwood Motor Circuit. We were off for a day at the races, but not in quite the way you would expect for such a famous venue. To most people, the name Goodwood conjures up race cars and chequered flags. The race track, on the picturesque Sussex Downs near Chichester, was the venue for Britain’s first post-war race meeting in September 1948. Graham Hill had his first single seat race on the course. In 1962, Stirling Moss ended his career at Goodwood when he crashed his Lotus during the Glover Trophy. Donald Campbell demonstrated his car, Bluebird here, in 1960 and 1962, before breaking the land speed record in it in 1964. We were at Goodwood for a race of a very different kind, though.

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Hares of Hampshire

Today, I thought I’d brighten the dismal November gloom and take you back to June, when the sun was shining and the streets of Southampton were full of hares. Of course, there weren’t real hares hopping about. It was another wonderful art trail, like the rhinos, zebras and deckchairs we’ve had in the past. Because of Commando‘s unfortunate tussle with a blue bin lorry, we almost missed them, but a week or so later, he felt up for a walk, so we headed to town for a touch of hare spotting.

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Carrying a torch

Parkrun number 463 on 22 October was my turn to write the run report. In time-honoured fashion, I’d prepared some of it in advance, mostly about the ghosts of Southampton Common and the old gallows because Halloween was fast approaching and I like to add a bit of history to my reports. The rest I would fill in later with any PBs, milestone runs and interesting incidents. Morning mist swirled across the flats as we headed towards the set-up team, and the words of Keats To Autumn ran through my head, Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness . . . When I learned them for my English Literature O Level, I was a Haley and had no idea I’d be a Keates one day. 

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Parkrun tourism and a wedding

Spot the bride and groom

Our parkrun tourism on Saturday 4 June was a little out of the ordinary. It was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and Commando wasn’t running because of a minor injury, but that wasn’t what made it strange. It was actually the wedding day of two of our friends, Helen and Andy, and they were beginning their nuptials at the twenty-fifth Bartley parkrun. Bartley parkrun is in Totton, so at least we didn’t have too early a start, although it took us a while to find the venue. It’s also a very new parkrun. Race number one was on 18th December 2021, and Helen and Andy have been part of the core volunteer team from the outset.

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A blanket, afternoon tea and the Dave Hawkins pacers

Normally, writing blog posts is my weekend job. I set aside a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday to throw together a few posts and then schedule them to appear during the week. Last weekend was a touch on the busy side. There was no time to rest, never mind write anything. What was I up to, you may wonder? Well, other than the usual stuff, I finished making a special baby blanket and went to a posh afternoon tea come baby shower for beautiful mother-to-be, Nicole. This, and the walk to Ocean Village and back, took up most of Saturday.

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War, peace and Canada geese

Town Quay

Back in May 2022, I was in the middle of a WIP set during the Southampton blitz, so the prospect of a VE day flypast by vintage World War II planes got me quite excited. Reports in the Daily Echo suggested there would be lots of planes, including Spitfires. By now, I should know not to believe the things I read in the Echo without double checking, but anticipation overcame scepticism and on Sunday 8 May, Commando, CJ and I found ourselves on Town Quay with a crowd of other Echo believers, eagerly awaiting the planes. To be frank, there was an air of cynicism amongst the crowd. Flypasts are often promised and the combination of ancient planes and unpredictable weather means they are not always delivered.

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The last Elizabethan Sunday – Overton

Overton

I spent the last Sunday of the second Elizabethan era in Overton, a chocolate box worthy Hampshire village between Andover and Basingstoke. Obviously, I didn’t know it was the last Sunday in Elizabeth II’s reign. Truth to tell, I didn’t know much about Overton, either. My knowledge extended only as far as the Overton Five Mile race I’d come to photograph, and the Bombay Sapphire distillery we’d passed on the edge of the village. Actually, I only knew about the gin factory because I’d noticed the polished metal cylinders as we passed. A little Googling told me the distillery had moved from Cheshire to this disused paper mill, Laverstoke Mill, in 2014. The visitor centre looks well worth checking out, if you’re a gin fan.

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Return to Dorney Lake

Back in 2015, Commando ran a pre-London Marathon twenty mile event at Dorney Lake, a sporting venue built for the 2012 Olympic rowing events and now owned and used by Eton College. I’d had a wonderful few hours wandering along the Thames towpath to Windsor and back. When he said he had a race there on the last Sunday in August, I was excited to tag along. It was only a 10k this time, not twenty miles. I knew I wouldn’t have time to walk to Windsor, but I looked forward to another walk along the towpath.

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Remembering Big Dave at Netley parkrun

Normally, my Saturday morning begins amongst the trees on Southampton Common, and involves a chat with my parkrun friends and a wander around the Old Cemetery. This Saturday was different. We headed in the opposite direction, towards Netley. The last time we went to Netley parkrun, was Christmas 2018. Before that it was January 2017, for Big Dave Hawkins’ two hundred and fiftieth run. This Saturday, the Netley parkrunners would run for Big Dave, but sadly, not with him.

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