just a little further

Freemantle Common
Freemantle Common

13 January 2015

The weekend was sadly lacking in walking, much to my annoyance. Of course I don’t regret for one minute spending time with Panda on Sunday and, at the time, I thought I was sure to get a decent walk in over the next two days. On Monday though violent winds and  heavy rain ment I hardly went outside.

There was a trip up the Big Hill in a very brief interlude between the showers. Commando and I went in the car and even then we almost got blown away getting from car park to shop and back.  On top of it all I had a pounding headache, one of the side effects of the pills that are making my stomach better.

Tuesday morning started wet but brightened up. Unfortunately I had things to do that couldn’t be put off and I still had a headache. By the time I could actually think about going out the rain had started again. Every so often there were bright spells and I kept looking out of the window thinking about getting my coat but changing my mind when it began to rain again. Whatever I did it was clear it wouldn’t be wise to venture too far.

In the end I couldn’t stand being cooped up any longer so I wrapped up well and went out. When I set off I thought I’d just walk up to the village and mooch around in case it started to rain again. The sky looked blue in all directions though and I found myself veering off towards Freemantle Common in search of some greenery.  When I got there I thought I’d go just a little further down to Peartree Green, maybe have a wander on the trails there if they weren’t too muddy.

Peartree Green
Peartree Green

It was pretty obvious from the state of the grass that walking the trails would be a bad move. The grass was sparkling from the recent rain but underneath it was nothing but slippery, squelchy mud. Perhaps I could carry on down to Woolston, as the sun was still out, the sky was still blue and it’s less than two miles from home.

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At the little Millennium Garden I stopped to look at the feather sculpture. When I lived in Woolston this was just waste land, the remains of an old bomb site on the edge of the car park. There were no shortage of bomb sites in Woolston, with the shipbuilding yard and the Supermarine factory it was a prime target for the Luftwaffe. This particular bomb fell on the night of 26 September 1940, the worst night of bombing the city saw. That night the Supermarine factory was destroyed, although Spitfire production didn’t stop, and two bombs even fell in our crescent, one close enough to my house for all the ceilings to come down according to Mother.

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The garden was built to celebrate the millennium along with Woolston’s maritime and aviation heritage with a theme of Flight and Float. Sculptor Peter Colding designed the feather sculpture and the lovely stainless steel benches and there are three landscaped areas representing land, sea and sky with a brick path in the shape of an aeroplane propellor. The feather, made from stainless steel and glass is my favourite part of the garden especially when the sun shines through the feather lighting up the colours in the glass.

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The blocks forming part of the paving are inscribed with names, some of them crew members from the Titanic who came from Woolston. There are also names of local people, among them my late Father In Law and Mother in Law. We only recently found out about these and I spent a few minutes scanning the bricks until I found them. It’s nice to think there is a permanent reminder of them there.

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Once again it was decision time, did I turn back or go just a little further? Looking around, the sky was still mostly blue, although a few clouds appeared to be gathering behind me. Maybe I could risk going down towards the jetty at the very beginning of the shore as long as I kept my eye on those clouds. Another half mile or so wouldn’t hurt would it?  The wind was getting up again as I made my way past the shops, perhaps because I was getting closer to the water. On the old Vosper Thorneycroft site, now called Centenary Quay, building work continues almost five years after the first foundation stone was laid. Huge cranes loom over the flats and houses that have been built and, across the road, in stark contrast the old shops lay empty and crumbling.

Centenary Quay
Centenary Quay

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There’d been half a plan to walk along the jetty, at least as far as the locked gate but, as I came to the sailing club, the sound of the clanging, whistling masts on the ships told me that might not be such a good idea. The wind was much stronger now, pushing me along towards the wave benches. Looking out over the water I could see Fawley in the distance and I screwed up my eyes trying to make out Calshot Spit but I wasn’t quite far enough along the shore.

The jetty wasn't such a good idea
The jetty wasn’t such a good idea
Fawley in the distance
Fawley in the distance

Behind me the dark clouds were gathering even though the sky ahead was blue. If I’d had any sense I’d have turned back then but I didn’t I carried on just a little further hoping to get to the shore and catch a sight of the spit before the rain started. There was blue sky behind the blue painted flats on international Way for once, despite the black clouds rolling towards me. I made it to the second beach shelter before the clouds caught me up and from there I thought I could just make out the lifeguard tower but I might have been imagining it.

Dark clouds gathering
Dark clouds gathering

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Can I see Calshot Spit?
Can I see Calshot Spit?

Much as I’d have liked to have gone further I knew the rain would soon be falling so I turned back. Now, of course, the vicious wind was pushing me backwards, or trying to. It was a hard slog forcing my way through it. The rain started and the wind snatched at my hood pulling it off until I had to walk with on hand holding it on. As I came to the green where the kite suffers often hang out the sky was filled with a beautiful rainbow.

Time to go back
Time to go back

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Perhaps if I hadn’t kept walking just a little further I’d have stayed dry and unbuffeted by the wind but I think it was worth it for that rainbow.

8 thoughts on “just a little further”

    1. I love that feather sculpture, the sun really brings out all the colours in the glass. The rainbow was the icing on the cake.

  1. It can’t imagine what it would be like to live with the thought of falling bombs. I hope the world never has to relive those times.
    That feather and those benches are really something, and the rainbow was beautiful. It looks like nature showed you all of the things you needed to see.

    1. I’m glad I didn’t have to live through the blitz either. From what Mother told me it was a terrible time, full of fear. Hopefully we will never have to know what it is like. All in all I think it was a successful walk and the rainbow really made me smile.

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