The final Friday of February took me on another Eastleigh wander. This time there was no mist, so I risked the Monks Brook Meadows route. This meant I could walk off-road for most of the journey once I’d left the centre of Eastleigh behind. In no time at all, I’d reached Lakeside Country Park. Instead of skirting the edge as I’d done on my last misty walk, I crossed the tracks of the Lakeside Steam Railway and headed across the centre of the park. At this time of year, the little steam trains only run at weekends, so crossing the track was perfectly safe. If you want to see them, they run daily between 31 May and 1 October, and if you’re wondering what they look like, here’s a post I wrote back in 2017.
Continue reading Counting time in hours, not minutesTag: Change
Research rabbit hole ~ Portswood 1935
I lived in Portswood for a couple of years in the early 1980s, in a flat on Belmont Road, so when I wrote A Dish Best Served Cold, and my characters took me there, I already had a feel for the area. Things were different in Portswood in 1935, but modern-day Portswood still has remnants of its past glory, if you look closely. These, along with old photographs and searches through Kelly’s Directories, formed the bones of my story’s world. As usual, my research led me down some interesting rabbit holes and uncovered lots of snippets of information, many of which never made it onto the page. Rather than waste them, I’ll share them with you now.
Continue reading Research rabbit hole ~ Portswood 1935A big gun and more change
On 17 February, Commando decided he needed a little sea air, so we drove down to Hamble for a short stroll. For thirty years, he built aircraft in Hamble, so the drive was one he’d made often. Things have changed since we last came this way, though. As February was turning into a month all about change, it seemed fitting that we should document a little more of it.
Continue reading A big gun and more changeMist, bridges, jetties and inspiration
The Millers Pond episode proved to be a turning point, of sorts, for plotting my next book. The Botany Bay, Sholing characters wouldn’t talk to me because the plot didn’t work, no matter how much I tried to make it. As soon as I stopped listening for their voices, I heard the other characters clamouring to have their say. They weren’t in Sholing at all. They were in Eastleigh. On Valentine’s Day, Commando dropped me off outside a foggy Eastleigh Railway Station on his way to work. I hoped walking the five miles home would prove inspiring.
Continue reading Mist, bridges, jetties and inspirationInvasive fish, poisoned water and the environment agency
My second Friday walk of February was mostly about getting inspiration for my next book. Half a plot was whirring around in my head and Miller’s Pond, Botany Bay and Sholing played pivotal roles. Well, they might have, if I could get all the twists and turns untangled in my mind and persuade the characters to speak to me. For some reason, I imagined sitting watching the ducks and coots on the pond might start them chatting or at least inspire me in some way. The first obstacle came when I reached the Miller’s Pond pub.
Continue reading Invasive fish, poisoned water and the environment agencyMore Change – the demise of the gasworks
My walk over the bridge at Mount Pleasant on 1 February got me thinking about the old gasworks. I’d seen the gasometer from my rickety perch on the footbridge and wondered how much longer the familiar landmark would be around. For years, there’d been rumblings about the gasometers being demolished since Southern Gas Networks no longer use them and maintaining them is costly. I wrote about them and took several photos on a walk back in 2017. In 2022, when they announced they really were going, local residents had mixed feelings about their demise. Some saw them as an eyesore, others a piece of history. Personally, I sat somewhere in between. I knew the demolition work had started, so on 7 February, I thought I’d have a closer look while there was still a chance.
Continue reading More Change – the demise of the gasworksThe cycle of change
The Mount Pleasant footbridge featured in my first novel, Plagued, and I often cross it on my walks. Despite recent makeshift repairs, it has become alarmingly rickety of late, so it was no great surprise to learn it was due to be replaced. Precisely what this entailed wasn’t clear, but I’d heard work would begin in February and involved closing the road. So, on 1 February, I went for one last look before it was too late.
Continue reading The cycle of changeWhere is my bench?
Friday 13 January may not have been the most auspicious of dates for my inaugural 2023 walk, but it was the first non-stormy day that I felt well enough to risk venturing further than the local shops. It was still cold and windy, so I planned a route that gave me plenty of chances to cut things short if the weather turned nasty or my post-Covid tiredness got the better of me. I began with a slow stroll along the cut way beside the old St Mary’s College playing fields. I wanted to see if building work had started on the site since the College closed.
Continue reading Where is my bench?Silence, sacrifice surprises and swans
One of the first things people notice when entering the Old Cemetery’s main gates is the Cross of Sacrifice. It stands alone, in front of the Church of England chapel, signifying that Commonwealth War Graves are present. In fact, the cemetery contains 127 graves from the two world wars and others from earlier wars, including the Battle of Waterloo, the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Indian Mutiny and the Boer War, along with many Titanic graves. It was also the reason I chose the Old Cemetery as the halfway point in my morning walk with CJ on 11 November.
Continue reading Silence, sacrifice surprises and swansThe second Elizabethan era
My interest in history began with tales of my grandfather’s childhood. He was born on 27 October 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. He spent the first thirteen years of his life as a Victorian and lived under six different monarchs. History is not a static thing confined to the past. It is dynamic, ever changing and happening all around us. Yesterday, we witnessed it unfolding. I doubt my grandfather ever thought of himself as a Victorian or an Edwardian, any more than I considered myself an Elizabethan, but I have known only one queen, so that is exactly what I was. Now, the second Elizabethan era has ended and we have a new king, Charles III.
Continue reading The second Elizabethan era