Day: December 11, 2012

Blown Away


As many of you know Radio Paradise is my station of choice to listen to when I am working. However, just once in a while it has an adverse effect and stops me from working. Well we just had one of those moments. Had to kick back, turn up the volume and close my eyes ….. They played the following tracks in succession…

Sonny Landreth – Congo Square

Stevie Ray Vaughn – Pipeline

Not the version played on RP but this is a great clip to watch.

California Guitar Trio – The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Again, not the version played by RP but well worth watching as an intro to these guys.

‘Something has to be done on this dangerous road’


Last Wednesday Raymond Elsmore, 82, suffered fatal injuries when he was hit by a car near the junction of Tempest Avenue and Cornelius Drive at about 3.05pm. Raymond was a well loved lollipop man, well known to the local community.

Mr Elsmore was on duty at the time and wearing his reflective uniform. The driver of the car, a 21-year-old female, was uninjured and was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving.

I don’t know what the conditions were like when Raymond lost his life, nor do I know which direction the car that took his life was traveling. But it is possible that the low height of the sun could have been a contributing factor.

On Sunday afternoon, around 3 o’clock, I was traveling along Tempest Avenue coming from the Tesco’s store, heading towards the spot where all the flowers are laid. The sun was very low in the sky and directly in front of me i.e. appearing right in the middle of the road and I really couldn’t see the road ahead clearly. What I could just make out was a police car stopped in the road with its lights flashing. On the grass there was a policeman apparently taking photo’s of the police car. I started to indicate to pull round the police car and only at the last moment did I see that there was a police woman, in full reflective jacket, stood in the road with her hand up requesting me to stop. My point is that, even though I wasn’t traveling very fast, without the police cars lights I would not have been alerted to the possibility of someone being in the road.

Quite rightly there is a rising call for the council to make this road safer. They obviously saw the need for a lollipop man perhaps with Mr Elsmore’s tagic death they will seriously consider adding some traffic calming measures. This road is a rat run at all times of the day but becomes more so during the evening and morning commuter times.

Mr Elsmore’s death is a tragedy and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

Local residents have also created a website

‘Something has to be done on this dangerous road’ – Travel Latest – Portsmouth News.

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