A few years ago this site was the home of Marconi Underwater Systems. The site was closed, and the Marconi buildings and surrounds became derelict. The site has remained an eyesore for many years.
Around 2012 I, as a member of the Waterlooville Residents Forum, attended a presentation on behalf of a potential developer. At that time, per the presentation, the plans were to build a 60 bed hotel and restaurant. They also planned a car showroom and a drive thru restaurant. The developer went to great pains. He assured us that the drive thru was not going to be another McDonald’s.
Outline Application APP/12/00652 was submitted 4th October 2012. The recommendation was that permission be granted for this application. Since that time, the Marconi (BAE) buildings were demolished but the site remained undeveloped.
Until that is, along came Lidl and, yep, McDonald’s. But the remainder of the site remained untouched.
And now the council appear to have given the go ahead for a new KFC, Aldi, and Costa.
It’s not as if our little town doesn’t lack for coffee shops and cafe’s. As for fast food drive thru’s, we are surrounded. Nor are we short of Aldi stores, we actually have seven within a ten mile radius. Costa Coffee is even more pervasive with ten in a four mile radius.
There is a significant amount of residential construction in and around Waterlooville. With all the new residents I would agree that there is a need for eateries. But I would argue that there is a greater need for entertainment centres. Waterlooville residents frequently call for a cinema complex / bowling alley. Sadly nobody hears the call
And so, the construction of these three businesses leaves me disappointed. I feel that we, the residents of Waterlooville, have been let down again.
Pretty much every year, Gerry and I make a couple of batches of Mediterranean Chutney.
Today, earlier than usual, I started our first batch of the year, which will make 6 to 8 Kilner jars of this delicious gloop.
Preparation Complete
This chutney goes down so well that I will have to do at least another batch to cope with the freebies that will be handed out to friends and family.
Cooking almost complete
This spicy chutney made with tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, onions, and peppers is good to eat with cheese, steak, chicken, well just about everything.
The Finished Product
And so we have eight and half jars of chutney. Unfortunately, there is a huge question mark over the quality of this batch.
Just after adding the sugar and vinegar for the final hour of cooking, we were subjected to a power outage. I had the jars in the electric oven to sterilise. The power was off for around 45 minutes, which meant that I had to restart the sterilising. During this time, the chutney caught on the bottom of the pan. I’m hoping that the flavour of the chutney has not been spoiled.
Time will tell. All being well, the chutney will be ready to eat in a couple of months.
I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK I sleep all night and I work all day
He’s a lumberjack and he’s OK He sleeps all night and he works all day
Well, thank you Monty Python.
Today, we have the guys taking down a dead tree, which is threatening to fall in mine and my neighbours backyard.
The tree doesn’t belong to us but we couldn’t cope with the bureaucracy of dealing with the Highways Agency, who moved their boundaries, and the local council, who have not “adopted” the remaining, abandoned, strip of land.
Yup, right now, I am listening to Summer Of ’69 by Bryan Adams.
Seems appropriate as the clocks changed last night as we moved into BST. The loss of one hours sleep means that it is officially Summer whilst in reality, nature still thinks it’s Spring.
Whilst there is an implicit sexual meaning behind Adams song, 1969 was a momentous year for events of interest on a global scale.
On a personal level, in May of 1969, I started my apprenticeship as a Fitter and Turner. Initially I spent two years based at the Flathouse Apprentice Training Centre, then completing my training in HM Dockyard, Portsmouth. To complete this course I had to leave home, move into digs some 90 miles from home.
The first-ever Concorde test flight took place March of 1969, conducted in France. It’s such a beautiful plane, but really noisy. When our pooch was still alive, every Sunday afternoon, we used to take him up on Butser Hill. We would see Concorde flying low on its descent into Heathrow. It’s such a shame it isn’t flying now.
July of 1969 saw the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Astronauts Aldrin and Armstrong were on the moons’ surface for just under 22 hours, but theirs was a jaw-dropping achievement.
The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair took place in August of 1969. Nearly half a million people attended. Strange that it is referred to as Woodstock but actually took place about 40 miles away at Bethel.
On a darker note, 1969 was the year of the Manson Family murders. Named after cult leader Charles Manson. Five people were murdered by the cult, including a heavily pregnant Sharon Tate, wife of movie producer Roman Polanski.
President Richard Nixon announced the end of the Vietnam War in December 1969 and immediately began troop withdrawal. This proved to be somewhat premature as in April 1970, the war spilled over into Cambodia.
Thank you, Bryan Adams. Your song has acted as an historical trigger.
Everything is fair game as a subject for a laugh, and I can find humour in just about any situation.
I will laugh at jokes, be they one liners
I waited and stayed up all night and tried to figure out where the sun was. Then it dawned on me.
or shaggy dog stories
A tall, weather-worn cowboy walked into a saloon and ordered a beer. The regulars quietly observed the drifter through half-closed eyelids. No one spoke, but they all noticed that the stranger’s hat was made of brown wrapping paper. Less obvious was the fact that his shirt and vest were also made of paper. As were his chaps, pants, and even his boots, including the paper spurs. Truth be told, even the saddle, blanket, and bridle on his horse were made entirely of paper. The sheriff walks in, and of course, he arrests him immediately — for rustling.
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than sharing a “dad joke” or, in my case, “grandad joke” with my grandchildren, especially if it elicits a “Oh Grandad!!!” response accompanied by a groan.
What’s an owl’s favorite kind of dance? The hooooooola!
What’s a ballerina’s favourite numbers? Two-two!
To be fair, these usually trigger eye rolling from my wife and kids, too.
Also, I am not averse to a little schadenfreude
e.g. after a waiter treats you badly, you secretly enjoy seeing him trip and slop food on the floor
I am pretty sure my sense of humour has been developed due to exposure to my father, ex matelot, and policeman.
My dad had to deal with many incidents as a policeman, and at times, his humour was quite dark. I think most folks who work in emergency services develop dark humour as a form of protection. I think some of that rubbed off on me.
My sense of humour was further enhanced by my working life, initially as a Fitter & Turner in Pompey Dockyard working with like-minded colleagues as well as alongside more matelots on RN ships.
Matelots have a wide ranging, some might say, disrespecting humour. Brought about by the unique environment in which they work. Again, working alongside some of these guys has had an effect on me.
So, everything has a funny side, at sometime, you just need a warped mind like mine to see it.
And finally …..
1. Did you hear they arrested the devil? Yeah, they got him on possession.
2. What did one DNA say to the other DNA? “Do these genes make me look fat?”
3. My IQ test results came back. They were negative.
4. What do you get when you cross a polar bear with a seal? A polar bear.
5. Why can’t you trust an atom? Because they make up literally everything.
6. Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine.
7. What do you call a hippie’s wife? Mississippi.
8. What’s the difference between an outlaw and an in-law? Outlaws are wanted.
WrAnTz 