Yes, we had a full turkey roast with all the trimmings. We pulled crackers, put on our paper hats and read out the mottos, told corny jokes, played “Who am I?” And Charades.
Why ? You may ask.
Simply, Gerry and I were too ill on the run up to and thru Christmas and New Year.
We were supposed to go to my daughters for Christmas dinner, but it didn’t happen, and it was decided to defer to a later date. I made a chocolate bomb back in December. Since then, it has been languishing in our freezer. The bomb was delivered, and chocolate sauce made applied and duly devoured.
Chocolate Bomb
And that’s how we ended up celebrating Christmas in March.
We had a fine old time and returned home after five or so hours, feeling pleasantly plump.
From my cracker ….
JOKE
What did the Scarf say to the hat ?
I’ll hang around here, and you go on ahead !
QUESTION
A boy and a doctor went sailing. The boy is the doctors son, but the doctor is not the boys father. Who is the doctor ?
This was us, Gerry, me and a couple of friends out for a Fridays entertainment.
Honestly, we were in the stalls, somewhere just left of centre, three rows from the back.
The picture was taken at the very end of the show by Genesis Connected, a very competent tribute act.
I have been a Genesis fan since the early 70’s. In fact, the first time I saw them live, they were only 2nd or 3rd on the bill, still very much on the rise.
I followed them closely, seeing them live every time they visited Portsmouth. That is until Peter Gabriel departed.
After that, I found it very difficult to differentiate between Genesis with Phil Collins taking the lead vocals or a Phil Collins solo effort.
This new phase for Genesis saw the band transition from Prog-Rock to Pop-Rock, and my interest in Genesis waned.
Not having any prior knowledge of this act, I will admit to being a little disappointed during the first half of the show. I was expecting more offerings from Prog-Rock Genesis.
Where were tracks from Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ?
Turns out that I was being a tad unfair. The image below tells why.
“Celebrating the hits ….”
Genesis didn’t start to have hits until they transitioned to Pop-Rock, although they did enter the UK charts with a track taken from Selling England By The Pound. I Know What I Like was a minor hit, reaching number 21 in April 1974.
Once I had rationalised what this band was about, I began to enjoy the show more.
We were treated to crowd pleasers such as Living Years and Cup Of Coffee from Mike and The Mechanics, Biko, Sledgehammer, and surprisingly Panopticom from Peter Gabriel, but for the most part, this was a Phil Collins love-in with songs such as In The Air Tonight, Easy Lover, Turn It On Again, Invisible Touch, Sussudio and more besides.
Genesis Connected had the audience singing along, clapping, and even dancing for the final song of the night.
All in all, it was a polished performance. I sang and clapped with the rest of the audience but when it was over I was left hankering for the Return Of The Giant, Hogweed, The Knife, Watcher Of The Skies, just a little more Prog-Rock.
Having said all that, I would go to see them again. I’ll just have to get my Prog-Rock fix elsewhere.
To a certain extent, he is correct. The Internet is a contributing factor but not the sole reason Waterlooville is in such a sorry state.
And, of course, 60’s architecture isn’t wholly to blame either. But, it doesn’t help to alleviate the sad, drab appearance of Waterlooville centre.
Bright sunshine goes a long way to enhance the appearance of the shop fronts. But despite the sunshine, what is notable is the lack of people. Just two people walking thru and nobody sitting at the tables outside the cafe.
Compare that view to the picture I took last week on a dull day.
Not a single person in sight and no amount of sunshine is going to improve this view.
A significant factor in Waterloovilles’ demise was the decision to divert the A3 and to pedestrianise the main thoroughfare and therefore removing passing trade.
Further planning decisions to allow the development of retail parks away from the town centre have further reduced the footfall needed to sustain the businesses that have disappeared over the years.
The diverted A3 subdivided Waterlooville, and with the retail park providing free parking, while the town centre car parks charged for the dubious pleasure, there was further incentive to stay away.
Blaming the Internet is too easy and distracts from the part that Havant Borough Council had to play in getting Waterlooville to its current state.
Yesterday was a real memory jogger for me and my fellow travellers.
Sunday was Mothers Day or Mothering Sunday in the UK, but instead of the usual lunch or cream tea, we opted to visit Milestones Museum at Basingstoke.
LIFE IN HAMPSHIRE PAST
Milestones tells the story of how people used to live, the things they used and the work they did. The maze of Victorian and 1930s streets is packed with shops, factories and houses, most based on original buildings from in and around Basingstoke.
If you enjoy shopping, you’ll discover what the high street was like before the arrival of chain stores: the milliner, saddler, and ironmonger all offer a glimpse into shopping habits of the past.
Our group of six comprised four generations of family. My wife Gerry, the mother, Marie, our daughter, Becky, our granddaughter, and Junior, our great grandson. With Marie’s husband Karl and I, a couple of casual hangers on.
When you enter the museum building, you are actually up above the roof tops.
This view only hints at the true nature of the museum.
Steam Roller
I can just remember, as a small boy, seeing these fabulous steam engines being used to flatten newly laid tarmac. And, also the sound and smells of these huge beasts.
Down into the depths of the museum, your perspective changes as more is revealed.
Our first stop was to the “Penny Arcade,” which evoked memories of visits to the seaside and strolling along the piers at Brighton, Southsea, and Hastings.
Pac Man
Milestones helps to keep the seaside memory alive by piping the sounds seagull cries and the rushing of the waves on a shingle beach.
Super Mario Brothers
Here, you can purchase pennies to feed the machines, or in the case of these more modern video games, it’s fifty pence a go.
Super Mario Brothers
Having satisfied our gambling needs we moved out into the museum proper but not before lingering in front of the mirrors.
Well, it had to be done.
And so we came to this jumble of bicycles. I pretty sure the bright red one was probably a posties bike and the black one just behind was probably a butchers delivery bike.
I actually rode one of those to deliver papers when I was a kid. My round only consisted of around seventeen houses, but they were spread over a couple of miles, a four mile round trip every day.
One of the major vehicle producers in Hampshire was Thornycroft. They were founded in 1896, 128 years ago. The museum has many examples of their vehicles.
Thornycroft Handy – Type BE/FB4Thornycroft A10 ‘Bulldog’ Lorry
But the museum isn’t all about road vehicles. There is much to see that gives an insight into the way we lived back in the day.
Unfortunately, this “room” is more a work in progress. The next one is better, a bit cosier but no tele yet.
Post-war was a period of massive change both technologically but also on the social front.
As a child, I remember mum and dad getting a new fangled electric cooker to replace the clunky old gas one. Not long after, they got a refrigerator, and it even had a freezer compartment big enough to make some ice cubes.
How did we ever survive without the modern labour saving appliances.
This picture shows a Rolls “twin tub,” a combined washing machine and spin dryer.
My parents had a Hoover version, which replaced their gas-fired “copper.” There were no fancy programs there. Turn on the gas, light it, and wait for the water to heat up. I think all laundry was effectively boiled. Compare that to today’s multi programmable machines.
Hoover Keymatic
The Hoover Keymatic from the 1960s was a step towards today’s automatic machines. It was a front loader and had a plastic “key” that controlled the machines program.
Lose that key, and you couldn’t use the machine.
Part of the Milestones experience is to use a replica wartime Ration Card to purchase some sweets. The queue yesterday was significantly shorter than the last time we visited.
As it was Mothers Day, the alternative option was to go to the Baverstock Arms, representative of a typical British pub of the times. There all mums got a free glass of Prosecco.
Karl and I didn’t miss out as we were able to have a hand pumped ale.
I knicked this photo from Milestones’ website. How many modern devices can you spot in this “traditional” pub. On the mirror, you can see etched, the name “George Gale & Co Ltd”
Gales were a local brewery based in Horndean, just a couple of miles from where I live. They were famous for one of my favourite tipples, known as HSB, which stands for Horndean Special Bitter.
HSB was first launched in 1959. It was Gales flagship beer and is still available to this day. Gales brewery was founded in 1847 but was bought by London brewers, Fuller’s of Chiswick, in 2005. The Horndean brewery was closed in 2006. The brewery site has been redeveloped into residential properties, although the tower still remains.
Double decker bus waiting to carry us home from the Baverstock Arms.
Yet another fine example of a steam roller, this one manufactured by Tasker and Sons Ltd. of Andover. This Hampshire based company was founded in 1813, 211 years ago.
In the background is a representation of Webbers Garage with a fine pair of vehicles for sale.
And finally, an example of the old enameled advertisements that used to decorate our streets.
Deluded because she is annoyed that folks, when they visit, can’t see the councils plans.
Journalist Christopher Howse of The Telegraph published an article on the demise of Waterlooville. He presented his view after a single visit.
Well, I found myself in Waterlooville centre at around 13:00 on Monday and I think Mr Howse is pretty spot on.
Although there were a few people wandering around, they didn’t look much like shoppers, more they were just passing through. With no shop fronts to attract them, invite them to pause a while and browse. It all looked pretty desolate.
All that was missing was some tumbleweed blowing around.
Despite the best efforts of those businesses actually open, it is not an attractive place to be.
There are many barber shops here, but all but one had no customers. The bored proprietors were sitting drinking coffee or fizzy pop.
The coffee shops all seemed to be fairly busy, but due to a distinct lack of interest in chipboard, there wasn’t much to keep me window shopping.
After around 45 mins, I had completed a full circuit of the town centre and took myself off to join the coffee drinkers.
I’m sorry, Councillor Robinson, but visual impressions of the town don’t convey the potential that HBC plans to build on. I really do applaud HBC for what they are trying to do, but as I have said before, I fear it is too little too late.
A misguided HBC has mishandled the planning of both Waterlooville and Havant centres, and the local residents are paying the price
Over the years, I have, in several posts, made some disparaging remarks about the state of our town (village) centre.
How it is slowly decomposing, and becoming something of a ghost town.
Well it seems we have now come to the attention of The Telegraph, one Britain’s national broadsheets.
The English high street: Waterlooville, Hampshire – how a town centre dies
This has become an object lesson in how a thriving town can be ruined by poor building and haphazard planning
This is the opening salvo of a sad description of how Havant Borough Council planners have mismanaged the development of Waterlooville and then, having fouled it up they have sat back to let the rot set in.
“Wellington Way Shopping Centre, right at the heart of the town,” says its website. “Offers a great mix of high-street names and boutiques. Come on down and enjoy the atmosphere.”
This is followed by …
You would have to be deranged to enjoy the atmosphere.
I have long bemoaned the fact that the planners diverted the A3 London Road to dogleg its way around the town centre. Effectively isolating the town centre from the new shopping experience that is the Wellington Way Retail Park. The Telegraph had this to say …
Since 1983, the A3 has roared in a dog-leg bypass, leaving the London Road, the main shopping street, as a comfortless pedestrian open space.
I note that the Telegraph didn’t comment on that part of the retail park experience which is the parking.
Only a moron would create a retail park with two motor vehicle entrances but only one exit. Parking is free for a set period of time, monitored by NPR cameras. Many folks have found that they have been fined due to it taking over an hour to exit the car park, thereby exceeding the free period.
Don’t get me wrong. I know that HBC are working hard to turn things around. But, as I have also previously stated, I believe it to be too little, too late.
They have already subdivided the town centre by diverting and pedestrianising the A3. This is a change that they are highly unlikely to reverse.
Today, a Monday afternoon, I have just circumnavigated the town centre. There were a fair few people around, but it was a long way from the bustling town it was. And despite the clean-up work, it is drab, uninviting, and sad. The Telegraph are not far off the mark.
I love wild animals when they are in their own environment or failing that, in a well run zoo especially when they are working to protect endangered species.
What I don’t understand is why private individuals feel the need to keep dangerous animals as pets !!
And I find the stats published in my local paper somewhat troubling.
Among the creatures kept in the Portsmouth area are Suphan Cobras, White Lipped Vipers, and a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
In Havant, there are, apparently, 37 Chinese Alligators !!!
And these are only the ones that are being kept legally with the proper Dangerous Wild Animal licenses.
Portsmouth City Council purchases houses that are already occupied. In so doing, they become responsible for the management and maintenance of 747 properties.
Has anyone asked why Clarion was getting rid of these properties?
Equally puzzling, to me, is why Portsmouth City Council wants to responsible for housing and tenants spread throughout Hampshire.
The majority of the new buildings are in Portsmouth, with others situated in Gosport, Havant, Fareham and Winchester.
How does this help with the existing shortfall of available properties to house those who are already on the local waiting list for social housing ?
Wouldn’t the money have been better spent on new build properties, which would be empty and could, therefore, have a direct impact on the waiting lists.
We are the Wrinklies. A small group of friends and their partners, who, at one time or another, worked together and are all retirees.
Today was the first of, I hope, many social lunches in 2024. It was certainly our first gathering since before Christmas due to most, if not all, of us contracting some kind of flu, which basically knocked us out of commission, in some cases for weeks.
The selected venue for our inaugural gathering was The Ferryboat Inn, situated on the easterly tip of Hayling Island.
I have been visiting this pub for over fifty years. My first visit was while I was an apprentice in Portsmouth Dockyard. Many subsequent visits were made on my return from boat fishing trips, disembarking at the nearby jetty. And then there are these purely social gatherings.
So it was not our first time at this pub, but it has been a while, certainly pre-covid.
There were seven of us in our group and all enjoyed their meals with the exception of me.
My wife had the Hunters Chicken, while Eric had Steak and Venison Pie, Mary had Scampi while the remaining four had Fish n Chips.
As I said earlier, all the others enjoyed their meals, with at least one declaring “best fish n chips ever”.
Unfortunately, my meal was sub standard. The batter was ultra crisp, just shattering when I cut into my fillet, the batter would not stay with the fish. And the fish, instead of being flaky and moist was dry.
So, I drew the short straw.
I didn’t complain as I didn’t want a replacement meal, meaning I would be eating when everyone else was finished. And it wasn’t inedible.
Will I go back ?
Yes. I never write a place off on the basis of a single meal.
One other negative comment. I ordered bread and butter to go with my meal, having noted that they were going to charge £1 per slice. There was I thinking it would be a nice crusty bread, maybe granary, ciabatta or something special. Nope, two slices of slightly dry sandwich bread from a loaf that probably cost £1.50 That’s not a bad profit.
I’ll end this on a positive note. The apple and ginger crumble dessert served with a jug of custard was lovely.
Overall, a very pleasant couple of hours were spent with friends in a great location. Had the winds been a little quieter and the temperatures a bit higher, we might have been tempted to go for a walk along the shoreline.
Looking forward to the next Wrinklies gathering and discovering the next venue.
WrAnTz 