Happy St George’s Day! 🏴 Enjoy this celebratory poem written by Mick Westwood to mark this special day… https://www.silversurfers.com/showcase/article/st-georges-day/
Happy St George’s Day
Tag: England
View From The Conservatory
Goodwood Road Racing Club – 81st Members Meeting
Per my recent post, on Sunday, 14th April, I had the great pleasure of attending the annual Members Meeting, held at the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.
This was the 81st Members Meeting. It’s amazing to think that this annual event has been going for so long.
Thankfully, the weather was kind, dry with some sunshine throughout the day, although the temperatures did drop later in the afternoon.
But hey, this post isn’t about the weather. Let’s get on to the main event. It’s all about historic cars, some of which are over one hundred years old, being raced around the Goodwood circuit.
So here are some photos of some fabulous cars, oh and motorcycles.
Getting us started is a fairly modern vehicle by Goodwood standards ….
This was just one of an array of Alpines lined up to greet us as we arrived.
Close by there was this fine display of monster Bentleys.
On arrival we were just in time for the first race.
Here we are on the grid but no sign of the cars.
These guys were all lining up to compete in the Parnell Cup, a twenty minute race for Grand Prix, Formula 2 and Voiturette cars. These cars are of a type that raced between 1935 and 1953.
Next up was the Derek Bell Cup. a twenty minute race for 1-litre Formula 3 cars that raced between 1964 and 1970.
Yes, all lined up ready for the off. Unfortunately the race start was delayed for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, due to a racing incident the race was red flagged, an ambulance was deployed and all the remaining competitors had to return to the grid for the eventual race restart.
For a totally different form of racing we move on to the Sidecar Shootout. Racing sidecars was a first for Goodwood. The shootout featured eight of the quickest pairings from the Sidecar World Championships.
The riders, or is it drivers, and their passengers have to be truly insane. One of the competitor vehicles was clocked at 144 mph.
Between each racing event, the McLaren cars would come out to play.
Presumably checking that the circuit was clear of any debris prior to the next event.
Which in this case was the Surtees Trophy. The Trophy race is for unlimited sports racing prototypes that raced between 1960 and 1966. The race duration was twenty minutes.
First the formation lap …..
And then they were off.
Charging into the first corner.
Here are a few detail shots …..
As we headed into the afternoon it was time for a Mustang or two, or thirty. Yep, thirty Ford Mustangs headed out onto the grid for the Ken Miles Cup. This forty-five minute race was for first generation Ford Mustangs that raced up to 1966.
Unfortunately, due to a racing incident, the safety car had to be deployed and the track cleared before racing could continue.
And then we were racing again …..
Sadly, this guy didn’t get to the finish line …..
But the Members Meeting isn’t all about racing. Some of the events are demonstration runs. On this occasion there was a real treat in store for motorsport fans, Can-Am. The Can-Am series introduced some of the wildest, most extreme race cars of all time.
Following the Can-Am demo we were treated to a real vintage display. Part 2 of the S.F. Edge Trophy. A five lap race for Edwardian racing cars, and Aero-Engined Specials, from the early 20th Century. Here are a few of my snaps …..
And now, back to the future. Here we have a Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 “Mule” supercar
Travelling back in time, just a little, we were treated to a demonstration of Niki Lauda’s McLaren MP4/2B……
And then as time was marching on, at around 17:00, we had the final of the Sidecar Shootout.
Finally, as we were getting ready to leave the circuit for the day, there was much activity on the grid as Goodwood prepared for the Peter Collins Trophy, a twenty minute race for sports racing cars of a type that would have raced between 1948 and 1955.
We didn’t actually see this race get underway as we were heading to the car park, but all in all we had a fabulous day. Once again Goodwood put on a spectacular event.
Thank you to Goodwood
Thank you to all the competitors and demonstration drivers.
Thank you to all the owners who allow these fabulous machines to driven as they were intended.
I’m of an age that I remember some of these vehicles racing, watching them on a Saturday afternoon, in black and white, on the BBC. Certainly I can’t get enough of them and all being well, I will definitely be back for the 82nd Members Meeting in 2025.
Goodwood GRRC – Members Meeting – Taster
Yesterday, along with my son-in-law and grandson, I spent a fabulous day at the Goodwood Road Racing Club, 81st Members Meet.
The weather was kind, remained dry, and we even had a little sunshine.
This is just a taster of some photos. These taken on my phone.
Most of my shots were taken on my Canon 7D camera and are yet to be offloaded onto my laptop.
So, stay tuned. Be prepared to be bored. There will be a full post in the next couple of days.
Happy St George’s Day
Follow the link below to see my previous thoughts on how little we think of the English patron saint compared to the patron saints of the other countries that make up the United Kingdom.
This year, my online calendar doesn’t even mention St. George’s day. And yet, staring me in the face are entries for St. Patrick and St. David both celebrated in the same month.
The people of this country do my head in. They get bent out of shape because Nike introduce a multi colour version for the England football strip, but seemingly ignore St. George, for whom the flag is a symbol.
And let’s not forget that the cross of St. George forms an integral part, if not the basis, of the Union Flag symbol of Great Britain, the United Kingdom.
I did a quick trawl of the interweb to find out what was happening in my area to celebrate St. George’s Day. Well, apparently, not much.
I found several instances referring to parades and services associated with Chichester Cathedral. Sadly, they were all for years gone by.
Also sad, if there is any truth in it, is this text
We do recognise St George’s day In England, although as a more multicultural society it is not observed by all. There is also an air or Political correctness that abounds in England today that the St George’s flag (white with Red Cross) is viewed by some as racist.
https://www.quora.com/
Racist !!! Where the hell did that come from ? The national flag of multicultural England is racist. More woke/BLM bullshit.
Similarly, another snippet
Observed on the 23rd of April each year, you’ll find parades and a range of celebratory activities popping up around England. Expect to see the symbol of St George (a flag with a red and white cross) everywhere, as well as people flooding the streets and local pubs, as well as church services.
https://www.rabbies.com/en/blog/how-celebrate-st-georges-day-2024#:~:text=Observed%20on%20the%2023rd%20of,as%20well%20as%20Church%20services.
At the grand old age of seventy-two, I can safely say that I have never seen a parade for St. George, nor people flooding the streets.
Most churches will hold services for St. George and some pubs will certainly put up some bunting and promote St. George, in the hope of drawing in a few more punters.
But, St. George is not embedded in our psyche. If we had a national holiday, then more people might sit up and take notice.
But that isn’t any more likely now than it was in 2011 when I lasted posted on this subject.
Local Council At Fault
Simon Carter states that the only way to reinvigorate our town centres is to shut down the internet !!!
https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/full_page_image/page-22-1834/content.html
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.
RIP Malcolm
I want to take a few moments to mention Malcolm Foster.
Malcolm was a school chum who lived a few doors down the road from where I lived. We used to muck around in the village of Westfield, where we lived.
We went to school together, initially at Westfield’s own primary school, which was just a few minutes’ walk up our road. And then, later, joining the Cooks Coaches’ daily school run to Claverham County Secondary School at Battle.
At the weekends and in school holidays, it was breakfast and out. We would go exploring the countryside for miles around on our bikes. Occasionally, we would ride out to Brede village and its namesake river, with our fishing rods on the hunt for Roach, Perch, and eels. Our parents never knew where we were, and there were no mobile phones back then. No packed lunch, either. We might have scrumped a few apples, and I do remember sitting in a field of Kale chomping down on a few leafy stalks. I dread to think what might have been sprayed on those fields.
My father was the village bobby, and it was normal police practice to change officers’ assignments every couple of years or so. We had moved to Westfield from Lewes, and then sadly, our family had to move away from Westfield.
We didn’t move far, just to Battle. For me, it was just a few minutes’ walk from our new house to Claverham. But it did mean that I didn’t have the daily coach ride with Malcolm, and also, the ripple effect was that there were no after-school or weekend jaunts. So, inevitably, we drifted off into different social groups.
Over the years, we have communicated sporadically, but without the aid of current social media it was difficult.
So, although we didn’t remain close friends, I do have some happy memories.
And, from what I have been reading recently, Malcolm lived a full life with lots of friends.
RIP Malcolm Foster. My thoughts go out to all your friends and family.
The Telegraph’s View Of Waterlooville
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.
Further into the article, reference is made to the Wellington Way Shopping Centre website. I didn’t know it had one.
“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.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/27/english-high-street-london-road-waterlooville-hampshire/
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.
Wrinklies Lunch – The Ferryboat Inn
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.
Disaster !!!
The Osborne View has gone.
What a disaster for the Hill Head area, the local residents, and for folks like me that have many memories centred on The Osborne View.
With its unique location, virtually on the beach, and magnificent views.
Overlooking the busy Solent with its everchanging maritime views the Osborne View was the ideal location to sit and absorb the action. Watching people on the beach, the ships, or the myriad sailing boats. Never boring.
Over many years, this pub was the venue for evening meals, lunches, and just for drinks with friends and family.
We have even celebrated the occasional birthday here.
I hope they rebuild and, if they do, that they retain the character and atmosphere of the original.
WrAnTz 