Family Day

Today is Family Day.
This is the first photo to appear on my blog and so without question it had to be the one I chose for today.
It makes me so very happy. 
Hold them close.

Lunchtime

Eating Outside Day was a walk in the park, or should that actually be a walk to the park.
I am extremely lucky to have a very pretty park around the corner from my place of work.
Every day I'm at the office this is where I go to to eat my lunch, that is as long as it's not pouring with rain or bitterly cold.
Instead of one of the benches today I headed for one of the picnic tables, ate my lunch, read a magazine and then back calmer and fuller and ready for the afternoon ahead.

David and Victoria

This post isn't about either of the Beckhams.

The David I am referring to is David Essex.

Today is the birthday of this twinkly eyed man and Day 2 of my year of days

To mark the occasion I have baked a batch of Rock (On) cakes.
Never baked these before. 
I followed Delia Smith's recipe and they turned out ok.
More than ok, quite tasty actually.

Keeping the Mr Essex theme going today I wore my star patterned shirt with a star necklace.

G and I had planned a little trip down to Southsea today but unfortunately the rubbish weather forecast put paid to that.

As we were up bright and early we took ourselves off to Royal Victoria Country Park for a good long walk instead.

The sun shone whilst we were out and it was a wonderful way to start our day.

Robin

All this morning at work I wasn't feeling quite right.

There was a nagging headache which didn't seem to want to go away and I was just generally feeling a bit bleurgh.

I was so pleased when lunch time rolled round and I could escape to the park for some fresh air.

For a change I decided to head to the little metal picnic tables and I'm so glad I did because as soon as I sat down this little robin flew over and sat next to me.

I can't tell you how you much better I felt for enjoying the company of this little one and I went back into work feeling lighter and happier and ready to face the rest of the day.

Weekend round up

Back at the tail end of January S began going to street and hip hop dance lessons with her friend A.

A has been doing this for many years and has won lots of competitions and has many trophies. Another competition was held this last weekend and S asked a few weeks ago if she could go along to cheer on her friend.

She then decided that actually she would quite like to enter the competition herself.

As it was a late decision she had to enter as 'a solo' which of course meant she would be dancing on her own.

We were so proud of S, not only did she feel confident enough after a few short weeks of going to dance to want to take part in the competition she was also confident enough to do it on her own.

She could wear whatever she wanted and seeing it was her first competition we took her into town on Saturday morning to choose something new to wear.

I don't have any pictures to show as S didn't want us to go and watch, she said it would make her feel more nervous!

Although she wasn't placed S did have a tremendous time with her friends and she enjoyed the whole experience. 

After S had chosen her new trousers and top she and A hopped on a bus back home to practice some more whilst G and I stayed out as we had other things to do.

First off we grabbed some lunch and headed to the park to eat.

Absolutely loved the choice of plants and colour combination on display in this flower bed.

From there we made our way towards a part of town called Northam. G wanted to check out a vinyl record shop as this was en route to our next destination. Whilst he was inside I stayed out in the sun and watched the light glinting on Shoal, a huge metal fish sculpture by Tom Grimsey. 
It was sad to see only a handful of shops occupied in this part of town, it was once full of junk/antique/second hand book/shops. I know councils are strapped for cash but this part of town could be so much more vibrant.

G was extremely pleased to find a Yes LP to add to his collection.
We took the footpath over the train track which leads to St Mary's football stadium, home of the Saints. Saturday's match was being shown on TV and although kick off was still a few hours away it was already a busy place with people getting prepared, constantly in and out of huge outside broadcasting vehicles.

From there it was just a hop, skip and a jump to our final destination of Shamrock Quay. This was the venue for a Hampshire farmers market event. Live music and classic cars were also on offer but I failed miserably on the photo front and didn't manage to take any at all. Too busy sat in the sun enjoying the atmosphere and a cup of tea.

Sunday was a quiet one.
S was out dancing, T was out socialising and G was out working. 
I stayed in and did a lot of the housework jobs I normally do on a Monday as this Monday held something different.
I wish I could say it was something interesting.
Last year I had root canal treatment on one of my canine teeth.
Unfortunately it didn't work. It seems that this tooth has two canals, something which I have since learned is very unusual in a canine.
So a specialist was needed.
I did some research and found one in Salisbury and that's where I went Monday morning.

I had to walk past a branch of Debenhams and as I did I spied these enormous paper roses on display in the window, aren't they gorgeous.

Step one of the treatment was undertaken and I now need to go back next Monday for it be completed. I was in that dentist chair for about 75 minutes and I have to admit that when I returned home I could quite easily have snuggled down and joined Malcolm for a cat nap. I think the concern over the procedure and the accompanying nervousness made me feel tired once it was all over and I was home again.
Keep your fingers crossed for me next week!

Saturday to Sunday

A round up of life here from the past week or so.

Saturday 11th saw us in Winchester for a few hours.

We went to see the The Romantic Thread in British Art. A small exhibition drawn from the extensive collection of Southampton art gallery.

Although undoubtedly the highlight was the Frank Dicksee Romeo and Juliet which was used to advertise the exhibition- anything Pre-Raphaelite gets my vote- a close second was a work named Coliseum at Moonlight which can be viewed here. The way the artist has captured the light of the moon has to be seen to be believed. The artist is Frederick Bridell and he was born in Southampton.

It was very cold that day, snowflakes were in the air, but we were warmed up by delicious hot chocolates as we waited for the train home. The florist based at the train station always has the most stunning displays and that day was no exception.

Monday is normally full of housework chores but I did manage to carve out a little time so I could finish my latest read. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Ava Maria finding love and happiness in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it made me laugh out loud a couple of times which is always a sign of a good book. It's been made into a movie and I shall keep my eye out for a copy once the car boot season starts, you never know someone may have a copy they don't want anymore and I'd be interested to see how it translates to film. This is the first book in a series and I'll definitely read more.

Tuesday was Valentine's day. T was the only person in our house to receive a card, in fact he got two from the same chap!

I'm trying to decorate the mantelpiece in our dining room differently each month. I have so many odds and ends and sometimes I forget what I have got. I've been collecting as many of these items as I can and keeping them all in one big plastic storage box. Hopefully as the months go by I'll have something on show which reflects the time of year, occasion or celebration. 
This month is all about red and pinks and hearts.

Thursday was S's parent's evening. We had her report last week and she's doing ok, but there's room for improvement. We were taken aback by a comment made by her maths teacher, he described S as a boisterous student. This is so out of character from all the other comments we've had over the years. It would seem that she shares her maths class with more than just one or two of her good friends and it would appear that the chatting sometimes takes over. Although we had a laugh over the comments there was also a 'you must take it more seriously' chat as well!

Very welcome signs of spring seen in the park on my lunchtime visits.

Friday evening I was out for a meal with a bunch of friends from my previous life as a civil servant. We all worked together for about 15 years and still try and meet up every now and then. 
We met at the new Watermark complex of restaurants which is built opposite the old city walls. Lights were being projected on the walls as part of a Festival of Light event. This is a great new space in the city and I hope it gets used to it's full potential.

Saturday morning I was out to eat once again. Last year on what would have been our dad's birthday my sister T had suggested going out for breakfast and toasting dad with a coffee and a bacon sandwich, two things he was fond of, and we decided to do the same again this year.

The weekend was rounded off with a trip to the theatre for me and G. We went for a drink first, somewhere where the walls were covered in works of art including this David Hockney which really grabbed our attention.
At the theatre we watched The MGM Story. The website shows 4 participants but there were only 3 of them the night we saw it. My oh my did they have bucket loads of energy, they sang and danced their way through the history of the musicals produced by MGM.
An extremely entertaining and (for the performers) energetic way to end our weekend.

Our Week In Mosaics - which includes some mosaics

As I mentioned in my previous post we weren't going to be having our annual trip to the country park for the Halloween trail but we did keep with the second part of that day's activity. On SaturdayS and I picked up my mum and then took ourselves off to Haskins for a hot chocolate and a wander around the Christmas department.

On entering the store you were greeted with a winter white wildlife scene

and then once into the store the main attraction was this huge sleigh and enormous stuffed toy reindeer.

For all the festive glitter and sparkle I can honestly say that I could count the number of decorations on one hand which I would have been happy to buy and hang on my tree.

I remember they had a very poor selection last year too.

Sunday morning we needed to pop into town as S will now be playing hockey during her PE lessons and so needed a gum shield and shin pads. It was such a lovely mild day again and as we still haven't managed a proper autumn walk we took a wander through the parks before we did our shopping. 
A proper crunchy, scrunchy walk through the fallen autumn leaves.

We made an interesting and colourful new discovery in one of the parks. Apparently these mosaics were laid last year, a collaboration between local residents and a local artist to depict the wide range of international heritages of Southampton's inhabitants.

Of course Monday was all about Halloween. G worked his pumpkin carving magic and I'm pleased to say that the pumpkin being sick earned lots of 'yuck' and 'ergh' comments. I had amassed 86 treats for callers, which S gave out this year as she didn't want to go out herself, but we still ran out. We had to ignore the last 2 knocks on our door as the cupboard was bare.

In between trick or treaters we had our own bit of fun posing with these silly photo props.

When I arrived home from work on Tuesday G said there were a couple of treats for me in the kitchen. One was a Portuguese custard tart and the other was this huge leaf. I popped it on the cushion so hopefully you can get an idea of it's size. He had seen it on his way to the train station and knew I would love it so he bought it home to me. Now that's true love. 

Queen's Park

Whilst walking to the park during my lunch break for some fresh air and sunshine I noticed a flyer attached to the railings advertising a Love Parks event.

With nothing else planned for today it looked like something interesting to do.

The land was originally known as Porter's Meadow and was acquired by Queen's College Oxford after the dissolution of the monasteries.

The park was opened at a civic ceremony on 23 May 1885 and named Queen's Park.

The park is situated opposite Dock Gate 4 where the cruise ships come into dock.

It's bizarre looking down a busy road and seeing the liners so close and looming so large.

There are plans afoot for me, S and G to do the zebra trail during the summer hols. Today is was just me and S out adventuring and whilst we were waiting for the bus (more on that in a mo) we checked out the three zebras who are in residence in the park until the end of the summer.

This one is called Rio, he has the Olympic torch painted on his body, but it's the patterns around his eye which caught my eye.

Next up we have Henman. On this one we liked the fairy floating away on a dandelion seed head.

I have to admit I have forgotten the name of this one. From a distance (viewed from the aforementioned bus) and with the sunlight on him the pink colour was dazzling. 

And here is the bus we were waiting for. This bus was new to Southampton City Transport in 1970. I took a bus like this to town too many times to count and after the trip on it today I wouldn't want to take too many again. It's such a jerky ride compared to the ones we have in service today!

As you can see from the front of the bus it was running for dock tours. We were driven past the 2 cruise ships and round down to the quay, but we weren't allowed off the bus. 
I managed to get a quick snap of part of the Emerald Princess as we passed her by.

There was a clear view over to the pier at Hythe, somewhere where we've enjoyed a few days out during the hols over the years.

There were some activities on offer in the park today, but S felt she was too old for taking part in them now, which is fair enough. We've certainly had our fair share of arts and crafts and games over the years when the children were younger and it was lovely to see the little ones who were there enjoying themselves.

Although the flower beds are beautifully maintained and the marigolds are healthy and colourful that is pretty much all there is in them.
There was a leaflet asking for people to volunteer to take part in a bulb planting event in the autumn. I've signed up for it and will try and help depending on when it's going to be. Seeing as I use the park during my lunch break it would be nice to show my appreciation for this green space.

There is a memorial in the park to General Gordon. I must confess I did not know he had ties with Southampton. Looking at the page I have linked to there is more here in the city which needs investigating. I love finding out new things about the place I live.

The city centre is just a short walk away and as we were heading there we passed a hairdressers with this sign in their window which made us laugh.

Art Walk

Add the need to collect a parcel from the local sorting office to an art trail in the City and this combination gave us the opportunity to go on a circular walk.

All this took place one day last week during half term.

The last time we had a parcel to collect we made that a more interesting trip too and this time we even managed to figure in a pub stop for lunch.

We began on the boardwalk. Even though this has been in existence for a few years now this was actually the first time we'd used it.

I had forgotten my camera and I'm not used to the one on my phone so my photos aren't great.

This shows you how the boardwalk fits into the landscape. The train track on one side and the river on the other.

At the start of the boardwalk there is an information board and 3 metal statues. One is of Peter Waterfield the Olympic diver who lives and trained in Southampton. The second is of the mighty Matt Le Tiss. Both well deserved, huge achievements made in their respective careers and they have strong ties with the City.
The third statue is of Jane Austen. This world famous author did live in Southampton, but only for a couple of years and I feel this is a bit of a tenuous link.
Emily Davies would have been a much more worthier choice or maybe Chris or Jenny Packham? Just my opinion.

I can't share the statues with you as first off there was a chap sitting in front of them who showed no signs of moving and secondly someone had used a disposable BBQ in that spot and decided not to dispose of it.
Makes me furious when people are so inconsiderate with their rubbish.
Shall we have a photo of G and S instead? 
Yes, let's see their happy smiley faces.

As the tide was low S decided a bit of clambering was in order and there was also a bit of posing for the camera.

Once off the boardwalk and onto the road you come to an old pub which has been boarded up for a while. As we walked past I snapped the bulls eye glass window whilst desperately trying to remember what the pub was called.

The next thing to catch my eye was the art work on the shutters of a row of shops. Most of the shops have closed and to brighten the ugly grey shutters local people and artists worked together in the transformation, more can be seen here but these two were my favourites.

Next up is a bit of a mystery. There are two sets of these along the road we were walking along. Apparently they are cleats, used for securing ships at a dock, that much I can find out but why are they situated on a busy main road into town I have no idea. I have googled and can't find an answer, maybe I need to email someone at the council.

At the start of this post I mentioned that this walk was being done so we could follow an art trail. I hate to be negative about such initiatives but I felt this one fell short of the mark. This is the only piece of art we saw that I took a photo of.
The bright colours must look fabulous on a sunny day and we all laughed at the name of the road, but to be honest on the whole we saw more interesting things on our walk which weren't part of the art trail.

In the City centre we have several works of art dedicated to different parts of our history and this one opposite the mural looks to me to be by the same artist but I couldn't find any plaque nearby to give me some info about it and I can't find anything online either.

From here it was a walk over Northam bridge to the sorting office and now with the parcel collected we made our way past Bitterne Manor park where we saw these gates which I'm fairly sure are a new addition, but I could be wrong. The metal rectangles are reminiscent of roman shields which I suppose is a nod to the fact that this area was once a Roman settlement known as Clausentum.

Just past here we made our lunch stop and then carrying on once again our route took us past Riverside park where we went to look at an art installation in the trees. This wasn't part of the trail but couldn't be ignored.

The geese have been in situ for a while now and have recently undergone some renovation work as some were damaged in stormy weather.

From here it was just a hop, skip and a jump to where we had started off.

Not the walk we thought it was going to be but still plenty to see and good to be out and about.