Riding on the beach

Sea, sand and horse riding do not seem to go together.
But on St Helen's beach on the Isle of Wight they do.
Sally's Riding School use various local beaches each day in the summer.....
................... subject to the tide of course.
What a great place to learn to ride and the horses love it too!

Rusty old boat

Save me................. This rusty old boat sitting on the tide line at Bembridge Harbour must have shouted 'save me' but not been heard.
Sadly it is well beyond repair.
Rusted right through in places
Who might have owned this and let it get this way?

Wonderful wooden boats

What wonderful wooden boats!
You can almost smell the varnish as you run your fingers over the glowing wood!
These are Seaview OD (one design) dinghies.  Your find most of them in and arround Seaview on the Isle of Wight.
T he boats are built by the local family firm of V A Warren & Son.  See one of their workshops below.
There are about 200 now in existence, and as many as 198 sailed past the local Sea View Yacht Club for the class’s 75th aniversary.
The class was founded in 1931.

Flocks of seagulls

Wonderful blue sea on the coast of the Isle of Wight.
Surf has gone.
In come the seagulls.
Tens, then hundreds.
Resting, waiting on the sea.
Then they are off!

Loads of old tree roots

Walk along the beach on the north east side of Bembridge far beyond where the tourists go and the beech changes.
Suddenly amongst the stones, boulders and surf are loads of tree routes amongst the water.
At low tide they are revealed showing all their patterns.

Cafe and celestial art work in Ryde

There must be many finds in Ryde on the Isle of Wight but the Orrery Café must be one of the best. The café is situated in a lovingly trestored Grade II listed building on Union Street

Inside it is remarkable. It is dominated by celestial artwork.  

This is figurative but a with a difference, instead of traditional figures for the 12 Zodiac figures as well as the figures that surround Zodiac, you will find that the Orrery's artwork features the characters from Lewis Carroll’s famous 2 books Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

It is based on a recent theory that Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) used the known constellations of the heavens as reference for his Alice books.

By the way the coffe is great in the café too

A brilliant day in Bembridge

Bembridge is a brilliant place on the east side of the Isle of Wight.
So much to see and do.
St Helens is part of Bembridge and here you find the Old Mill Ponds.  They are impressive and you can get right across them on a long causeway.
There must have been a substantial tide mill here once as the ponds are really large.  What a sight when they were filled with the high tide to run the mill..

At the end of the causeway you turn right, pass by the boat yard and go between two houses bringing you to the entrance to Bembridge Harbour.

In Southampton today and Oslo the next

Saturday morning heading down Southampton Water to the Isle of Wight on the Red Funnel car ferry bound for East Cowes.
Three large cruise liners are in the docks.
Here is the Oriana.
Stll looking very good at 15.  Yes, it was launched by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995.
It will set sail on the evening tide and bound with its 1800 passengers for Oslo on Sunday.

Peace on the Itchen

An early mooring cycle ride and a quick stop on the Cobden Bridge at Bitterne to look up an down the Itchen.
Such a peaceful stretch of a lazy river estuary.
The above photo is of Riverside Park created one tipped rubish in the 1930s.
The scene below looks down river with the newly painted railway bridge that takes the trains from Southampton to Portsmouth.

Improvements at Highbury and Islington station

There has been a massive amount of work recently on the London Overground and it is not all finished yet.
At Highbury and Islington there are no longer just two platforms
They seem to have grown to six.
The main reason is that the East London line extension run both north and south and will eventually run from Dalston to these new platforms at Highbury and Islington.
So we have a great new interchange for this amazing Overground orbital route.
All down to Ken's transport team's thinking some time back.........

Art in Islington

Vibrant and stunning come to mind.
Working at the Laycot Centre in Islington today and I peer down a corridor off Reception and see this amazing wall hanging (plus coffee machine)
Bright indeed and just the thing to ensure any boring meeting is transformed.

Art comes in many different forms

Look at this.  Wonderful............ Trees into exotic shapes. This masterpiece was cut and is cared for by Roy. He began cutting and shaping this tree on the day Princess Diana died.  Topiary is the creation of geometric, animal or any ornamental shape using living foliage.. The artistry consists of trimming, training and shaping shrubs or trees into sculptured pieces. Topiary is an old art that is as popular today. You often see examples at stately homes and churches.  Even Disneyland I hear! But take a look at Roy's garden sometime on the bank of the River Thames near Molesey.

A club for the fit and healthy

Roll up, roll up, roll up.
All the fun of the gym, pumping iron, stetch classes, Yoga, spinning and swiming.
There is everything here and it is in Acton W3.
The Park Club in East Acton Lane is a great place for everyone.
Maybe too many kids at certain times of the day but if you are looking for improving your fitness this is the place.

Relax............ don't do it

Just the sign you need to see on the ay to a office meeting you are not looking forward to!
The words in line out of the picture is worth thinking about too.
Choose the words maybe for your day.
Easy,,,,,,,,Real .............. Chilled ....... Alive ..............Inspiring .........
Strong .......... United ...... Friendly ........
So have a good day and make of it what you will.

Any old rusting iron

There is always a slight thundering roar as you cross the Northam Bridge over the River Itchen. 
It is not just the roar of the traffic buzzing in an out of Southampton. 
On the west bank is one of the largest scrap metal dumps you could find. 
Piled high with rusting metal of every discription. 
All bound for the Far East to be reclaimed and made into shiney new steel or some other metal.
There is always cranes and other plant sorting and moving the piles.
But today they are spraying everything with water as it is being loaded aboard a ship.
Bye bye rust metal ..............
Back soon as new shiny and polished metal.

A boardwalk that makes the right connections

Here is the brilliant new elevated boardwalk built along a kilometre stretch on the west side of the River Itchen between Horseshoe railway bridge and the Northham road bridge.

It will save many people walking along the shore and sometimes being beaten by the incoming tide on the way to the pubs in St Denys, especially the Junction!
This unique structure has been built on top of a wave wall, which was installed in 2006, to protect the railway line from scouring by the tidal river.
At high tide, the water will gently lap near to the walkway edge, giving pedestrians and cyclists the chance to enjoy a peaceful, scenic route with stunning views over the Estuary. It also provides a tranquil place away from the bustle of the city.
Eventually the new stretch will be extended to the cycle route at Cobden road bridge that runs through Riverside Park
It all part of Sustran's National Route 23 through Southampton, linking the airport, Swaythling, Riverside Park, St Denys, the city centre and the ferry terminal. It will connect local people to the river and the sea and provide a vital north-south connection through the city, enabling many local journeys to be made to shops, schools, workplaces and for leisure that previously, were not possible.

What a magnificent tree!  Stunning in fact
I am cruising back from Laleham after some repairs at Harris boatyard and took this picture as I approached Pharaoh's Island which is just above Shepperton lock.
The island was given to Admiral Nelson following his success at the Battle of the Nile.
He used it then as a fishing retreat.
This small island has a number of relatively large residences and is a highly desirable place to live.Interestingly there is no bridge so access is by boat!

Religious conversion in Southsea

Within a small distance in Southsea there are some fine religious buildings.
First located in the heart of Albert Street is the Southsea Citadel, the home of the local Salvation Army.

What a fine building this is.
Just round the corner in Lawrence Road is another.
This time it is a large and imposing nunery.
No more religious conversion here!
The large, sturdy and imposing brick building has now been converted to flats.and now known as Brandon Court.

Walk further up Lawrence Road past countless pubs and your find another large religious building on the corner of Rugby Road (see above) that has been turned into effective and pleasant housing.
This time it looks like an Methodist or Church of England building

Street art at St Mary's in Southampton

Walking around St Mary's in Southampton and what do I spy?
Some wonderful paintings of what on the side wall of a building.
The art work is amazing.
The surprise (or is it) is that this art work is on the side wall of the Parish Office!

Another great Acton place to eat

There are many great places to eat in Acton.
So many...........
Here is one I often return to. 
It is L'oriental Lebanese restaurant on Churchfield Road.
It is the best Lebanese restaurant I've been to.
They make pretty much everythig fresh, including the bread. 
My favourite are the starters several can make a full meal in themselves. 
But then again you can't miss the charcoal-grilled meat or the dish of the day. 
It's making me hungry just typing..............
Then there is the wonderful wine!

A really colourful summer garden

This is the year of the flower.
No tomatoes to be seen.
None grown!
Just lots of geraniums and hanging baskets.
All giving riots of colour.
All of this makes up for all that time watering.

The sun goes down over Sunnyside Reservoir

I am down at Hallmark for the weekend.
It is just too hot to do very much and the Guardian and Times have both been read cover to cover.
But what a wonderful mooring this is.
So peaceful and quite away from the city.
As it gets cooler I sit out on the bow with my feet dangling into the cool Thames water with bottle of Becks in my hand.
The sun is setting and wow what a view over Sunnyside Reservoir.
And before you doubt it ............ that is its real name.

What a treasure........... and its in Acton too!

We popped in here for a celebratory  meal for Pat's 'retirement' on Friday evening.
As ever the food was really good.
Top notch in fact with such friendly service.
This beautiful dark wood and brass gem stands out on Acton's High Street.
It's the George and Dragon and it is not just any pub.
In times gone by this was a proper coaching inn on the road to Bristol and Bath.
It is an inn with well over 300 years of history and it was impeccably restored with money from English Heritage in 2006.
This is the place (so they say)  that Dick Turpin, the famous highwayman 'dropped in' for a pint or two. The front bar area has plenty of traditional with original dark wood panelling and an original seventeenth century fire place and it features, behind the bar, a list of landlords dating back to 1759.
The pub is  also deceptively spacious with the low beamed front bar opening on to a huge double-height back room with art nouveau statues and large mirrors.
It is by far the best pub in Acton

  

A great modern building

Off to another meeting in Barnet and a chance to visit and take a picture of another one of those station buildings designed by Charles Holden for the extension to the Piccadilly Line in the 1930s.
This time it is Arnos Grove.
It is stunning both inside and out.
But it is not just my feeling for this building!
The building features as one of the 12 "Great Modern Buildings" profiled in Guardian during October 2007.
Loads of glass with brick and reinforced concrete in basic geometric shapes.
The circular drum like ticket hall just rises up and the light just flows in.

By all accounts the design was inspired by the work of Gunnar Asplund and his work on the Stockholm city Library.
The design seems familiar as it is similar to that used for Chiswick Park on the District Line, although that also brick tower.

The new Bush

What a change.
Shepherds Bush was always an exciting London hub with its famous green, markets, theatre, TV centre and everything else!.
The Westfield Centre has brought a totally new dimension with designer stores and an amazing set of eateries........
So  before to long we might be calling it the new Bush. 
There is a brand new Central Line underground station, a new London Overground stop on the west London line to Clapham Junction, a new stop on the Hamersmith and City and now the Circle Line comes here too.  Even the buses have been sorted with its White City bus station.
There is more to come.  Westfield already has a small expansion being built next to the Central Line station.
The Bush might be well on the way up but I hope too much does not change!

The best map shop in the world?

Need a map.  Any sort of map, travel book other travel accessories there is only one place to go.
It is Stamfords in Covent Garden, which is the company's flagship store.
This company must be the first port of call for adventure and armchair travellers alike for more than a centuryWith 150 years of experience you cannot go wrong!
There is no doubt that Stanfords is the UK's leading specialist retailer having been established in 1853 by Edward Stanford.

Ancient Southampton!

What a great local sign.
I am in James Street in St Mary's near Northam in the centre of Southampton.
So the sign says this is where the ancient town of Hamwic once was.
Hamwic was situated on the west bank of the River Itchen downstream from its small Roman predecessor of

Clausentum (Bitterne).

It was actually a very important port and trading centre in what is known as middle Saxon times.
This was around 700 to 850AD. 
Hamwic declined towards the end of the 9th century, presumably as a result of economic and political changes brought about, in part, by Viking activity.
You will find out much more at http://www.archeurope.com/index.php?page=hamwic-or-saxon-southampton

Yellow Wellie Cafe

Lunch down at Shamrock Quay today!
Well marmite toast with a cuppa tea.
Managed not to have a fry up like everyone else in the cafe.........
What better place to have 'lunch' than at the famous (well for Southampton boaters)  Yellow Wellie Cafe!
The sign hanging above the building has worn out but these great yellow wellies remain.
Come on in and give it a try
Tea and toast are good

There are many secret and special places.

Some are unexpected.

You walk pass or through them regularly and never realise they are special until one day.

Today, the sun was shining and the rather tatty park appeared totally different as I was walking back from the bus stop.

The sun was just glinting through the tree cover.

Yes, a different special and secret place appeared...........

Normally a very small ordinary park between a very busy road out of town and the river.

The potential of geothermal heating

Southampton is a true pioneer of sustainable energy. 

It committed to implementing decentralised energy years before many other local authorities 

Some of whom are only just picking up the ball.

The city now has several pioneering energy schemes. 

One of them is the Southampton District Energy Scheme shown above right in the heart of the city main shopping district!

This scheme one of the largest community heating (and cooling) networks in the UK, 

It started with the Civic Centre as its single customer it now has thousands of customers and provides heating and cooling to over a thousand residential properties, several large office buildings, a hospital, a health clinic, a university, a large shopping centre, a supermarket, several hotels, BBC television studios, one of Europe's largest shopping complexes, and a swimming and diving complex, among others.

Clapham Junction is busy, busy, busy!

Clapham Junction is an amazing station.
Each day about 2,000 trains, most stopping, pass through the station, more than through any other station in Europe.
At peak times some 180 trains per hour pass through of which 117 stop.
Below is a view looking across the north side of the station taken from platform 2.

All services from Waterloo, by South West Trains, and many from Victoria, by Southern and the Gatwick Express use the station as does the West London Line services of London Overground. 

There are seventeen platforms in total and one platform out of use. 

It seems likely that the East London Line extension to Clapham Junction will use this platform when the line is opened in May 2012.