We were in town today. We took Aurora into town for a walk and stopped for a bit of lunch.

One of the things I want to do is explore the cafes in town. I’m looking for something that could become a regular haunt, which will be happy with me sitting for half an hour or an hour, have a mug of tea and do my Facebook post. It will be my Facebook post. I haven’t been using Facebook for quite a while but I have felt constrained by work and time, and I very much want to start doing them again.

Today then, we went into a restaurant on the high street., I’ve never been there before, and I have to confess that I thought it was just a coffee house. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a reasonably comprehensive menu, with a good range of breakfasts and other meals. Today, we had a Spanish omelette each. Elayne didn’t finish hers, she was more focused on Aurora.

Now, purely in terms of food, I would definitely go back there, and if I could get a window table, that would almost be ideal. Now, I will go back, but I had a bit of a problem with the seat I was in. It was fixed and couldn’t be adjusted. I was a bit cramped and slightly uncomfortable. If all of the seats are like that, I am likely to have a slight problem. I stress, this is not the restaurant’s fault; I am a large person.

So, I’ve made a note of this one, and hope to explore another cafe next week.

I nearly forgot to a post for today, and so I’m now in a bit of a flap trying to get one done. Slightly difficult to think of what to write about as I haven’t really done much today.

I had to go to the pharmacy, on the way, I passed a group of workmen pulling plastic pipes through tunnels between manhole covers. I couldn’t help wondering how they fixed the rope to the pipe, some form of clamp I guess. I didn’t ask as they were busy.

Apart from a bit of a breeze, it’s been quite a nice day, weather was quite balmy.

Over the next day or so, I should have a couple of videos available for YouTube. I promise you, that these videos are so good, that you will want to watch them again and again.

My only real question is; should I put them up? I have put so much effort in to them (and I am known for my tendency to exaggerate in some circumstances, sorry I mean to not exaggerate).

The header picture today was not taken at the Cockle Ponds. It was over the other side of the water, next to the hard where i saw this bike wheel, semi-submerged, which I thought might make an interesting shopt, Especially in mono. It’s almost there already

I’ll have to try it.

I’ll be honest, the header picture bears no connection whatsoever with Waterlooville.

A quick story on how the town got its name as told through Google; Waterlooville got its name from soldiers returning from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, who stopped at a local inn, the “Heroes of Waterloo,” for a celebration, with many choosing to settle in the area, leading to the settlement being named “Waterloo” and later “Waterlooville” to distinguish it from other places with the same name, with the “-ville” added as the community grew into a formal parish. 

I asked if there were any building remaining from that time, and apparently, there are a few. But, it’s really the high street that I want to talk about.

Whilst I can’t give you specific, or even close, numbers of commercial units that aren’t in use, the impression that I get is that there are quite a few. I may even get around to doing a mini survey just to satisfy my curiosity. It just seems a bit sad, really.

It seems that Havant Council have a Master Plan for the town centre, here’s the link; https://www.havant.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-05/Waterlooville%20Draft%20SPD%20Web.pdf

Why the interest, you might ask; The locality in my Locality Stories blog can have a fairly broad brush.

I had to go over to Portsmouth. Can you believe; two dental appointments in one day? The first was a consultation which left me with a choice – a course of treatment that would cost £2330 (double root canal), with a likely 75% success rate or an extraction.

The second visit was, luckily a routine visit to the hygienist. No issues there.

In between the two visits, I had a little of time to take advantage of. The end of the Haslar Marina Pier Wall is not the most socially acceptable place when the wind is blowing, and rain is threatening, but that was where I found myself.

The boat in the picture, Needles, was chugging along as I was walking along the waterfront. The noise of its engine was above the wind whistling across the water.

Luckily, what cold there was not too piercing, even though I am still wearing what is really my summer coat. I really must get my winter coat out.

Sitting on the pier wall, I got to thinking about vlogging, and the fact that I haven’t got my act together. Especially with regards to topic. Thinking about that.

I wanted to write something kind of profound about this weekend, but to be honest, I’ve left it way too late. we did have a busy weekend, taking Aurora to see Father Christmas in an unusual place, but it was very interesting. We think she enjoyed it.

Today we visited family in london. We got caught in the traffic moving away from a football match. It was a bit busy. But, it was a good weekend.

What I don’t want to do is write a post which says “Today, I had to pop into town to get a couple of things. It was lovely weather. Just a little fresh, but lovely and bright. I got what I needed and then took a slow stroll home.”

The thing is that’s it – that is almost exactly what happened. But it is seriously boring, and really tells you nothing about how the walk went. It is dry. The real problem is that is the way I write. It is boring.

It doesn’t tell you anything about the carol singers by the tree who were really trying, and whilst they sounded nice, I think with a little bit of guidance (not that I could give that) they would really have belted out the carols. I know, if I had joined them my monotone voice would have been quiet, lacking in confidence, and worried about what people thought of my singing. I do hope that doesn’t sound to critical, they were doing something really quite grand, bringing a lovely sound to the high street.

Then there were the conversations that were going on as I walked past the various market stands; “I can let you have it for…”, “The last time I bought one of these, it lasted…”, “If you give me your details, I’ll arrange for someone…” You get the drift.

There were people who were seemingly moving without purpose, just wandering along, almost listless, others stomping between shops, clearly on a misssion. The Big Issue seller, talking animatedly to a small group of people.

It was a busy high street, and I walked slowly through it, just taking in the atmosphere, enjoying being out for an hour.

I went for a walk. Leaving home around 1100.

I had a bit of a dilemma, I wanted to go around the Cockle Ponds and see what is going on there but, I also wanted to walk the length of the high street in both directions. I solved that by making the ponds a loop, rejoining the high street at the discovery centre

The walk along the high street was nothing more than a slow amble, I was just people watching and looking to see what was going on. People going about their day. I reached the ferry terminal and continued on.

I reached the Haslar Marina Pier Wall, and thought to myself that I hadn’t walked out onto the boardwalk for quite a while. There were two fishermen on the wall, the first one, was just unhooking a fish which he then let drop back into the water. I commented that I couldn’t recall ever seeing any fish caught by anyone along the wall. He was fishing for fun, not food.

I noticed the clouds in the header picture. The grey clouds were quite striking along Portsdown hill. I wasn’t worried that I would get hit by rain. Clouds that are there, have been blown past us by the prevailing winds.

I stopped and had a chat with the second fisherman – he’d only been there 20 minutes, and wasn’t really expecting to get anything.

I wandered back up the high street. I was thinking about stopping and having a cup of tea, but I did need to get home for 1400, perhaps sometime next week.

Today, my wife informed me that I had upset all her daily routines. It has taken only two days to get to a position where I can officially class myself as “The useless Blob” – I was trying to help with our GrandDaughter, and whilst I hadn’t done anything technically wrong, mostly what I was doing was for one reason or another, not right.

I think what it boils down to is that whilst I was working, Elayne had developed a system for dealing with Aurora (our granddaughter). Now that I am available to assist and don’t have to say I have to go to a meeting, I can’t assume that whatever I do is being done at the right time, which means that Elayne now has to think of what I am doing as well as what she would normally do. i completely understand where she is coming from.

She would, of course, be horrified if she knew (she doesn’t read this blog, unless I show it to her) that I am currently referring to myself as “The useless Blob” but she does have my sympathy; from removing a bib before Aurora has had dessert, through to putting bags in the boot before they are ready. Almost everything I have done today has had to be corrected in someway, adding additional stress to Elayne.

Let me confess, tonights blog has been written very tongue-in-cheek. It’s not wholly inaccurate, possibly slightly exaggerated and whilst I have unintentionally been a bit of a nuisance, we have had a good laugh over it. I’m sure I will get better.

And no, she really doesn’t know about the useless blob thing.