Bills Posts

I’ve another issue of B&W photography that I have just started reading. In last months issue, there was mention of a book; 52 black and white assignments by Brian Lloyd Duckett, it’s not due for publication until February, but I have my order in. I thought that I would try and do each assignment using my main camera, as I don’t use it enough.

Have a look at; https://365project.org/ It’s a very well organised site, but that’s only a side bar. The main reason I mention it because there is a lady who posts regularly, only started recently and has been working exclusively in manual mode. Tonight, she posted that she was frustrated with MM and was reverting back to auto. I said that it would be interested to explore her frustrations. I thought then that when the book arrives, I would do the assignments in manual using my big camera.

The thing is though, that in terms of resolution, my phone isn’t quite the same as the nikon, it is a damn fine camera, it is very easy to use, and it is pretty much always with me. I shall continued to use it.

So far, from a walking point of view, I am on target, but not sure I am going to make my goal of walking 35 miles this week. So far I’ve done where between 25 – 26. This means I have to do ten miles over the weekend. I reckon I can easily do six. Those remaining 4 will take a bit more effort, and we have no plans so I don’t know when I am going to fit them in – I will try though.

Today’s picture was taken on the lunchtime walk. Whilst strolling along the esplanade (it’s not a promenade. Here’s a definition from Google; Esplanade and promenade are sometimes used interchangeably, but that is a mistake. A promenade can be anywhere, and it is exclusively for walking, while an esplanade is for walking but also can include large boulevards or avenues with cars.

At the bottom of the Haslar Marina Pier Wall there’s a name plate; Esplanada de Royan. Royan being a coastal town in the South of France. I’ll perhaps look at the twinning later.

I’d be willing to debate whether it is ether a promenade or an esplanade, mainly because any vehicle access (apart from maintenance) is to the tower blocks, and not along the entire length of the walkway. In my mind anyway, it’s a Prom.

Back to the birds, There were a couple sat on the land-side and the birds were all lined up waiting for them to drop food, or feed. I took the photo, not realising that I had caught the one flying through. I like the picture.

Two pictures for you today;

The plaque is on the upright between the green window and the archway. Not far from Nelson’s Bar, just a little way down the High street is Beamister’s Lane. Here at Former The Star Inn, now Nelsons Bar, The pressgangs would sit and watch the revellers. You can imagine them following a man, who was slightly the worse for wear, making his way home along Beamister’s Lane. Only to receive a tap on the back of the head and to wake up, not only with a bursting headache, but probably in a cage on board a Royal Navy warship, perhaps somewhere out in the channel

It looks like the Star Inn used to be a coach stop. Perhaps the building goes back further. The plaque refers to the Assembly room, which I assume is now Emma’s a thriving nightclub. So still a thriving centre of the community. I’ve never been in there myself.

Although I have been in to the new agents on the odd occasion. They haven’t been there long. It used to be one of those interesting little shops that was primarily a shoe repair but also sold a range of interesting products, including quite a good range of binoculars and spotter scopes. I was quite disappointed to see it closed.

I have another blue plaque lined up for next week.

Have a look at this link; https://bit.ly/PH_Chart I only found it tonight, it is an absolutely brilliant online seachart. I’ve been trying to find out about this pillar at the end of the Haslar Marina Pier Wall. Turns out it is Portsmouth harbour Navigation Mark GQ. As you can see from the chart there are a lot of navigation marks in the area. This particular one GQ, I’ve tried to find a bit out about. I’ve looked in a few books I have, and on the internet. At the moment all I can work out is that GQ means it’s a flashing green light.

Back around 2015 (I’ve talked about it in previous blogs) I developed the concept of Locality. Every so often I am reminded of how much I enjoyed pursing the interest, and something re-invigorates it.

After last nights writers block, I am reminded tonight that when I suffer from writers block in the future, I should revert back to locality and write something about the local area. I’m reminded of my trip to Culver Down on the Isle of Wight, to try and get the Nab Tower, and my trip to Calshot to get the cruise liners as they come in (that one meant getting up at 0330). I need some simple, uncomplicated trips involving aspects of Locality. I have one inn mind that I can do fairly quickly. I’m not going to write about it here. Soon though.

It’s nearly 7PM and we have to pop out for five minutes. I look up. There’s a cloud in the sky, it’s a cloud I’ve seen before. It’s kind of fuzzy, not very well defined and has a kind of fluffy character to it.

What does the cloud mean? Well, somewhere quite close is I suspect going to receive a deposit of snow. Yes, I think it is going to snow.

It was certainly cold enough for a stiff frost this morning. Luckily there wasn’t much wind, even so I had my balaclava up over my ears. It wasn’t raining this morning. If it had been and it was this cold, I’m not sure I would have gone out for a walk. The Haslar Marina Pier Wall was an ice rink, I did not venture on to it. There were a couple places where I thought there could be some black ice, so I was a bit careful there. After all, it wouldn’t be good to fall in to the cockle pond. Not too deep, but at this time of year, it would be really uncomfortable, if not dangerous.

So yes, it’s a serious case of writers block tonight.

When I’ve been giving my weather report to the #Breakfastclub I usually include the pressure. My handheld anemometer gives pressure in inches of mercury and in HectoPascales (hPa). Average pressure is around 1013 hPa or 29.92 inches. The hPa scale is an SI (System International) and luckily the hPa scale is identical to the millibar (mb), the former means of defining pressure. To be honest, I prefer using mb.

A few days ago, I nearly swore on the air when I was talking through GB3IW, I was reading out the pressure and it was 1042mb. I don’t think I have ever seen it that high. Even today, at around 0630 it was still up around 1038mb.

I use a web site https://www.gosportweather.co.uk to calibrate my anemometer, even as I write this, the pressure is 1039mb. Strangely, whilst my anemometer will measure in terms of Mercury to two decimal places, but just a whole value for mb. It’s mildly frustrating but I got used to it.

What I meant to add was that I am assuming that the high pressure is contributing to the clear air, especially this morning. I thought the moon was particularly bright, which gave rise to this morning’s picture. I thought it was rather nice. I could also see a surprising number of stars, especially considering the level of the light pollution in the town. Still, I thought it was a very nice scene.

It’s reported that December 2021 was one of the poorest on record for sunshine. Apparently, we received just under 27 hours from that fusion furnace, whereas the average is up near 40 hours. I have memories of it being a very grey month.

This morning started off grey, and I wasn’t able to get out for a walk this morning. I did manage though to get out in the early afternoon, just before which , the sun had magically decided to grace us with its presence from behind the clouds, making places like Trinity appear as they should in all its glory.

At the same time, these little beauties (pests as some might call them);

I feel quite guilty, they are not quite tame, but they are definitely familiar with us and i intend to bring food for them but never remember. Having said that, they don’t look scrawny, or in that poor a health. They are certainly scampering around in a very spritely way.

It was just nice to get out in the sun. a very pleasant walk.

We went towards the cockle ponds, as we were walking along the side of the pond, we looked down, the water was surprisingly clear easy to see the bottom. Sadly, the first thing we saw was a dead crab. As we walked. Along the side of the pond, it was really disappointing to see the amount of the detritus that people had thrown in to the pond.

To me this shows a complete lack of respect, and disregard for the environment. There were pieces of matting, beer cans, tins. Other rubbish. It was really quite distressing to see. Why would people do this? Laziness seems too simplistic an explanation. Things like throwing trollies in to the ponds, and pieces of rubber matting that are not accidental throwing away.

I do have to say that Gosport Street Scene are pretty good. Several times I’ve told them about shopping trollies abandoned or thrown into the cockle ponds and they do respond. It may take them a little time but it does get done. The Gosport street cleaners are always on the go. Sometimes though, they fight a losing battle.

Last week I wrote a piece about being dissatisfied about my writing. I still am, but I can’t help wondering if I have latched on to one little thing. There have been a couple of times this week where I have written something on FaceBook about my morning walks where I have been fairly relaxed and the words have flowed quite freely, a little less rigid than I normally am.

It’s not that I want to be poetic, lets be realistic, I am writing about me, what I think (for the most part), my opinion, what I see. I think I am trying to write prose. I guess it’s autobiographic – is that correct? What I haven’t been writing about is a story of my life. Only very occasionally do I delve back in to my deep history. This is my history of this week.

Ironically, having said that I want to write briefly about one of the two books I am currently reading, the Purbeck camera. It has a picture of West Street in Wareham, a particular shop, well garage, it was a very simple garage only one or two pumps, I used to fill my moped there. We are talking 48 years ago! That came as a bit of a shock to me, why would that be?

I think these are Brent Geese. They were on Forton Lake yesterday as I did my walk up to the Millennium Bridge. I heard them before I got near the bridge. They weren’t raucous like the Canadian Geese can be, it was quite a gentle quiet conversation that was going on. It appears that their nesting grounds are in Siberia (I’m guessing that they are dark bellied) as opposed to pale-bellied, who breed in Canada and Greenland. Which ever they are, what a journey they’ve had. You really can’t help but be impressed with them.

I haven’t noticed the Brent Geese before, I am more used to seeing the Canada Geese, I was surprised to find that they don’t migrate. I’m not quite sure what their pattern is, but the there are times when I see hundreds of them, particularly on the playing fields at the southern end of of HMS Sultan.

I really love seeing them fly over, they are usually heading for one of a number of feeding grounds in the area, be it the Spring Garden Lane playing fields or Leesland Park or somewhere else. They swoop overhead in there magnificent formations callingto the others in their group, it really is lovely to see and hear.

I saw a fox on my walk this morning. Yet another part of the local fauna that it is a delight to see.