Bills Posts

People – they are the problem. But first though, the rest of the walk; I heard that the Viking Star was coming in to the harbour as I was walking down Clarence Road. At that point the ship was at 3-Bar. On the approach to portsmouth there are a set of four buoys, labelled respectively 4-Bar, 3, 2 and 1-Bar. With the ship being at 3-Bar, I knew I was unlikely to get to the waterfront in time to see it come in through the harbour entrance. And indeed, as I was walking dow the high street the cruise ship was passing the head of the high street. I have been wanting to get a picture like this for quite a while.

When I got to the end of the Haslar Marina Pier Wall (HMPW) , I looked to the north, and I could see that Portchester was obscured by a mist, at the time though I wasn’t sure if it was heading away from or towards me. As it happens, it was the latter. I lingered on the HMPW, I saw the mist absorb first the Prince of Wales and then the Spinnaker. Interesting.

Now, back to the real subject of todays post. The problem being people. It is difficult to tell you just how much I enjoy talking to people. It’s mostly about what I am doing and why, and occasionally other conversations. This morning was I think the first negative encounter. I was walking along the high street for the second time when I was approached by a man on a bike. He started talking to me, and it was clear that he was very, very drunk. There was just something about him that made me nervous, almost a threat of violence. He didn’t, and I did everything I could to get away from him as quickly as possible without antagonising him. Luckily I was able to do so. But it was unnerving.

It won’t stop me.

Well, there’s a good bit of writers block at work here. I don’t know why, it was a lovely morning, the light, the air, the morning chorus, this picture which when I took it, I really didn’t expect to like quite as much as I do.

I thought I would write about my planned visit to Waterstones in Portsmouth, but for some reason I can’t imagine that my obsession with my bookshop frustrations make really good writing.

I have no concrete news about the various pieces of maintenance going on in the high street. I got home after my lunchtime walk and realised that where I had focussed on my current Audio book (Alastair Reynolds Revelation Space) that I hadn’t even registered whether anybody was working on the scaffolding.

I did pay attention to the jelly fish this morning, they were well spread out along the south side of the big cockle pond, that was very nice to see, but otherwise that’s about it. I’m sorry for this being a short one.

Walking through town, there were workmen putting up the scaffolding. It’s getting to the stage that when I see something like this, I am finding it difficult to walk past things like this without at least making an attempt to finds out what is going on.

I spoke to one of the blokes who was working on the site, he was one of the scaffolding erectors. Now, scaffolding is an art form on its own. I’ll see if I can get a picture of it in the morning without the lorry in place.

Anyhow the chap I spoke to couldn’t tell me why the scaffolding is going up, and the chap said, when you see somebody in the window ask them. I need to keep an eye on this.

As a matter of interest, in 1882 this building was constructed for the tailor Henry Masterman.

Otherwise, the lunchtime walk down the high street was as usual interesting in that I was surprised at the number of people out and about. Mind you, the weather was pleasant, so it’s not surprising that people were out in numbers.

I caught these two on their way out, it was almost like a race between them. I wonder if they were both heading towards the same fishing grounds? Either way, I really hope they had a good days fishing.

I took the picture from the end of the Haslar Marina Pier Wall (HMPW). Sometimes there are people at the HMPW fishing even at that early hour of the morning. You can almost guarantee that there will be people fishing along the HMPW at lunchtime, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are people there now.

On YouTube, if you look for a feed called “Local Marks Fishing” you will find a whole bunch of videos about a chap who fishes in the local area. He fishes at all times of the day and night and night and in all weathers. There’s a video of the chap, I thought the Mark in the title was his name but the local marks are places to fish, anyhow there’s a video of him out during a rather spectacular thunderstorm. He was OK, mostly sat in his car, and because he was safe, I can say that the video was quite entertaining.

One of my favourite places in Gosport is the sea wall near Haslar. I love sitting there watching the ships and exchanging pleasantries with people who walk past. I’ve spoken to people fishing who have driven down from Milton Keynes just for the day. Who’d have thought it.

I love sitting by the edge of the water, be it sea or river, but I couldn’t fish. I did try it once with a rod on the rivers edge, I didn’t catch anything and once with a crab line off the pier at Swanage. I caught a fish there. I reeled it in, and then didn’t know what to do with it. Another lad took over, I have this horrible mixed memory of him killing the fish, and then throwing it back in to the sea – but, it’s 50 odd years ago, so the memory is a bit dim. He might just have thrown it back – I hope he did.

Actually, the picture isn’t from the garden centre.

Gosport’s new Garden centre opened at the beginning of the month. Today, is the first time that I had visited it.

I must say that whilst access to the centre was by driving through a housing estate, it was fine. The facility itself is big, and very nicely laid out. We had lunch in the restaurant – that call it a cafe, it really is more than that. I had Chicken and Leak pie with potatoes and veg. It was very nice. I’ll definitely eat there again.

The rest of the centre was laid out as many garden centres I have visited. That is not in any way to run it down. It is a very good facility for the town, and very nice to see.

Although a garden centre, like others, it caters for other tastes including books. In the nicest possible way, that is one area they could improve. Even Titchfield Abbey has a better selection, and they are not the best in the area.

A couple of days ago, I got the itch – the urge to visit a bookshop. Seems likely I may pay visit to the Portsmouth Waterstones. I must admit, as a a University town, I am surprised that this is the only major bookstore in the city. This is one of the things I miss about Cambridge. That city has a number of excellent places, that I always enjoy visiting when I get the chance.

Once again, the picture bears no relation to todays post. It is another from the top of Butser Hill.

I went out for a walk today. I had planned to walk down to Gilkicker and around that area. Before I went out, I asked Alexa if it would rain in Gosport today. Her response was that there was a 51% chance that it would be raining at 11AM. I left the house at around 10:10.

As soon as I stepped outside I felt a spot of rain. I knew before I left that Gilkicker would be off the cards. Perhaps tomorrow, with it being a bank holiday. Instead followed my fallback route, which usually puts me no more than 15 minutes from home.

There was a group of people with flags on Walpole Park, of course I had to find out what they were about. I don’t wish to get involved in the politics, let’s just say that I understood what they were saying to me. I’m not entirely convinced that I agree with them – I think I will leave it at that.

There were lots, and I mean lots of jelly fish, all around the edge of the cockle pond. I wonder if they are out in the middle of the pond. The Model Yachters were out in force today, and but the way the models were performing, I think it was a good day for them. I do wonder if the jelly fish interfere with the models – it didn’t look as though it did.

There were only a few small boats and the Gosport Ferry moving around, not much activity. One of the rough sleepers was on the Esplanade doing something with his bike. Bikes are a bit like cars to me, tools to get me from A to B. From the way he was speaking he is quite knowledgeable about bikes. He even told me that he had a qualification related to bike maintenance. I don’t know really, but I am guessing that there are several factors that would prevent him from applying for a job. I do wonder though. I might ask next time I see him.

I got a little bit wet, but not too much. It was a quite nice walk.

Butser Hill stands to the north of Portsmouth to the western side of the A3, the road you can see in the picture. I remember the first time I was driving along the A3, and saw the hill, and that there were people walking up the hill. That was probably around 2011 – 2012. I was only working in the area at that time, and knew it would be unlikely that I would either walk up it, or even just reach the top.

After we moved to the area, and I became involved in RAYNET, and the Butser Hill Challenge was the first event I was involved in, I think 2017. That put me at the very top of the hill. It was an incredible experience. I have been involved in the BHC for several years now, usually working at the same point near the top. I always enjoy it.

Today, we decided that we would take a picnic to the top of the hill. I thought we would just walk around the top, I didn’t think that would do the climb, but Alex and I did. I was shocked but we did it. I am absolutely delighted.

It was an excellent day. here’s a picture of the Trig Point;

I’ve learned that I can walk through the High Street at lunchtime and resist my brain cajoling me to buy food that I don’t need. today for example, I resisted the pleadings for pasties and chocolate, even though I did go in to Morrisons, I bought only what I intended to, and resisted the shoutings of my brain.

I am getting to see regulars when I am out on my lunchtime walk through town. One of my favourites is the man who feeds birds. I see him nearly every lunchtime on his mobility scooter heading towards the Falkland Gardens. The birds know him, and are waiting for him as he turns up. Today he must have had twenty plus pigeons and a bunch of starlings around him.

Another episode with birds are the people who sit and have lunch along the Esplanade. The Gulls line up along the wall, waiting for discarded food.

I met a friend whom I haven’t seen for quite a while. Apparently he’d had a week in hospital, but I haven’t seen him for quite a while before that. He’s OK.

There are of course the usual shopkeepers, they are mostly going to be regulars of course.

It all makes for an interesting walk, that really is quite a contrast to the quietness of the morning walk.

I have a need to write about an experience that I had this morning that made me feel very awkward. It’s a bit sensitive, so please bear with me.

Unless something stops me, like rain, I always go for my morning walk, leaving the house at around 0550. I usually follow the same route. That takes me along Forton Road, down Clarence Road and on to the High Street down to the Ferry and on from there.

As I was approaching the ferry this morning, I was approached by a lady. Normally people approach me to ask me what I am doing. I love that and am more than happy to explain why I am carrying a tripod with a handheld anemometer and my phone mounted on it, talking what looks like myself – actually, it’s to my radio. I accept, I look and sound odd (“2E1PHW, this is 2E0WGK, good morning everybody” – say it out loud, it sounds odd).

Anyhow, this lady told me that I worried her, that she had been afraid of being assaulted but when she heard me talking, she felt better and knew that I wasn’t a threat. I don’t ever want anyone to think of me as threatening. It distresses me that someone may. Unless they know me, no one can know. In some peoples perceptions, this is the price of being a man, to be thought of as a potential threat. It is horrible.

I really didn’t know what to say to her. Why did she approach me like that? Does she view every man as a threat until she is satisfied that we are not?

I have to say, I thought it sad and strange.

This building was until recently part of Gosport’s Discovery Centre or library. It used to be the Grammar School. As part of the discovery centre, it held two primary sets of documents; the military, particularly naval history of the town and area, and a very big genealogy section.

It is a surprisingly big building and for a school in what is a slightly unusual location – but that is for today’s society. In the days of the height of the school, it would have been entirely appropriate.

In the last years, the resources in this part of the Discovery Centre (I’m going to call it the school for the sake of convenience and brevity) have been moved out in to the main library building – and very nicely laid out the new section is as well. I may get in there this Saturday for a little bit of research.

Anyhow, that is not what I wanted to write about, instead it is this;

This building site is at the heart of the new museum and gallery which is being built. This then, is one of those newsy things that I wrote about being interested in following and reporting on. So, I am going to keep track of this and give you occasional reports. As I will with the traffic situation in town as the bus stop site develops.