For me, the ripening fields of bright yellow rapeseed signal the first sign of spring. This year, they seem to have appeared a little earlier than usual along Lovedean and Chalton Lanes near Clanfield, Hampshire. I wonder where the next crops will – well – crop up – as normally, I would expect to be…
Category: A3Traveller
HMS Warrior
I fleetingly remember the excitement shown by my mother, an ex-writer wren, when HMS Warrior came to town in 1987. I seem to recall Warrior tea-towels, place settings, mugs and key rings being given to us for birthdays, at Christmas and well, at every opportunity. So truth be told, I never really wanted to hear any…
The best view of The Solent: Portsdown Hill
I would suggest to any Portsmouth visitor that they should first drive up to Portsdown Hill to gain an unbeatable vista over the city and the Solent. Obviously it’s best when the weather is clement but that view is intriguing for me (and most locals) in any weather system. To orientate you, on the left hand…
The alternative Nelson’s column
When you come from a major naval port like Portsmouth, you can’t help but be aware of the daring exploits of the ‘senior service’ – as my mother (a former Wren) always referred to the Royal Navy – and Lord Horatio Nelson. Though from childhood, I knew of Nelson’s various memorials dotted around the city and…
Pawprint series: Farlington Marshes
If you have ever wondered what lies between the A3 motorway and the Eastern Road, then wonder no more for this is Farlington Marshes, Managed by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, this is their oldest nature reserve and it stretches from the northern shore of Langstone Harbour between Portsmouth and Havant to the…
What’s in a memory?
How do you remember your favourite travels? When I first started travelling, I wasn’t much of a photographer and whilst I would now take the odd snap as a keepsake, back in the day I would bring back an object which would remind me of the destination. I still tend to do it occasionally –…
Basel: New Featured Image
I tend to change the background on my blog every now and again and the current image comes from a visit to the art capital of Switzerland: Basel. I had just crossed over the Rhine on one of the four ferries that zig zag from bank to bank using the water current as its power…
Basel’s most stylish Christmas tree …
From a recent trip to Basel, Switzerland, the home of culture and artistic finesse, I discovered one of the most innovative Christmas trees I have ever seen. Found at Les Garecons, the gastronomic enclave at the German Railway Station, it is made of recycled plastic bottles, filled with coloured liquid and in the evening, it…
Pic of the Month: ESPA at Fairmont Baku, Azerbaijan
I took this image when visiting ESPA at Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers in Azerbaijan recently. I loved the shadows which flitted across the table on which the flowers were located – and indeed, the delicate beauty of the flower itself. It seems to give promise to a calming, beautiful experience, which, knowing the ESPA product,…
11th hour, 11th day, 11th month …
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Robert Laurence Binyon
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