#Wordless Wednesday.
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Paddington
Paddington Bear visits Southampton.
Christmas.
Mum & Dad’s St Nicolas Christmas decoration was brought home by Granddad on the Queen Mary from the Soviet Union in 1960. This special family item is now in our safekeeping. following mum’s death back in September. This tissue paper decoration has great memories linking to my childhood.
Faces of the forest.
The number of animals killed on New Forest roads has shown a downward trend following high-profile safety campaigns in recent years. Although in 2023 there were 92 accidents involving animals up by 10 in 2022. I saw a sign up last week saying 52 animals have been killed on the Forest roads to date this year.
Turning tide.
The weather this December so far has been very poor. I had several very damp walks where I took no pictures.We have another weather warning today with a storm due tonight. After rain all last night a brightish morning gave a few hours respite at Meon Shore and Titchfield Haven and a bit of bird watching. With the weather warning the Haven is planning to be closing to visitors this weekend.
These Sanderling and lone Black-headed Gull are holding on as long as they can to a little island on the shore as the tide comes in.
A pair of Northern Shoveler looking their best out in the sun.
Cauliflower Fungus.
Street art.
A street artist known as Winchester’s answer to Banksy is said to have painted a mural of a little girl on a bus stop at Bishop’s Waltham. Creative Hendog is known for his murals, which have appeared in urban and rural locations across Hampshire.
Falklands War Remembered.
Wordless Wednesday.
Coming back into Portsmouth.
Into the Solent – continued part 2.
After visiting the forts we turned and headed back towards Portsmouth. In the distance out towards the nab tower, we could see ships waiting at anchor to enter the port.
Tuesday had been wet and windy but Wednesday the day of our trip was sunny and flat calm.
There is a passenger Hovercraft service from Southsea to the Isle of Wight. Hovertravel provides the fastest Isle of Wight ferry it is said to be the world’s only year-round passenger hovercraft service. The service takes you directly to the shore at Southsea or Ryde in just 10 minutes.
Outside Portsmouth Habour are 2 rows of 3 lights these mark the channel for HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince Of Wales.
The harbour entrance into Portsmouth Harbour is only around 200 m wide. A tight squeeze for our Aircraft Carriers!
Once into the Harbour, we proceeded past the Spinnaker Tower and historic dockyard into the Naval dockyard.
The Spinnaker Tower is a 170-metre (560 ft) observation tower A landmark it is the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour, Its building was supported by a National Lottery grant. there are viewing platforms near the top.
HMS Warrior is Britain’s first iron-hulled, armoured warship, she was launched in 1860, {around the same time as the forts}The pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet she was powered by steam and sail, – the largest, fastest and most powerful ship of her day and had a massive effect on naval shipbuilding of that time. Warrior was, in her time, the ultimate deterrent however within a few years, she was obsolete. Today, she is restored and back afloat and open to the public.
We were escorted into the Naval Dockyard. MOD police which ensure no craft gets too close the warships.
HMS Queen Elizabeth was in port the 1st of our 2 Aircraft Carriers which are the largest and most powerful vessels ever constructed for the Royal Navy. They each weigh 65,000 tonnes, have a top speed of over 25 knots per hour and a range of 10,000 nautical miles. Her Length is 284 m (932 ft)
HMS Dragon Type 45 is a Daring-class air-defence destroyer. She was launched in November 2008 and commissioned in 2012
HMS Diamond D34 another Daring-class was undergoing replenishment, further in the dockyard.
Note the barge with crane alongside, the signal flags read -top one CODE, then ROMEO then YANKEE – this means “slow down and no wash as you pass. The ship is being replenished.” I guess not munitions as no explosive flags were flying.
The 3rd Daring-class in port was HMS Dauntless {D33}
Decommissioned Royal Navy Type 23 Frigates HMS Monmouth F235 and HMS Montrose F236 stand awaiting their fate or scrapping on the “trots” at Portsmouth.
Leaving the Naval part of the dockyard we passed this old Lightship, now a nightclub and a Border Force patrol boat.
The tour ended from where we started,- a great day out on this Gosport ferry cruise.
Art trail.
From July 2024 you can explore Southampton and Cowes to discover 40- 8ft lighthouses, and 40 mini lighthouses on the Light the South art trail. On the hottest day of the year yesterday, I discovered a few. I hope to find some more in the coming weeks.
Shine on. Paintshop collaborated with Southampton Football Club. A twist to traditional horizontal red and white bars often found on Lighthouses and the iconic red stripes of the Saints football shirts, distorting these in the style of ‘dazzle camouflage’ frequently used on ships by the Navy during WW1 & 2.
Unlike any other holiday! The sponsor of this sculpture is Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines hosted a competition for people to design their lighthouse. The winning design was created by Theresa Hartnell and brought to life by Martin Davey and Julien Masson. Interestingly this lighthouse is on one of Southampton’s Titanic memorials.
Shine Bright & Light The Way. It is sponsored by Princess Cruises – The design combines a tapestry of abstracted maritime-inspired graphic forms with a positive message of optimism about light. The wording connects to the theme of what a lighthouse provides whilst also delivering a more metaphorical message of hope/ optimism to people, encouraging strength in individuality.
Beautiful Oceans is sponsored by DP World – a multinational logistics company. This lighthouse celebrates the beauty hidden in our oceans, this design shows two spiny seahorses entwined. They represent the fragile and protected species that are found here in the English Channel.
The a-maize-ing house. Is a fun design inspired by local produce that Hampshire has to offer. The varied growing conditions in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, ranging from the coast to the countryside, river valley to downland, heath to forest, yield an abundance of local produce.this lighthouse is sponsored by Pickwell Farm .
The Future is in Your Hands is sponsored by ABJ Minimix + Concrete2You + PicsUK It is a vibrant call to action, driven by a deep commitment to environmental education. The artwork unfolds as a kaleidoscope of colour, symbolising the energy needed for positive change the artwork prompts viewers to reflect on their role in shaping a sustainable future and engaging in meaningful conversation.
Love & Stability – Husband and wife duo Reilly Creative’s design has taken inspiration from Southampton’s flag, The lighthouse depicts an anchor and a Tudor rose. They have taken these elements and with a nod to the beautiful windows that can be found in Saint Marys Church, have turned them into a stained-glass effect design.
Chip Chip Hooray. The design is sponcered by Southampton Hospital Charities and inspired by the humble fish finger. This teatime treat was tested in Southampton in the 1950’s by Clarence Birdseye. They proved so popular that on the 26th of September 1955 the Fish Finger was officially launched by Birdseye. Hannah Jayne Lewin’s design shows a delicious fish and chip cone wrapped in newspaper and topped with ketchup.
Solent Ships, is a celebration of ships that can be seen in the Solent, and some things that lurk in the darkness of the sea. Solent Ships is sponsored by our Presenting Partner Red Funnel who run the ferries to the Isle of Wight.
All details about the sculptures are taken from the arttrail website. https://lightthesouth.co.uk/art-trail/
Continued Reflections from my World. 