Merry Christmas

 

 

Local knitters out in force  and doing a great job decorating not just the post box but the old phone box for Christmas, will make you smile even if you've missed the last posting date.

Collective Spirit

I've read about Collective Spirit a really interesting project boat which is made up of over 1200 donated components

Walking alongside the hull is fascinating, seeing all the items that have been set into the hull

"Donors gave their wooden objects for the project from the highly personal to pieces of national importance. They include fragments from over 50 houses, hockey sticks, sections of vessels from family sailing boats to the Mary Rose, a piece of the Cutty Sark and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Wooden spoons, toys, even a shaving from one of Jimi Hendrix’s guitars.

Each item was catalogued, capturing the fascinating stories and memories behind each donation. The story behind each piece was documented and became part of the fabric of the boat."

 

Grey Christmas?

 Things certainly aren't looking likely for a white Christmas, this time of year London is usually cold and ablaze with festive lights, not currently, it's so grey and overcast that some of the taller buildings are obscured by the low clouds that have descended on the city.

 

 The cold grey Thames looks well cold, grey and uninviting

Spare a though for those unfortunate folks with apartments in in the shard, who's view has been completely spoiled.

The only bright lights on this particular night were from the traffic reflecting off the wet streets.

 Fingers crossed things get better before Christmas,

Wandering around Bursledn yards

 I realise I'm probably getting a bit dull writing about and taking photos of the same old places, but I haven't actually been this part of the Bursledon waterfront for quite a while

Lovely clinker dinghy/daysailer above, presumably good to keep in the water for the season. Below a modern GRP version of a classic I think a Lock Broom post boat.

At the very back of the yard some interesting projects that look like work might have stalled

Out in the river below and above the bridge things are pretty crowded, yachts downstream and motorboats upstream beyond the bridge.

 

More Advent brewing

Mrs BB has been busy scouting interesting and unusual beers, of which Ice Coffee pale ale was probably the most unusual. Actually it was surprisingly ok.

Chocolate stout always good at this time of year on a cold dark evening.

Predictable and drinkable, perhaps easier to drink from a can than some of their showcase pubs,  I'm waiting to see someone very drink come out of the toilets and get stuck in the slide in their Waterloo pub, if you've been there you'll know what I'm talking about.

 Not sure why northern punks (and in case anyone west of the Atlantic should drop by, punk as in Johnny Rotten or Joe Strummer both from London) should want to drink apple strudel and custard flavour beer, I'll find out shortly.

 Outland Bader seem to spend a lot of time writing about badgers and sheep, although the beer tasted fine.

Not sure about session beer in a can, not that I'm especially up for a session these days, but if I was it really needs to be in the pub with your mates and hand pulled.
 

Breezy - storm Darragh

 The weekend was a bit breezy as storm Darragh swept through, first thing Saturday I walked do the river, the winds was blowing perpendicular across the river and even with that short fetch was kicking up waves on the lee shore, the pic doesn't really do justice to the scene.

Sunday was a bit more traumatic one of the trees at the front of the house had blown down, fortunately missing the cars and  especially Cornish Cormorant Tosh by inches which is parked almost under the tree.

Local cars

Few interesting cars at the late season meeting of Locks Heath classic car club, guessing this cute yellow convertible is an Austin 7?

Always nice to see a Cobra'  whether a kit or a rare original, this one looked good enough to be an original, either way this hardtop version looks great and certainly had the muscle and horse power to match the looks!

This Hilman Imp has a long racing history, I really should have taken photos of the history which was on display inside the car. 

The Competition Department of the Rootes Group developed a 998 c.c. Imp  based on the successful Works Team Imps back in the day which did very well in International events.

Coke bottle Corvette, if you're going to have an American sports car this is the one to have.

of course if economy is on your mind one of these might be the answer, I can remember seeing them in he early 60's, cheap to. but and run, certainly in late 1950's UK austerity, plus the advantage that they would be driven on a motorcycle license, which many folks had as motorcycles were popular transport in post war Britain.

I've long thought that a 60's Mustang would make a good daily driver, even in the UK, modern paint protection systems to keep the dreaded rust at bay, the 289cc V8's are reliable and spares are available, power steering and automatic would make for a relatively comfy drive.

Some interesting front suspension on this Model T, apparently it's a circa 1916 model with no brass as that was required by the US military so Ford switched to steel radiators, as I recall this suspension was to give better control and movement over the then largely unmade roads.

 

Bladerunner

 For many years wind generator blades were and maybe still are manufactured in the Isle of Wight, specialist barges were built or modified to transport the bladed back to the mainland, if I recall correctly named Blade Runner 1 and 2.

 This one looks much larger than the old Blade Runner's and was heading in the wrong direction towards the Isle of Wight.

Beer Advent

 Mrs BB has bought be a beer advent again,  I don't normally drink much these days, although I do like to drop in the local craft bar once a week, so I'm not sure that I'll keep up one a day, but it'll be good to stock up the beer fridge.

I sent this picture with serving instructions to a friend in Yorkshire who replied  "too ****** right! In fact best served IN the north!!"

Tooth and claw tasted fine, but was very cloudy, brought to mind the old joke "all beverages have been passed by the management".

Not sure about being my Galaxy but definitely tasty.

 Another one waiting or perhaps lurking is a better term somewhat menacingly the Mad Squirrel Big Sea IPA.

Dark side day trip

 On a fine Sunday afternoon, possibly the last before winter sets in, friend Malcolm offered a trip out on his motor boat. While it wasn't exactly a day for lounging on the rear sundeck it was cozy and comfortable under the targa roof and effortless cruising for a fast run around the Solent.

 Returning to the Hamble a few folks taking similar of the ideal conditions.

 

Wayfarer

 Nice old woodie Wayfarer out on the river on a late but fine autumn day

Number 423 dates it around 1961 according to the Wayfarer Association so very similar to Frank Dye's famous  Wayfarer W48 now on display at the National Maritime museum in Falmouth (well worth a visit)

 

Storm Bert

Great photo of the lumpy conditions at the Needles at the western end of the Solent,  photo courtesy of Hurst Castle SC member taken from  the safe comfort of an armchair via a local webcam, but still a great picture.

 

 

Here in the middle of the Solent we are slightly sheltered from the southerly wind, but the wind was still howling up the river, kicking up some nasty waves even at low water.

 Screen shot from Hurst Castle weather file  shows winds +50mph for most of the morning with gusts in to the 60 mph's.

Velocette

 This looks like a Velocette MAC, a 350cc single cylinder which was produced from 1933 through to 1960

This model looks like one of the last circa 1959 or 1960, lovely example.

 

St Valery sur Somme

St Valery sur Somme sits on a limestone promontory in the heart of the bay where the canal maritime heads inland to connect with Abbeville.  St Valerie  was visited by both William the Conqueror and Joan of Arc. Today the former medieval city with cobbled streets,has been given over to tourism.

The old town quay must have been a great place to sit out bad weather, the channel turns left and out into the bay

 Looking inland toward the canal the town marina, with the huge tides and associated strong currents in the areas not to mention the many sand banks and shallows it must be a challenging area to sail, probably like north Norfolk coast or the Severn or Dee estuaries in the UK.

The Somme Bay railway has a terminus in St Valerie, originally built during the Epoque, traditional carriages are drawn by  steam locomotives connecting to the nearby towns of Le Crotoy, Noyelles-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and Cayeux-sur-Mer for tourists who enjoy the quaint charm of Victorian travel during a tour of the seaside resorts

 

Unusual launch

Poor photo which was taken pretty much at the end of range of my ancient iPhone, the bows which can just be made out, were almost square, presumably the underwater profile was different.

 The stern suggested some kind of electric propulsion, it was moving along a good pace so seemed effective.

Remembrance Day

 Is still alive and well, there was a good turn out for the parade on Sunday led by local Scouts and Guides from the two villages Hamble and Netley.

Around the area the local knitters (actually crochet) have been decorating local post boxes, above classic RAF pilot and nurse are brilliantly represented.

The door to St Paul's on the green at Sarisbury, a few of us gathered outside by the war memorial with a small party of children from Sarisbury school, the Mayor, local Councillors, armed forces and police.

 

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. 

Laurence Binyon, 1869 - 1943

Working Boat at Itchenor

Looks like a serious piece of kit, presumably for maintenance of the many harbour moorings

 

Hurdel Baie de Somme

Located at the end of a spit in the Baie de Somme, the area is part of a nature reserve, the last vestiges of sea side holiday making and the casino at  disappear as you head north east from Cayeax sur Mer along the trail in the sand dunes.

With tide out there are vast stretches of empty beach, I didn't check tides for Hurdel but just along the coast to. the west where we were staying the rise was 8 meters, presumably similar here with some very strong tidal currents going in and out of the estuary.

The remains of a massive gun emplacement form the war, presumably the tidal erosion has undercut the foundations over the years leaving it like stranded wreckage form a Start Wars movie.

The village is still active with some fishing boats,pleasure boats and yachts tucked further up the river and day trip boats taking visitors out to see the seals with

 To give a little scale to the gun emplacement