Winchester Christmas Market

Winchester Christmas market and the town were lit up for Christmas on Saturday and looking rather wonderful. 

 

Perhaps as reaction to the doom and gloom and financial catastrophe we constantly hear on the news or may be it was just a nice thing to do on an early Saturday evening but people were out in crowds. 

 

The Christmas market was absolutely jam packed

Even some of the side streets were decorated.

I can never decide if this shop is upmarket goth but it certainly has a Dickensian Christmas feel. 

The cathedral was spectacular, the colours changing constantly,  red was by far the most dramatic and I almost lost my place in the queue waiting for it to come around for the photo.

Looking up in the high street.

SCOWs in the West Solent

 SCOWs  from Hurst Castle SC making progress with the light airs in Keyhaven 

 

 

 

Miquette

 Google's AI seems to think that Miquette is a 1934 12 meter sloop built by Fife at Fairlie in Scotland, and is probably right respite the home port of Cowes on the stern.

There is more information on the 12 meter class official site. She certainly has all the Fife attributes,  quality of varnishing on the mast is excellent and presumably whatever other works are being carried out are of similar standards.

Hopefully get to see her out on the water next season.

 

Hurley 22

Some would say dated but when Ian Anderson designed a new small cruiser for George Hurley in the early 1960's he achieved a very competent and attractive yacht that's hard to criticise. The Hurley 22 is of it's time for sure, but it's difficult to point to a bad line or awkward angle on on the entire boat.

 With an impressive 40% ballast ratio this is a yacht that is good at sea when it gets rough, something to which multiple trans-Atlantic crossings have paid testament.

While the interior suffers like so many British boats from too many berth syndrome, it would make a comfy weekender for a couple. 

What's not to like, these days cheap as chips, very solidly built, small enough to get into crowded moorings, easy to keep and if you wanted to go off for a single handed jaunt across Biscay or the Atlantic plenty of folk have gone before you.

Nice Yawl

Rather nice and very well kept yawl ashore presumably for the winter

Would like to see it on the water and under sail

 

Great case of reusage

Brilliant use of a disused telephone box spotted in Lee on the Solent

 Those old phone boxes were made of cast iron and hopefully it's been additionally strengthened to protect against ram raiders and the like.

Not forgotten

First Sarisbury Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Squirrels ranging from four years to fourteen marched in parade to attend St Paul's church Remembrance Service on Sarisbury Green on Sunday

The service conducted by the Reverend Dave Crees had an additional dimension of reality relating his own service in Afghanistan and the loss of an infantryman he knew personally. 

The service was really well attended with local families and speaking to a few people the feelings were very much about the importance of keeping this memory and tradition alive and to continue the honour and memory of those fallen in defense of our nation. 

No less so the the local crocheters, who had decorated the postbox and church entrance with their wonderful works 

 There seems to be a very welcome revival in remembrance across the country, Durham lit up it's famous cathedral in red, which would be a great idea for St Paul's standing as it does on on the corner of the main A27 and the village green. St Paul's facebook has many more photos which are worth a visit.

We will be at the war memorial again at 11.00  today.

From the memorial in nearby Victoria Country Park

Write on this stone,

No words of sadness,

Only the gladness due.

That we who asked the most of living

Know how to give it too

Frank Thompson 1920 -1944