Life – Journeys of Heart and Mind

Blast from the past… 18

Donna’s Dad had a hot air balloon flight for two as a birthday present and this was the day he chose for the ascent, inviting me to join him.

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Notes from bygone years – May all your Mays be amazing
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

May 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

We took Donna’s Mum, Isobel, for a weekend break at a Warners hotel; the one we visited is Holme Lacy, not far from Hereford. Donna thought Isobel would enjoy this place, and she was right. In the evening there were tribute bands singing songs that were popular in the 50s and 60s, so music that is still popular amongst the older generation these days. The outside areas are attractive too as you can see from the photo.

JHM: I wrote about the expansion of excavations at Pompeii. – World events: – The WHO downgraded COVID from being a global health emergency to just a pandemic; Charles III and Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey.

< Apr 2023 – June 2023 >

May 2022 (2 years before publishing)

I had a suspected cold but needed to be sure it wasn’t COVID as I was planning to be with a group of friends, but as you can see the result was negative.

I don’t think any of us wants to go through another pandemic! It was very disruptive in so many ways.

World events: The Eurovision Song Contest was won by Ukraine; and the Event Horizon Telescope revealed Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole.

< Apr 2022 – Jun 2022 >

May 2019 (5 years before)

Choosing a day with beautiful sunshine, we visited Hidcote Gardens and then Charlcote Park (pictured). The ingenuity, design and construction that went into gardens and houses like these is astounding. But they depended on the work of large numbers of people much less fortunate than the people who lived in them.

World events: An inter-governmental report found more than a million species were at risk of extinction; and Theresa May announced her resignation as Conservative leader.

< Apr 2019 – Jun 2019 >

May 2014 (10 years)

New Frontiers were holding their annual gathering at the National Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh and I felt I should take my friends Kev and John to one of the sessions. They’d shown real interest in Jesus and we’d been reading through parts of the Bible in a local coffee shop in St Neots. The photo shows them listening to news about church planting in Pakistan.

JHM: I posted about something unexpected that happened at Stoneleigh. – World events: The ‘Luhansk People’s Republic‘ declared independence from Ukraine; and Narendra Modi became the 14th prime minister of India.

< Apr 2014 – Jun 2014 >

May 2009 (15 years)

River Church in St Neots had a day out at Grafham Water on 25th May. Here’s Jim’s giant Jenga being put to good use. Everyone had a great time, but Jim’s Jenga tower is nowhere near the largest. Try this one for size!

JHM: I wrote about the internet; and about a meeting where freedom was the main thing. – World events: The Hubble Space Telescope was serviced by Atlantis; and the Sri Lankan Civil War ended afer 25 years of fighting.

< Apr 2009 – Jun 2009 >

May 2004 (20 years)

Ken and Gayna are good friends of ours. Ken and Donna were both working and I was working a four day week at that time, so Gayna and I visited Ely Cathedral which she’d never seen before. The photo shows the lantern, an astonishing design and structure for medieval times.

JHM: One of our meetings focused on love and kindness. – World events: The European Union expanded, adding ten further states; and the First Battle of Fallujah ended.

< Apr 2004 – Jun 2004 >

May 1999 (25 years)

On 1st May we visited Donna’s parents. Her Dad had a hot air balloon flight for two as a birthday present and this was the day he chose for the ascent, inviting me to join him. In the photo, I’m on the left and Tony’s on the right. It was an amazing experience!

World events: A tornado in Oklahoma involved record-breaking winds of over 300 mph; at the Hague, Slobodan Milošević and four others were indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

< Apr 1999 – Jun 1999 >

May 1994 (30 years)

I replied to a mailing list message about SUPER.EXE, an MS-DOS utility for getting temporary admin rights on a Novell Netware server. It saved logging out and in again (twice) or, even worse, going to the locked server room to perform the same task from there.

World events: F1 world champion, Ayrton Senna died in a crash; the Channel Tunnel opened between England and France; and Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.

< Apr 1994 – Jun 1994 >

May 1989 (35 years)

We visited Cirencester and my Mum and Dad took us to North Meadow at Cricklade to look at the snake’s head fritillaries growing wild there. After that we drove up the Stow Road to see orchids and pasqueflowers. It was quite the botanical field trip!

World events: The Soviet Union issued its first Visa card; Hungary dismantled barbed wire fencing along its border with Austria; and the last golden toad (now extinct) was seen in Costa Rica.

< Apr 1989 – Jun 1989 >

May 1984 (40 years)

My daughter Beth loved hamsters, so when she was six I wrote a Sinclair Spectrum text adventure for her, starring a hamster. If you use a Spectrum emulator you can still load and run this game. I suggest the Fuse emulator (free). Once installed, here’s the Hamster! download.

World events: The Severomorsk Disaster was an enormous explosion at the Soviet Severomorsk Naval Base; and a gas explosion in Lancashire killed 16 people.

< Apr 1984 – Jun 1984 >

May 1979 (45 years)

We travelled to a Post Green meeting at Lytchett Minster near Poole with our friends Paul and Jenny as we had no car at this time. Tony and Faith also drove down. This was an eye-opening experience for all six of us, we learned so much about community, making music, and the gifts of the Spirit. We camped in a borrowed tent and our one-year-old, Beth, slept in a cardboard box. Beth’s first birthday came in May as well, Debbie was already four, our family was growing up!

World events: Margaret Thatcher became the UK’s first woman prime minister; and Greenland was granted limited autonomy from Denmark.

< Apr 1979 – Jun 1979 >

May 1974 (50 years)

I was still doing a little work on willow growth rates for Ken Stott, the Willows officer at LARS, but Ken had been providing help to the Pomology Group and I was working more and more on that. I’d had a promotion to Higher Scientific Officer (HSO) and was eager to spend more time on microscopy and pollination.

World events: The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) exploded four car bombs in counties Dublin and Monaghan, killing 33 and injuring 300; and India successfully detonated its first nuclear weapon.

< Apr 1974 – Jun 1974 >

May 1969 (55 years)

As Bath University Horticulture students, we visited commercial sites from time to time see horticulture in action and ask questions of the managers and staff. The photo shows one of these visits in May 1969. Peter Thoday, one of our lecturers at the time and later a TV personality, is at the back on the right.

World events: An American teenager died of a baffling medical condition, later identified as HIV/AIDS; Apollo 10‘s lunar module flew two astronauts to within 16 km of the Moon‘s surface.

< Apr 1969 – Jun 1969>

May 1964 (60 years)

Here’s my sister, Ruth, busy with coloured chalks and a little slate. The floor covering is linoleum, bought by my grandparents for the house, now relegated to the garden. In the background is my old scooter from the mid 1950s. Ruth is on the loggia, a covered area in the garden with three open sides.

World events: The first BASIC computer program was run; and large student protests against the Vietnam War began in US cities.

< Apr 1964 – Jun 1964>

May 1959 (65 years)

May probably brought school half-term, Spring Bank Holiday was 18th, the Eleven Plus exams loomed, and probably came in June; it was strange to realise that at the end of term, my days at Junior School would be over! Uncertainty lay ahead but I don’t remember feeling anxious, nor indeed excited.

World events: North Vietnam implemented plans to invade South Vietnam; and a Jupiter AM-18 rocket launched two monkeys into space from Cape Canaveral, returning them safely to Earth.

< Apr 1959 – Jun 1959>

May 1954 (70 years)

I had a letter from my older cousin, Jill. At this time she was staying in a hostel in Deptford, London. She had watched the Royal Yacht Britannia returning home with the Queen and Prince Philip on board. The ship was brand new at the time and she wanted to describe the event for me. Click the image to read an extract.

World events: Roger Bannister ran a mile in less than four minutes; and Diane Leather became the first woman to run a mile in less than five minutes.

< Apr 1954 – Jun 1954>

May 1949 (75 years)

Approaching ten months old, I might have started imitating sounds. I’d have been fairly mobile and no doubt making a nuisance of myself by crawling. Perhaps I had a favourite toy by this time too. We were still living with my grandparents, though Mum and Dad were hoping to move to a home of their own soon.

World events: Britain’s EDSAC, the first practicable stored-program computer, ran its first program; and the Federal Republic of Germany was established.

< Apr 1949 – Jun 1949>

May 1944 (80 years)

In May, Dad had several firsts during basic training for the RAF. He threw a live hand grenade, went through a gas chamber and removed his mask inside, fired a Sten gun, and suffered a carbuncle on his neck that required a stay in Sick Quarters. On 25th May Dad was moved, with 12 others, to an RAF station at Wilmslow in Cheshire.

World events: In the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol, Soviet troops finally drove out all German forces; and on 15th Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and other leaders met for the final D-Day joint briefing.

< Apr 1944 – Jun 1944>

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A canal walk through Chalford

The wooded valley rises sharply on either side, the River Frome runs along the valley bottom, and stone cottages cling to the slopes on either side.

I set out for a walk along the canal, not intending anything more than a quick explore. I began near Chalford and thought of walking in the Stroud direction, but on the spur of the moment I decided to follow the canal through Chalford village instead as I hadn’t gone that way before.

This is a typical view of the canal in this section

A gentle stroll turns into a major plan

I was enjoying my walk and soon decided to extend it as far as the mouth of the canal tunnel at Daneway Inn. While driving home afterwards I had the idea of walking the entire route in small chunks. So I now have a plan for the old Thames and Severn canal; I’ve done several sections previously, but this time I hope to repeat the walks, covering as much as possible in short sections, and writing up each walk for Journeys of Heart and Mind (JHM).

Part of the canal runs through a tunnel with several sections blocked by collapses, some other sections run through private property and can’t be accessed. Others have been filled in, turned into roads, or are otherwise not walkable. But where the canal has been restored, the towpaths are in great condition. Elsewhere, towpaths are usually passable, especially in dry weather, and they are usually open for use even when the canal itself remains derelict.

Making a start

I was able to park the car right by the tow path (Map), just off London Road west of Chalford (very near Belvedere Mews). Don’t assume you’ll be able to do the same; you might, but there’s only room for half a dozen cars here.

The canal is quite derelict in this section, there’s water in it at many points, but not everywhere. The stonework and brickwork of the locks is severely damaged, and more recent structures such as pipes and small bridges cross the canal and will need to be rerouted or rebuilt. In places the canal has been filled in and one section has been used as a diversion and is now part of the River Frome. The eastern part of today’s route will be very expensive to restore; there are, for example, sixteen locks to rebuild, and not just a simple refurbishment of the masonry and new, timber, lock gates. For the most part it will be a combination of restoration and refacing where possible, but full reconstruction from scratch in many places where the damage is particularly severe.

It’s hard to grasp how destructive the natural world is to our built environment. The canal was dug 235 years ago (completed in 1789) and during its period of use must have been well maintained and repaired whenever necessary. The last narrow boat traffic passed this way about 100 years ago. It was already in bad shape by then, but natural decay, leaks and the growth of trees has resulted in the dereliction we see today.

Section by section

Leaving the car, and carrying my rucksack with a water bottle, I headed east along the tow path. I didn’t take a map, but the path is well marked. I subscribe to the OS maps on my phone (good enough for walks like this) and next time I plan to use the OS 6-inch map for 1892 to 1914 to better understand the canal’s surroundings while it was still in use.

(Hint: Click any image to enlarge it.)

The section through Chalford village is very pretty, on the information boards it’s likened to a Swiss valley. That’s a fair comparison, I think. The wooded valley rises sharply on either side, the River Frome (or Stroudwater) runs along the valley bottom, and stone cottages cling to the slopes on either side. If you could only visit one place along the canal, Chalford would be an excellent choice.

Beyond the eastern end of Chalford, the tow path passes a lake on the left; originally this was a mill pond, supplying water to turn the wheel at Baker’s Mill. When the canal was constructed, water supply was a frequent problem and the mill pond was extended by the canal engineers to keep this section of the canal full enough even when the locks were operating frequently due to higher traffic levels. The lake is partly silted up now, especially close to the mill, and it has become a wildlife reserve. Passing this point I spotted a swan’s nest in use and a group of mallards nearby.

Some sections of the canal are badly silted and are full of plants like this glorious marsh marigold close to Siccaridge Wood. The nature reserve is well worth a visit if you have time. The site stretches up the hill from the canal and faces south, so it’s a warm spot when the sun shines and likely avoids early frosts in autumn and late ones in the spring. Further on again, a small footbridge crosses the canal and the tow path continues on the north bank until it reaches Daneway Lane.

I stopped at the Daneway Inn for a lovely Coronation Chicken sandwich with a simple salad and some crisps along with a welcome cup of coffee. I have to report that service was prompt and I felt welcomed. The canal continues a little further and the path resumes from the corner of the Inn car park. The tunnel portal (Map) looks mysterious and, frankly, uninviting. It would have been an adventure to travel through the tunnel in a narrow boat; one day it may be possible again!

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Blast from the past… 17

We flew to Cyprus for a holiday at a hotel in Paphos. Cyprus is a fascinating place in so many ways: archaeology, landscape, biology, society.

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Notes from bygone years – Aprils springing up everywhere
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

April 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

Donna and I spent a week in Weston-super-Mare while her brother and sister-in-law were on holiday walking on Dartmoor. We stayed in their flat and combined looking after their two, black Labradors (Marple and Maizi) with an enjoyable week away ourselves.

The photo shows Maizi holding a stick while watching another one on the beach, clearly hoping I’ll pick it up and throw it; she is ultra-focused on this possibility! They’re senior dogs now, when Maizi was young it would have been a much larger stick!

JHM: I wrote ‘More on groundbreaking‘ about Jesus and his authority. – World events: – Finland joined NATO; and SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the first time.

< Mar 2023 – May 2023 >

April 2022 (2 years before publishing)

I’ve always enjoyed walking, and I also like taking photos. On April 26th 2022 I walked along the field margins from Stratton to the polo grounds outside Cirencester Park, then down through woodland paths into town. The wild garlic was in full flower in the woods so I took a photo of it, growing here amongst sparse stinging nettle. The flowers look like snow from a distance, but close up they are exquisite.

World events: The IPCC released its sixth assessment warning of serious impacts from a warming climate; Ukraine sank the cruiser, Moskva.

< Mar 2022 – May 2022 >

April 2019 (5 years before)

We visited London for two days, here we’re visiting a tropical jungle at the very top of one of the city’s tallest buildings, the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ building at 20 Fenchurch Street. It’s really strange to visit a hilly area with mature trees on the top three floors of a 38-storey building!

JHM: I wrote about spiritual melody. – World events: A black hole was imaged for the first time; and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was seriously damaged by fire.

< Mar 2019 – May 2019 >

April 2014 (10 years)

On 16th Donna and I visited Burwash Manor, near Cambridge, where there were a number of small shops and businesses to explore as well as a place for coffee and refreshments. We very much enjoyed looking around and had lunch while we were there.

JHM: I posted about suffering in its various forms. – World events: The ‘Donetsk People’s Republic‘ declared independence from Ukraine; and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stripped Russia of its voting rights.

< Mar 2014 – May 2014 >

April 2009 (15 years)

Donna’s birthday is in April, and in 2009 she was forty-years-old. She had a party with family, friends, work colleagues from Unilever at Colworth, and Open Door Church members all present. As you can see in the photo (click to enlarge it), the cake was a Noah’s Ark and was really beautifully and elaborately iced. There was an evening meal and dance at a nearby village hall.

JHM: I posted an article on Wolfram Alpha, this fascinating website is still available – World events: Albania and Croatia joined NATO; and UNESCO launched the World Digital Library.

< Mar 2009 – May 2009 >

April 2004 (20 years)

We flew to Cyprus for a holiday at a hotel in Paphos. Cyprus is a fascinating place in so many ways: archaeology, landscape, biology, society – there was a lot to see. The photo shows ‘The Tombs of the Kings‘ near Paphos. It’ not a built structure, but cut out of the solid rock.

JHM: We had some thoughts about being in the King’s presence. – World events: A referendum failed to reunite Cyprus.

< Mar 2004 – May 2004 >

April 1999 (25 years)

We were living in Tilbrook, Bedfordshire, and had a visit from friends on 5th April, Jacob is playing with a woodpecker toy. My job at Unilever was extended for a second year, good news as it gave me access to the company’s superannuation scheme.

World events: An Inuit homeland, Nunavut, was created; and the Columbine High School Massacre shocked the world.

< Mar 1999 – May 1999 >

April 1994 (30 years)

Around this time, Judy was having slightly odd bowel symptoms and arranged an appointment with her GP who listened, examined her, but found nothing wrong and suggested there was no cause for anxiety and it might sort itself out . We were living in Stowey Road, Yatton.

World events: The Rwandan genocide began in Kigali; and Finland decided to join the European Union.

< Mar 1994 – May 1994 >

April 1989 (35 years)

We discovered a field mouse in the house, cowering in a corner. We caught it by putting food in a tall bucket and building a way for it to climb up the outside of the bucket. The mouse jumped in during the night but couldn’t jump out again. Debbie and Beth released it in a field; in the photo it’s about to jump to freedom.

World events: Margaret Thatcher‘s government introduced the Community Charge in Scotland; the Hillsborough Disaster killed 94 in Sheffield; and the world’s smallest mobile phone was introduced.

< Mar 1989 – May 1989 >

April 1984 (40 years)

My sister, Ruth, and her husband, Martin, are coming up to their ruby wedding, they were married in April 1984. Congratulations Ruth and Martin!

This is Ivy Church at Ampney St Mary where the wedding took place.

World events: An Indian Air Force pilot, Rakesh Sharma, flew on Soyuz; and an X-class solar flare erupted.

< Mar 1984 – May 1984 >

April 1979 (45 years)

This is a draft for the opening of John Jefferies & Sons new Forum Garden Centre in Cirencester. As you can see, it was to be a grand event with Lord and Lady Bathurst taking a leading role in the opening. There was a barbecue, several talks and films, and the Town Crier would announce it in the Market Place.

World events: Iran became an Islamic Republic; and the La Soufrière volcano erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

< Mar 1979 – May 1979 >

April 1974 (50 years)

I was busy working at Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) with experiments on temperature effects of plum pollen tube growth rate. I used growth cabinets at a range of temperatures and plum flowers supported in wet florist’s foam. After some microscope work, the data had to be fitted to mathematical growth models (for which I collaborated with a statistician).

World events: The brand new county of Avon came into existence; and ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest.

< Mar 1974 – May 1974 >

April 1969 (55 years)

I was at Bath University in my third year of their four-year Horticulture degree course. Judy visited Cambridge on a biochemistry trip. Dad went to Fairford Airfield and filmed Concorde on an early test flight. The image is a still frame from his 8 mm movie camera.

World events: Concorde arrived at Fairford for testing; Richard Nixon was sworn in as President of the United States.

< Mar 1969 – May 1969>

April 1964 (60 years)

I was in the 5th year at Cirencester Grammar School. Here’s a photo I took of my sister Cindy in Girl Guides uniform outside the family home in Victoria Road. It was always a happy home, Mum and Dad were great parents and we had opportunities to do so many interesting things.

World events: Sentences were passed in the Great Train Robbery trial; and BBC Two television began broadcasting.

< Mar 1964 – May 1964>

April 1959 (65 years)

I was now in my final term at Junior school (Querns School), the photo is from 2023, but it looks much as it did in 1959. We were spending some of our time practising the sorts of logical problems we’d meet in the 11+ exam and pupils who passed would go to Cirencester Grammar School. About one in three would typically succeed, and although Mum and Dad didn’t make a big deal of it, I think they knew I was marginal and could go either way.

World events: NASA selected it’s first potential astronauts; and the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.

< Mar 1959 – May 1959>

April 1954 (70 years)

The Easter holidays meant that Querns School was closed and I could revert to spending the entire time playing at home or with local friends from Queen Anne’s Road where we lived. Linda next door was probably 6 and I was in the last few months of being 5. Our parents were friends too, so we spent a lot of time in and out of one another’s homes and gardens.
The photo shows a building on the corner of London Road and Beeches Road. Both directions were good for the walk home.

World events: Toscanini had a memory lapse during a concert and retired from conducting; Bill Haley & His Comets recorded ‘Rock Around the Clock‘.

< Mar 1954 – May1954>

April 1949 (75 years)

I was nine months old at the end of the month, and was probably able to pick items up and transfer them from one hand to the other. I might also have looked for objects that had been moved out of sight. I’m glad to report that I can still do those things 75 years later!

World events: NATO was created, originally with 12 members; and Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s South Pacific opened on Broadway.

< Mar 1949 – May 1949>

April 1944 (80 years)

Dad was now in Skegness (Skeggie) for basic RAF training. This involved marching and parade practice, rifle shooting and bayonet work, fieldcraft, watching training films, aircraft recognition and more. Sometimes there were fatigues to be done, in the cookhouse, for example.

There was also time off when they could visit the town, play football, write letters and generally do whatever they wanted. One highlight was an inspection by an Air Chief Marshal.

World events: The US Air Force accidentally bombed a Swiss city; and a large scale D-Day practice on Slapton Sands was attacked by German U-boats.

< Mar 1944 – May 1944>

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A hedge of dead and dying beech?

Rose breeders … grow thousands of seeds and select those few with outstanding colour, fragrance, [or] disease resistance

It’s springtime, mid-April. and this hedge looks mostly dead. Just one of the beech trees making up the hedge is producing fresh, green leaves. All the rest are covered with dried-up, brown leaves left over from last year. What’s going on?

This hedge consists of seedling beech, they are all different in many ways. They grow at different speeds, some slower, some faster. Their leaves will vary from one plant to the next, some will be paler, some darker. Some will be hairy, others may be smooth and glossy. The bark will vary in roughness and colour.

When you grow seedlings, whether beech or any other plant, every individual will be unique, for uniformity you must use cuttings or grafts so that each plant is genetically the same.

What you are seeing in this hedge is variation in timing; the beech closest to the camera comes into leaf earlier than the others, but in a few weeks from now they will all have green leaves. Garden and commercial plants are often identical to one another and are given names to distinguish them. Rose breeders, for example, grow thousands of seeds and select those few with outstanding colour, fragrance, disease resistance or any other desirable characteristic. The best of the best are bulked up by grafting, given a name like ‘Yorkshire Prince’ or ‘Summer Festival’, and then sold on to garden centres. Grow roses from seed to plant in your garden and you are likely to be badly disappointed (though you might get lucky and produce a winner).

The term ‘plant breeding’ includes breeding for seed production, for example to produce wheat or bean or squash seeds of a named type. This is a different (though allied) process from breeding for vegetative propagation as with roses.

Blast from the past… 16

I visited friends in Yatton, North Somerset, where I had lived for several decades with my first wife, Judy, and our two daughters.

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Notes from bygone years – Marching on and on
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

March 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

We visited Bristol for the day on 18th March 1973; it’s only 44 miles from our home in Cirencester. For several years I lived in this fine city, and then for many more years just a few miles to the west. I know the place pretty well and I’ve seen it change with the passing decades. This photo contains many of the places I love: the cathedral, the university, the floating harbour created long ago by damming the River Avon with a lock for entry and exit around times of high tide.

We visited the covered St Nicholas Market where we ate a light Indian lunch, and viewed a gallery of award winning wildlife photos at the M shed. After coffee and cake at a local cafe it was time to drive home. A lovely day to remember.

JHM: I wrote two articles about ChatGPT. – World events: – GPT-4 was launched by OpenAI.

< Feb 2023 – Apr 2023 >

March 2022 (2 years before publishing)

Members of the family met to plant a Siddington Russet apple tree on the site of Siddington Nursery.

When I was young this was a working ornamental and fruit tree nursery, part of the family business run by my grandfather with my father, three uncles, and a cousin. It included a shop in Cirencester and later, a garden centre in the town centre and another at Kingsmeadow on the southern outskirts (now a Tesco Extra). There were a number of nurseries, including Siddington; however, it was a declining business and was wound up in the 1980s.

World events: The UN deplored Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces; and Shackleton’s ship Endurance was discovered in the Antarctic;

< Feb 2022 – Apr 2022 >

March 2019 (5 years before)

This old cedar tree was here when I was a child, a feature of Cirencester’s West Market Place. It must have been here when my father was a child too. Usually I just walk past, but on this March day I stopped to take the tree’s portrait.

World events: An uncrewed SpaceX Crew Dragon test flight docked with the International Space Station; and all Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded.

< Feb 2019 – Apr 2019 >

March 2014 (10 years)

We were living in St Neots at this time, the photo is of boats in the centre of town, near the River Great Ouse and an easy walk from our home. The short canal in the photo served the industrial part of the town and follows the course of Hen Brook, a small tributary of the Great Ouse.

JHM: I posted an interview with the author of ‘The Black Swan Effect’. – World events: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared without trace.

< Feb 2014 – Apr 2014 >

March 2009 (15 years)

In March 2009 I visited friends in Yatton, North Somerset, where I had lived for several decades with my first wife, Judy, and our two daughters. I took this photo of our first house; the weeping birch had grown enormously since I last saw it!

JHM: I wrote a short note about a meeting; – World events: NASA’s Kepler mission was launched to search for planets orbiting other stars.

< Feb 2009 – Apr 2009 >

March 2004 (20 years)

Always apply the handbrake when parking your car. This was the scene in the Unilever car park at work one day in March 2004! Somebody left their car with the handbrake off, and the slight slope had been enough to cause a very big problem later. Whoops!

JHM: I explained how trees figured in a meeting. – World events: Seven European nations were admitted to NATO.

< Feb 2004 – Apr 2004 >

March 1999 (25 years)

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, Donna and I visited Rome in March. What a fascinating place! We explored many historic sites – the Vatican, the remains of the Roman Forum, the Roman senate, the temple to all the gods (the Pantheon), but most amazing for me was the Colosseum. The photo shows people entering the building.

World events: Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic joined NATO.

< Feb 1999 – Apr 1999 >

March 1994 (30 years)

The Gloucestershire Regiment (Glorious Glosters) was disbanded in March 1994, here they are parading through Cirencester in a still frame from a video taken by my Dad. Their final parade was in the city of Gloucester, just three days later.

World events: China made its first connection to the internet; Schindler’s List won seven Oscars; and the Linux kernel v 1.0.0 was released.

< Feb 1994 – Apr 1994 >

March 1989 (35 years)

We visited the SS Great Britain in Bristol with Debbie’s French Exchange student, Anne. Here are Beth, Anne and Debbie on the old ship. The Bristol/Bordeaux exchange has been running a long time. Judy remembered doing the exchange and now one of her daughters was taking part too.

World events: Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal for the World Wide Web; and there was a serious rail crash in Purley.

< Feb 1989 – Apr 1989 >

March 1984 (40 years)

This was the month that my friend, Tony Everest, died. It was such a tragedy; Tony felt he was a failure. A carpenter by trade, he had lost his job and was unable to find a new one; in particular he felt he had let down his wife and children. He left a message asking me to take his funeral, and although I did that willingly, I was very glad to have the help of some other mutual friends in the planning and on the day.

World events: A year-long coal miner’s strike began in the UK; and Iran accused Iraq of using chemical weapons.

< Feb 1984 – Apr 1984 >

March 1979 (45 years)

John Jefferies & Son was redeveloping their small Forum Garden Centre in the area between Tower Street and The Avenue. The site is now Minerva Court, an area of 1980s housing. A number of old, brick and timber greenhouses were demolished and replaced by a single, large aluminium glasshouse for the indoor display area. Debbie had her fourth birthday this month.

World events: NASA’s Voyager 1 probe showed that Jupiter has rings; and Philips demonstrated the first CD audio disc (marketed from 1982).

< Feb 1979 – Apr 1979 >

March 1974 (50 years)

I believe this is a photo of Bristol from the top of Dundry Hill, though I can’t be completely sure. We were living in the city and used to enjoy the drive out to Dundry from time to time. We were saving to buy our first house at a time of rapid inflation, a difficult situation.

World events: The Terracotta Army was discovered in China; and Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese WW2 soldier, surrendered in The Philippines.

< Feb 1974 – Apr 1974 >

March 1969 (55 years)

During March I was in my third year at Bath University while Judy was in her second year at Aberystwyth. Exams were only a few months away for both of us, though it’s fair to say Judy was working far harder than I was.

Judy was planning for a biochemistry trip to Cambridge in April and was carefully considering the finances for it (see image). About £15.60 for four days covered accomodation, meals, and travel from Aber to Cambridge and back!

World events: Concorde‘s first test flight took off at Toulouse; and John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married.

< Feb 1969 – Apr 1969>

March 1964 (60 years)

I was in the 5th year at Cirencester Grammar School, and during the Easter holiday some of us went to Paris on a school trip for a week. I took this photo on the platform at Swindon Station waiting for our train to London. I think we might have caught our first train at Cirencester Town Station to change at Kemble. The Cirencester branch closed the following year.

World events: A huge earthquake struck Anchorage in Alaska; Jerrie Mock started a solo flight around the world, becoming the first woman to do so.

< Feb 1964 – Mar 1964>

March 1959 (65 years)

The end of the spring term fell in March, I had just one final term and the eleven plus exam to go and that would be the end of my time at junior school. I think that made me feel rather grown up and I began wondering how my new life would be at secondary school.

World events: Archbishop Makarios returned to Cyprus from exile; NASA’s lunar probe Pioneer 4 became the first American object to escape Earth orbit; the Barbie doll was released in the USA; and Hawaii became a US state.

< Feb 1959 – Apr 1959>

March 1954 (70 years)

My second term at Querns School continued right through March as Easter wasn’t until mid-April. By this time I was probably getting quite good at copying letters and short, simple words as well as counting small pictures of animals and objects and writing down the correct number. We also got to colour in these little pictures so it seemed quite good fun.

World events: The USA announced that a hydrogen bomb had been tested on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific; the Soviet Union recognised the sovereignty of East Germany.

< Feb 1954 – Apr 1954>

March 1949 (75 years)

I was eight months old at the end of March, perhaps beginning to crawl around and confident at sitting. Mum, Dad and I shared a bedroom upstairs in my grandparents home at 37 Victoria Road in Cirencester. I must have been carried up and down the stairs in that house a number of times every day.

World events: 92 000 Baltic States citizens were deported internally in the USSR; and Newfoundland became part of Canada.

< Feb 1949 – Apr 1949>

March 1944 (80 years)

Dad registered again for military service (just to be sure) and received his calling up papers three months earlier than expected.

Also in March, as a member of the Air Training Corps (ATC) he was lucky enough to be invited on a cross-country flight in an Airspeed Oxford with two Frenchmen. Taking off from South Cerney, they flew over Chippenham, Thame, Droitwich, Malvern, Monmouth, and Stroud, landing again at South Cerney.

World events: In the UK, a prohibition against teaching by married women was lifted; Mount Vesuvius erupted; and the Tetra Pak was invented in Sweden.

< Feb 1944 – Apr 1944>

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Blast from the past… 15

We had a great weekend together, perhaps the highlight was visiting Bourton-on-the-Water and its model village.

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Notes from bygone years – Many bygone Februaries
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

February 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

My shingles rash cleared up. On 16th, three of our grandchildren took part in a school production of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ musical; they all did extremely well and the whole family was proud of them. I had a discussion with a friend about Gumstool Brook issues and then we chatted about possible changes to British parliamentary processes. Encouraged by the conversation, I wrote an article about my my ideas for change.

We explored (and enjoyed) the centre of Marlborough on 19th. It’s a lovely little town, full of interesting shops, cafes and restaurants. We walked into small courtyards off the long, wide Market Place in beautiful sunshine, quite unusual at this time of year.

JHM: I wrote about groundbreaking. – World events: – There was a huge earthquake causing damage and loss of life in parts of Turkey and Syria.

< Jan 2023 – Mar 2023 >

February 2022 (2 years before publishing)

We visited the Rococo Gardens in Painswick, renowned for its abundance of snowdrops.

Also this month, Donna resigned as a school teacher; when she left after completing the school year, she focussed fully on maths tutoring instead.

World events: Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee; Russia invaded Ukraine.

< Jan 2022 – Mar 2022 >

February 2019 (5 years before)

Our friend Kevin and his daughters visited us from Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire. We had a great weekend together, perhaps the highlight was visiting Bourton-on-the-Water and its model village. We also showed them round Cirencester and spent time at home chatting.

World events: A US/North Korea Summit was held in Vietnam.

< Jan 2019 – Mar 2019 >

February 2014 (10 years)

Debbie, Aidan and Sara came to stay for a weekend and we did a day trip to London on the train (an easy journey from St Neots). We packed a lot in, and one of the highlights was a boat trip on the Thames with a visit to Hamley’s toy shop and an open-top bus over Tower Bridge.

A few day’s later Donna and I flew to Madeira for a week’s holiday in a much warmer climate than the one in London!

JHM: I posted ‘Fail to succeed‘ about the value of taking risks. – World events: The Maidan Revolution took place in Ukraine.

< Jan 2014 – Mar 2014 >

February 2009 (15 years)

I went to a meeting in Chepstow to share experiences and discuss house church. It was a friendly and enjoyable session with a small group, mostly from places around South Wales. I was the only person who’d travelled from the East of England and I was made very welcome.

JHM: I wrote about the summer kids’ camp being planned. – World events: 1234567890 seconds of Unix time was celebrated (mostly by geeks and nerds).

< Jan 2009 – Mar 2009 >

February 2004 (20 years)

We visited Anglesey Abbey with some friends. The new winter walk planted by the National Trust was quite new in 2004, but it’s nicely matured by now and is spectacular in February. The old house is interesting too, but the walled garden is one of our favourite places. It was an easy trip from St Neots but a long journey from Cirencester!

World events: Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook for Harvard students, and there was a coup in Haiti.

< Jan 2004 – Mar 2004 >

February 1999 (25 years)

This web page (click the image to enlarge it) was downloaded in February 1999 on my Unilever PC. It was part of Long Ashton Research Station’s website. I set up the web server and created the website in 1996 or thereabouts – very trendy in those days! The ‘Last changed’ date on the page shows it had not been edited since May ’97.

World events: An attempt to impeach US President Bill Clinton failed; and Galtür, an Austrian village, was destroyed by an avalanche.

< Jan 1999 – Mar 1999 >

Febuary 1994 (30 years)

This is a little piece of advice I offered on a mailing list for Novell Netware managers. It’s about a utility I’d found useful while setting up and running Long Ashton‘s Netware 3.11 server. (The server allowed users to login to access file space over the local network from their PCs.)

World events: Edvard Munch‘s painting The Scream was stolen in Oslo; a Hubble Space Telescope photo of Pluto and its moon Charon was released.

< Jan 1994 – Mar 1994 >

February 1989 (35 years)

Here’s our daughter Beth feeding a Macaw during a family visit to the Rode Bird Gardens in Somerset, an easy day trip from Yatton where we lived at the time.

Sadly, the Bird Gardens closed in 2001.

World events: The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan ended; and the first GPS satellite was launched.

< Jan 1989 – Mar 1989 >

February 1984 (40 years)

We were living at 22 Rectory Drive in Yatton, between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Debbie was almost nine at the time, and Beth was four. Judy might already have been teaching biology at Cotham Grammar School by this time and would have started a new term. I was working at Long Ashton Research Station.

World events: The 10th Space Shuttle mission took place; and the very first TED conference was held.

< Jan 1984 – Mar 1984 >

February 1979 (45 years)

Our daughters were growing – Debbie was almost four, and Beth turned nine months. At Long Ashton Research Station I was working on oil palm pollination, training and supporting a biologist before he left for Papua New Guinea, as well as continuing research into pollination of temperate fruit crops.

World events: The Islamic Revolution was underway in Iran; and a shipwrecked Soviet tanker caused a huge oil spill in the Baltic Sea.

< Jan 1979 – Mar 1979 >

February 1974 (50 years)

This was a time when Judy and I were living in our flat at 20 Belmont Road, Bristol, collecting together whatever bits of furniture we could find. My grandmother had given us £60 and told us to buy a really good bed (in those days that was perfectly feasible). Judy’s parents gave us their old 3-piece suite, we bought a second hand dining table and chairs, and two new bar stools to use in the kitchen. It was a big step-up from our previous, furnished bed-sit!

World events: The crew of Skylab 4 returned to Earth after 84 days; the UK General Election ended in a hung parliament.

< Jan 1974 – Mar 1974 >

February 1969 (55 years)

I had a letter from Judy, back at university in Aberystwyth while I was at Bath. We were newly engaged, and in the early stages of trying to fix a possible wedding date; from our point of view the sooner the date the better. But practical considerations introduced a lot of delays; at the very least we needed to be able to live in the same town!

This time, the letter was on the craziest paper I’ve ever seen. It must have been difficult to write on, and it was certainly difficult to read!

World events: The Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ flew for the first time; and the Mariner 6 Mars probe was launched by NASA.

< Jan 1969 – Mar 1969>

February 1964 (60 years)

This is not strictly about my life, it’s about Judy, later my first wife. She and a friend were in the Guides in February 1964, and were planning a trip to Cardiff, this is the first page of Judy’s report on the trip.

She lived in Filton, north of Bristol, at the time. Most of their friends chose Bath as an easy option, but Judy and Val decided on the more adventurous journey to Cardiff.

World events: Fighting broke out in Cyprus between Greeks and Turks; Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

< Jan 1964 – Mar 1964>

February 1959 (65 years)

I was given a Premium Bond on 24th, here’s a picture of it. I still have it somewhere (not sure where it is, though). As far as I know it hasn’t won me a prize yet, but perhaps I should check! I don’t plan to sell it back, it’s worth far more to me as a memento than the £1 face value. In 1959 £1 would have had the purchasing power of nearly £30 today.

World events: There were two plane crashes in the USA on 3rd, Buddy Holly died in one of them. The first weather satellite, Vanguard 2, was launched from Cape Canaveral.

< Jan 1959 – Mar 1959>

February 1954 (70 years)

My second term at junior school continued uneventfully as far as I remember it. The daily pattern began with taking off hats, scarves and coats and putting them away on hooks before making our way to the classroom to begin the day. Then our teacher, Mrs Hourihane, would call out our names and we each had to raise an arm when our name was called. The upstairs classroom had a large window overlooking the back garden and play area.

World events: President Eisenhower warned against USA involvement in Vietnam. Crimea was transferred from Russia to Ukraine, both part of the Soviet Union at the time.

< Jan 1954 – Mar 1954>

February 1949 (75 years)

We were still living with my grandparents while Mum and Dad waited for a council house on the Beeches Estate. It was stormy, wet and cold, with snow around the 20th February. I was 7 months old at the end of February.

World events: President Truman announced that he would only meet Stalin if he visited Washington as a personal guest. The Soviet Union offered Norway a non-aggression pact and warned them not to join NATO.

< Jan 1949 – Mar 1949>

February 1944 (80 years)

Dad was busy in February and had many interests. There was the Boogie Woogie music world (he bought several more records this month), driving for his parents, the birth of a niece (Susan), the Air Training Corps (ATC), playing football, watching films at the cinema, working on the nurseries (the family business) and card games with friends and family, often Newmarket and usually for small amounts of money.

World events: The Battle of Monte Cassino destroyed the famous, old monastery. A shipment of heavy water is sabotaged in Norway.

< Jan 1944 – Mar 1944>

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Blast from the past… 14

I looked around the Abbey Nursery where there still remains some evidence of John Jefferies & Son, the old family business.

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Notes from bygone years – Some more Januarys
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

January 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

The River Churn burst its banks, most of the inundation was restricted to the flood plain, but some properties suffered a bit of damage. We were OK as we live on a hill, but anywhere down in the flood plain and most of central Cirencester is quite low lying.

Towards the end of the month I developed shingles. Although I had a rash on my left shoulder and upper chest, I had no discomfort with it other than a very slight itch. Eventually it faded away gradually and with no drama, and I’ve now been vaccinated.

JHM: I posted about a short walk in Cirencester. – World events: – Croatia adopted the Euro and joined the Schengen Area in January.

< Dec 2022 – Feb 2023 >

January 2022 (2 years before publishing)

In January 2022 I looked around the Abbey Nursery where there still remains some evidence of John Jefferies & Son, the old family business. It’s now a small park and wildlife reserve – City Bank Park. The concrete surface and the block built bins for sand, gravel and other materials can still be seen in the photo. Tidy up and sweep away the leaves and it would look much as it did when I was a child and the site was still in use producing the town’s supply of Christmas trees.

JHM: I wrote about three objects in the evening sky, not all of them easy to see. – World events: The number of COVID cases worldwide passed 300 million and more than 10 billion doses of vaccine had been given.

< Dec 2021 – Feb 2022 >

January 2019 (5 years before)

In January 2019 it was the end of the road for Bennett’s Garage in Victoria Road, Cirencester. Dad always filled his car at Bennett’s as John Jefferies & Son had an account here. I once borrowed a ladder from Brian Bennett when I locked myself out of Churnside. The business continues at another site, but Victoria Road will never seem quite the same.

JHM: I posted a video of the Earth rising over the Moon. – World events: The Orthodox Church of Ukraine was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

< Dec 2018 – Feb 2019 >

January 2014 (10 years)

In January 2014 Paul and Vanessa visited us and we drove over to Cambridge and spent part of the day there, enjoying the sights and the bustle of the crowds. Cambridge has such a great atmosphere and energy! However, we got caught in a torrential downpour waiting for the Park and Ride bus to get home.

JHM: I posted about meeting Gerald who was in his wheelchair all alone in the middle of Huntingdon. – World events: Latvia adopted the Euro, the 18th member of the Eurozone.

< Dec 2013 – Feb 2014 >

January 2009 (15 years)

In January 2009 Meredith took delivery of a new cooker. We drove up to York for New Year so the Christmas presents arrived a week late; it’s almost like having Christmas twice! We always look forward to our winter trip to York.

JHM: I wrote about the journey and how we know the way. – World events: The cryptocurrency Bitcoin was created.

< Dec 2008 – Feb 2009 >

January 2004 (20 years)

We visited my Mum and Dad in Cirencester for New Year; this was about two years before Mum died, though of course we didn’t know that. Treasure people while you can! Mum always laid a fine spread on the table and you can see some of it in the photo.

World events: NASA landed two rovers on Mars, Spirit and Opportunity.

< Dec 2003 – Feb 2004 >

January 1999 (25 years)

I made some progress with WebForum, an information website for Unilever‘s research labs around the globe; there were two of these in the UK, one in the Netherlands, and another in the USA. I think by this time the software had been rolled out to all sites except for the Netherlands where they decided to create their own version. Attention was turning instead to Y2K testing.

World events: The new Euro currency was introduced on 1st January.

< Dec 1998 – Feb 1999 >

January 1994 (30 years)

Dan visited us and we looked at some of the sights in Bristol, including the Observatory up at Clifton near the famous Suspension Bridge, and later the Industrial Museum down in the docks area. The photo shows Dan, Beth and Judy in the museum.

World events: The Northridge Earthquake struck the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles on 17th. Parts of a raised freeway collapsed and 60 or 70 people died.

< Dec 1993 – Feb 1994 >

January 1989 (35 years)

We had a quieter New Year’s Day after a fairly full-on Christmas the previous month. Debbie and Beth played draughts while half-watching ‘Neighbours’ on TV.

World events: The European Single Market was created; and Czechoslovakia divided itself into independent nations, the Czech Republic (later Czechia) and Slovakia.

< Dec 1988 – Feb 1989 >

January 1984 (40 years)

We were living at 22 Rectory Drive in Yatton, between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Debbie was nine at the time, and Beth was six. Judy might already have been teaching biology at Cotham Grammar School by this time and would have started a new term. I was working at Long Ashton Research Station.

World events: The Apple Macintosh went on sale in the USA, and President Reagan announced that a space station would be developed.

< Dec 1983 – Feb 1984 >

January 1979 (45 years)

My Mum sent this postcard 0n 17th January to her mother (my Granny-in-Ireland) in the village of Coagh. She wrote, ‘We went to the theatre with Ruth and Martin, her boyfriend, and his parents. It was fun walking round Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square with all the lights on. Ruth sends her love to you both.

World events: The USA severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

< Dec 1978 – Feb 1979 >

January 1974 (50 years)

Judy and I were living in our flat at 20 Belmont Road in St Andrews, Bristol. She was newly trained as a teacher, I was completing research towards my MSc thesis. The photo shows a view of Berkeley Square and the Wills Memorial Building (part of Bristol University) beyond it, taken from the top of nearby Brandon Hill. Comet Kohoutek was visible in the evening skies and we managed to spot it from the bay window in our flat.

World events: The F-16 fighter flew for the first time, and sextuplets were born in Cape Town with all surviving.

< Dec 1973 – Feb 1974 >

January 1969 (55 years)

I began the second term of my third year at Bath University, Judy returned to Aberystwyth to continue her second year there. This was, as always, an unwelcome time of separation; but as compensation our engagement was announced in the Gloucestershire Echo. (It’s very tiny, click the image to enlarge it and you still might not see it at first.)

World events: The Beatles played live for the last time, and Richard Nixon was sworn in as President of the USA.

< Dec 1968 – Feb 1969>

January 1964 (60 years)

I was living at Churnside (37 Victoria Road) in Cirencester, with my Mum and Dad and three sisters. I was in the Fifth Form (now Year 11) at Cirencester Grammar School and just starting the second term in January.

World events: The US Government reported that smoking might be a health risk, and plans to build the World Trade Center in New York were announced.

< Dec 1963 – Feb 1964>

January 1959 (65 years)

I was 10½ years old at the end of January, and in my final year of Junior School. This was the year in which we would take our eleven-plus exams; the results decided which of us would go to the Grammar School, and which to the Secondary Modern; so the emphasis in this final year was partly to familiarise us with the style of questions typical of the eleven-plus. (Today these schools are combined.)

World events: The Soviet spacecreft, Luna 1, was the first to break free of Earth orbit, and Alaska was admitted as the 49th American state.

< Dec 1958 – Feb 1959>

January 1954 (70 years)

This was my second term at Querns School in Cirencester. It was a far happier experience for me than starting my first term: I knew my way around, I’d made some friends, and I had a good idea what to expect from my teacher, Mrs Hourihane; also I was more confident of spending time without Mum and Dad. I was 5½-years-old and I probably felt quite grown up! My teacher was a budding author as well!

World events: IBM demonstrated the world’s first machine translator, and a de Havilland Comet airliner disintegrated in mid-air.

< Dec 1953 – Feb 1954>

January 1949 (75 years)

I was 6 months old at the end of the month and we were living at Granny and Grandpa’s house (Churnside, 37 Victoria Road). I think Grandpa liked having a baby in the house again, apparently Mum found it difficult to get me back sometimes! Dad was by far their youngest child (his youngest brother, Bob, was 15 years older). Mum and Dad were on the list for a council house at the Beeches Estate, but those houses were still being built.

World events: Communist forces entered Beijing, in the USA Harry Truman was sworn in as President.

< Dec 1948 – Feb 1949>

January 1944 (80 years)

Dad was now driving my grandfather’s Wolseley on errands to the nurseries and managed to reach the amazing speed of 50 mph on 5th January. His ATC uniform arrived and he had opportunities to use the Link Trainer at South Cerney Airfield as well as examine some aircraft. He passed his Morse test at the end of January.

World events: The Allies landed at Anzio in Italy and a British vessel was sunk there by an early German guided missile.

< Dec 1943 – Feb 1944>

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Chastleton House Long Gallery

We enjoyed every aspect of the house … and we plan to return in the summer to view the garden as well.

We visited Chastleton House recently, it’s a Jacobean country house in the Cotswolds, between Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Norton. Amongst other features it has the wonderful Long Gallery with a curved, plasterwork ceiling and panelled walls. Amazing!

The house is in the care of the National Trust and was open to the public for the period leading up to Christmas. They’d decked it out with Christmas decorations as they might have been in the 1960’s – wrapped gifts, paper chain decorations, Christmas tree lights of the period, everything.

But the real gem, and what I especially wanted to see, was the Long Gallery. It was certainly not a disappointment!

We enjoyed every aspect of the house, of course, and we plan to return in the summer to view the garden as well. Living, as we do, in Cirencester it’s not a long journey so we can also visit in spring and autumn too if we wish.

I can recommend a visit to Chastleton. It’s a gem of a place.

Blast from the past… 13

In December 2022 I posted my first attempt at ‘Blast from the past’. It was brief, covering just 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 years

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Notes from bygone years – December after December, Christmas after Christmas…
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

December 2022 (1 year before publishing this article)

In December 2022 I posted my first attempt at ‘Blast from the past’. It was brief, covering just 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 years; I only mentioned earlier JHM blog posts, nothing about my personal history or memories, and no images. It’s changed beyond recognition in 12 months!

On 17th December we drove up to York to visit my daughters and our grandchildren. On the way, the snowy fields and trees were really lovely to see. On the 18th we walked into the centre of York together and looked around Fairfax House, a fabulous and fascinating place – well worth a visit if you’re in York and haven’t seen it before. On 19th, back at home, I built a stack of cats! These were a present, a game where players take turns to add one cat – until the stack collapses.

Also in December 2022, I published an article about order and disorder, destruction and abundance, restrictions and freedom. I called it My Father is a farmer.

< Nov 2022 – Jan 2023 >

December 2021 (2 years before publishing)

In December 2021 the young Moon and Venus made for a lovely sky in the evening twilight. I took this photo, only noticing later that a passing bird had photobombed the scene!

My friend, Nick Henderson invited me to write an article on why I left the Anglican church. You can read it here on my blog, and and on his website, Anglicanism.org.

< Nov 2021 – Jan 2022 >

December 2018 (5 years before)

In December 2018 I took a photo of the clock on Cirencester’s Parish Church tower. The honey coloured Cotswold limestone of the tower glows gloriously in the orange light of the setting sun. What a combination! Studying the photo later, I realised for the first time that the clock face is painted onto the stone of the tower. I had always imagined it was a large wooden or metal panel.

I posted an online card for Christmas and New Year, hoar frost on red berries.

< Nov 2018 – Jan 2019 >

December 2013 (10 years)

In December 2013 I was at a Newforms Gathering in Nottingham. It was great to be amongst other people doing their best to follow Jesus and represent him in what is often a very broken world.

On JHM I wrote about food banks and why they were needed in Britain. Sadly they are still needed a decade later.

< Nov 2013 – Jan 2014 >

December 2008 (15 years)

In December 2008 we visited Donna’s parents and walked along the coast near Bournemouth. It looked lovely with some strong sunshine, but my word it was cold!

I wrote an article on JHM the same month on the topics of science and technology.

< Nov 2008 – Jan 2009>

December 2003 (20 years)

In December 2003 I was working for Unilever Research; and the department had a couple of working away days as a planning and learning exercise. These were always daytime effort and evening fun.

< Nov 2003 – Jan 2004 >

December 1998 (25 years)

In December 1998 we were living in Tilbrook, a tiny village near Kimbolton, Bedfordshire. I received my replacement driving licence for the new address. There was no plastic card, this document folded up and fitted into a flexible plastic sleeve.

< Nov 1998 – Jan 1999 >

December 1993 (30 years)

In December 1993 we were living in Yatton and visited Judy’s parents in Cheltenham for Christmas and my parents in Cirencester for New Year. Here are Cindy, Rachael, Neil and Tom in the dining room at Churnside, playing Buccaneer. It’s a 1938 game of pirates, treasure, shipwreck and rum – great fun.

< Nov 1993 – Jan 1994 >

December 1988 (35 years)

In December 1988 we visited my parents in Cirencester. Dad still had his African land snail in the glass tank and everyone was interested to take a closer look at it. Beth is unfortunately hidden behind Debbie in this shot. The glass tank was originally for a lead-acid radio battery.

< Nov 1988 – Jan 1989 >

December 1983 (40 years)

In December 1983, my department at Long Ashton was beginning the process of working out how proposed budget cuts would effect staff. Some would be redeployed in other research centres. Others would be made redundant.

< Nov 1983 – Jan 1984 >

December 1978 (45 years)

In December 1978 Debbie was three and three quarters and Beth was 7 months old. We’d been in our 1960s mid-terrace house in Yatton for some time but there still seemed to be enough room for us. In Iran, two million people demonstrated in the streets against the Shah.

< Nov 1978 – Jan 1979 >

December 1973 (50 years)

In December 1973, we were trying to save enough money for a deposit on a mortgage. We’d saved quite a lot, but house prices were rising faster than we could manage.

The Pioneer 10 spacecraft was the first probe to fly past Jupiter. The images were fuzzy by modern standards, but far better than any telescope could achieve at the time. I remember sitting in the library at work in my lunch break, reading about it in Science, Nature, and at home in New Scientist.

< Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 >

December 1968 (55 years)

December 1968 was a significant month. As far as I can recall, on 31st December both families were in the same room in Cheltenham when I asked Judy’s Dad if I might marry his daughter. He said, ‘Yes’, right away so all was well. It’s possible this was very early January, but I think it was New Year’s Eve. Of course, Judy and I had decided this well in advance but it was fun to make the move with everyone present!

< Nov 1968 – Jan 1969 >

December 1963 (60 years)

In December 1963 I was in the Fifth Form at Cirencester Grammar School. Mum made the usual stonkingly large Christmas cake (we always managed to eat it all in a week or so). Even Chloe, the dog has a small slice on her own plate in the photo. And, of course, it goes without saying that there’s Marmite on the table.

< Nov 1963 – Jan 1964 >

December 1958 (65 years)

In December 1958 I was in my 6th and final year at Querns School. One of my friends from before we started school, Robert Kneale, wrote a Christmas poem for our teacher, Miss Taylor. We were both ten at the time, I wonder if he had a little help from his Dad, George? It’s a great effort – click on the image to read it.

< Nov 1958 – Jan 1959 >

December 1953 (70 years)

In December 1953 I was five-years-old and finished my first school term.

The world of human paleontology was still reeling following the announcement on 20th November that Piltdown Man had been a hoax.

< Nov 1953 – Jan 1954 >

December 1948 (75 years)

At the end of December 1948 I was five months old and turned over by myself for the first time on 2nd. Dad had a 10/- raise in his wages and was busy lifting Christmas trees for sale.

< Nov 1948 – Jan 1949 >

December 1943 (80 years)

In December 1943 Dad travelled by train to Paddington Station and on to Euston House where he went through a series of subject exams and aptitude tests. He was enlisted as a Radar Operator in the RAF Volunteer Reserve, received 10/6d pay, and was deferred for six months. He was very disappointed to have been turned down as a pilot.

< Nov 1943 – Jan 1944 >

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Season’s Greetings 2023

I have something a little different for you this year. The photo shows a reflected image of Cirencester Parish Church in a puddle of water in Gosditch Street. What can this photo say to us?

More and more, the UK is a rich mix of people from many cultural backgrounds. That’s why the title is not ‘Christmas Greetings’. Please accept the greetings and replace the word ‘Season’ with whatever you like. If you’re Hindu you could choose Diwali as a reminder of your celebrations in November, or Jewish friends might go with Hannukah in December, if you’re Muslim you might look forward to Lailat al Miraj in February; Buddhists might consider Bodhi Day, and there are more groups of people I haven’t mentioned specifically. But whatever you celebrate, please take my greetings as a blessing for the whole of next year – spring, summer, autumn and winter.

I’d also like to bless you with a few thoughts about the picture. What, indeed, is in a puddle?

Look at the same puddle from any other angle and you would see dirty water; perhaps some litter; bits of road grit; a rather grubby, yellow ‘no parking’ line; and the general detritus of everyday life. But look at it from just the right angle and you see a reflected image, in this case an image of beautiful mediaeval architecture, detailed fine carving in stone, and the leaves of a living tree.

Look at the world around you and you will see pain, loss, discouragement, guilt, and hard struggles for survival. But look at the world from just the right angle and you will see altogether better things. Love for family, friends, and neighbours, beauty in nature and in people’s hearts and actions, joy, discovery, encouragement, peace, and thriving life. As a follower of Jesus (Yahshua, Isa), when I look at him in the right way I see a reflection of the Creator, the Source and Power behind this amazing universe.

Reflections in puddles also have another effect – they turn everything upside down. Jesus did that too: he confronted people with truth, he pointed out false motives, uncaring behaviour by the wealthy, blame-shifting, and striving for power or approval. People don’t like that, truth is often inconvenient.

Who should we think of this winter? Who can we help in some practical way? It might be someone in the road where we live, or the place where we work. In the world at large let’s remember the people in Ukraine, Gaza, and other places where there are struggles and loss of life (it’s not hard to think of more).

So my message this winter is that we should all help those around us. Talk with lonely people, provide some dried or canned food to your local food bank, donate warm clothes you no longer need, perhaps to a charity shop. If you can afford a gift of money, choose a charity that will use your donation wisely and effectively. And reach out more widely too, perhaps on the internet; send a message of encouragement or a gift to someone.

So whoever you are, whatever faith you have (or none), I hope 2024 will be a year to look forward to. As this year closes and the new one arrives, my hope, wish, and prayer for you is that grace and blessing will fill your life in ways hoped for and ways unexpected.

Let’s all be grateful for what we have, and display compassion and love towards those who need it. In that way, blessing will have a chance to touch you, and through you, touch others as well.

PS – If you like the puddle photo, click it for the full size version. Print it out, put it in a frame and hang it on the wall. Give a copy to friends if you think they’d like it; or send them a link to this message.

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