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  It was the seventh anniversary of the last Shoreham Air Show on August 22. We were there and it had been a lovely day; I went to get a drink and left Donna and our daughter standing a couple of hundred yards away from the trees which stood alongside the A27. They watched a plane dip behind the trees, then saw a ball of fire and smoke rise high into the sky. For a few moments everyone just seemed to assume that it was some sort of pyrotechnic...then the entire crowd went silent, and everyone realised what they'd just witnessed. My stepson and I briefly panicked, because from where we were it looked like the plane had crashed on our side of the A27. A little while later, watching a convoy of ambulances slowly cross the airport, the reality of what had happened really dawned on all of us; it was probably the most poignant thing we have ever seen.  Eleven people died. May they all rest in peace. September 1 marks the start of meteorological Autumn. The Met Office believes that i...

It was A Level results day this week, as I mentioned in our last post, and GCSE results this coming week; like us, I am sure you want to also wish GCSE students good luck with their results, and hope they allow them to 'follow their dreams' as well.  Speaking of results, my return to driving instruction is over because my youngest daughter passed her driving test (first time) this week. I learnt something new about our county this week - which is quite topical because the Government’s food tsar has said we must reduce meat intake to avoid climate breakdown: we have the first town in Europe to adopt a plant-based treaty.  As the effects of the drought worsen, a local parish council have asked Portsmouth Water for a hosepipe ban.   Public parks may never be the same again, reports the Local Government Chronicle.  The prolonged hot weather has vastly reduced grass growth and prompted the cancellation of the fourth urban grass cut of the year in West Sussex. Staff from...

The 6 weeks of Summer are more than half gone already so unsurprisingly we are reaching results days,  with Thursday being A Levels; like us, I am sure you want to wish students good luck with their results, and hope they allow them to 'follow their dreams.'  If you fancy a change, or a de-stress (before those A Level results?), one of my mother's favourite places was the New Forest. We have been a few times too, mainly to spot a pony or two: each time we go, we resolve to come back more often, but never quite do. In case you have never been, or have not done so for a while, here is an article about Beaulieu (Village) to inform / remind you.   A little further afield is somewhere else people rave about, which I must concede we have yet to visit (but the Summer is not over yet), Steamer Point nature reserve.   In the other direction is one of the UK's safest seaside towns.  Don't forget the Trussell Trust are encouraging people to walk 30 minutes each day this S...

  Would you like to try out a favourably priced, quiet spot on the Peninsula whose profits go to a good cause? We popped over to The Apuldram Centre again this week because it is a wonderful charity which assists members of our communities who need a bit of extra support. Apart from a lovely cafe, there are home grown veggies and beautiful flowers. You can sit out and let the world pass by, then on the way home stop off at Apuldram Roses or its neighbour Dell Quay PYO (or both!) I should add, for the benefit of cat lovers, that Marley scooped a trophy at the 2022 National Awards. Marley is the Apuldram cat. If you like walking, horse riding or cycling, these suggestions from WSCC might prove helpful.   In the heat you might like this shaded walk.  The Trussell Trust are also encouraging people to walk 30 minutes each day this September to help combat hunger.   Recently we lost Bernard Cribbins, at a time when one of his 1970s TV shows seems to have been quite prop...