The August bank Holiday and the sun goes away

All that super weather we have been having, heat waves and sunshine and what happens when the August bank holiday arrives, the sun goes away "Typical"

However welcome to...................................

Saturday 24th August 2013.

Saturday started pretty well really considering I did not take my Methotrexate until later on Friday evening, had a decent nights sleep on friday and had a lie in until 9.00 this morning. once I was up and in the lounge with a coffee I sent the morning text to Pauline and then settled down to have some Porridge for breakfast.

well once I have had breakfast I take a stroll with the rollator round to the tEsco Express to get my morning paper and also some milk before going back home and settling down to read the paper  and get the crosswords done. It has been a quiet morning so far and have been messing around on facebook and then the front door bell rings and it is Gordon and their friends son Charlie. Gordon had hired a van for the morning and They have been down to Pauline,s flat to move the last bits and pieces over to te Garage at their new home, and popped in for a coffee on the way back.

Charlie helping Gordon

After Gordon and Charlie have gone I get some lunch and then go for a lie down for an hour before taking a coffee into the lounge and going on to the computer to do some more world war one research.  Next Year is the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 and Portsmouth is bidding to become 2014 National Armed Forces city as 2014 is the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines, the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1 and the 70th anniversary of D-Day

HMS Illustrious leaving Portsmouth in Aug 2013

D-Day Museum Portsmouth

Royal Marine Museum Portsmouth

Royal Navy museum Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon and it was soon 6.00 pm and time to give the research a rest, I had recorded two episodes of Bonanza which I will watch tomorrow morning and now there are two episodes of "Walker Texas Ranger"on the CBS channel which I can watch, but first I need to get my dinner prepared and on to cook ready for 7.00 and while that is cooking I watch the Tv and have dinner at 7.00. it is salmon with fresh vegetables and a parsley sauce tonight and it was very tasty as well.

well I had just finished Dinner at 7.30, made a coffee and had settled down to an evening of watching TV when Pauline, Gordon and Charlie arrive. They had decided to come and visit for the evening and brought a deck of playing cards and some bags of Pennies so we spent the evening playing Cards for Pennies (Newmarket) and guess who won the most money (41p) "ME" we played until 10.30 and then they left to go home at 11.00 so y the time I sorted myself out I got to bed about 11.45, but what a super and enjoyable evening after a good day.

Its Mine all Mine

Sunday 25th August 2013

"Early to Bed, Early to Rise"

"Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"

or so the Poem Goes, well last night that did not apply to me and today I had a lie in until 9.30, well that was a brilliant evening last night, and I slept really well, but will probably have to rest a bit today, but well worth it.

Time to get up

Once I was up and in the lounge I had a coffee and sent the text to Pauline before getting some breakfast. Pauline phones back to say that all is ok with them , her and Gordon got up about 9.30 but young charlie was still fast asleep, still he is only 15 so no surprise there. and Gordon is out with misty for her morning walk so that is OK

Don't get lost in the woods Gordon

once I had spoken to Pauline I had my Breakfast and then got on the laptop to check out the emails and facebook. before I have a phone call from Gervase to say that he will be round about 2.00 to go out to get some shopping. so I spend the morning just relaxing with the local radio and the laptop.
As it is a bank holiday there is the yearly kite festival taking place on southsea common along with other events so it is probably busy down the seafront today

The kite Festival this weekend on Southsea Common.

There are several other things going on in Southsea this weekend, There is the "Gerry Cottle Circus" on the common until Tuesday,

Gerry Cottle,s Circus

There is also a Tribute band concert on at the Bandstand this evening ending with a firework display at 9.30 pm.

The bandstand at Southsea Castle fields.

Gervase arrives at 2.15 and we head off down to Asda at Fratton to get some shopping, it is not worth going to far as the roads are chock a block with traffic, anyway we get the shopping and head back home where we put the shopping away and then have a nice chat before Gervase heads back home.

Asda at Fratton (Stock photo)

well that is about it for today then, Gervase has headed back home to Leanne, and I am now going to settle down with a coffee and get this journal finished but before I do I would like to mention that There is a young man named Tom Coleby who is cycling with 4 of his friends from John O,Groats at the top of  Scotland to Lands End on the south western tip of England, a Total of 1000 miles over 10 days.  They are cycling in aid of Cancer Research but Tom is cycling in aid of the Myositis Support Group as his Mother Lesley Coleby has Myositis, some of you may Know her through the "Myositis Ramblers" group on Facebook.

Tom and Friends at John O'Groats

So Far through his Just Giving page tom has raised in excess of £3,160.00 so well done Tom . Here is the link to Tom,s "Just Giving Page"


Well Tom and his friends are now on Day 3 of their ten day journey and I am sure that we wish them well and to say a big thank you to Tom .

Lands End, Cornwall

Well that is about it for today so until Tuesday I will say.........................

A very Hot sunday.

Well here we are on a very hot Sunday, My Son Gervase took me up to Asda shopping this Morning, we went early today as he and Leanne are off down to Bournemouth this afternoon to see a band in concert this evening.

This is who they are going to see, no idea who or what they are, it is all over my head I am afraid, think I must be getting old. Bring back ELO and Deep Purple.

Anyhow once we had been shopping we go home and put the shopping away and then about 12.00 Gervase makes his way home to leanne and I get a sandwich for lunch and then take a stroll down to the park with the Rollator for half an hour, and I get and ice cream and a cold bottle of juice on the way, in the park I sit and have my ice cream and watch the world go by.

here is my Ice cream it was so nice.

  It was so nice sitting out in the park under the shade of the trees, the park was quite busy with lots of local families out with the children, the temperature in the sun was 30 C which is 86 F so to hot to be out in it for to long so after 30 minutes I make my way back home.

Far to hot for me.

once back home I make a cup of tea and then settle down to carry on sorting through the archives of old photographs for the next family history book I will write for the family, this one will be on the naval career of my Grandfather Frederick Hubbard.

I was writing the family history up until I was taken down by this Dermatomyositis in mid 2010, and have only just felt that I am able to now resume this project. I have written "Kentish Root,s" which is about the Hubbards in Kent from 1750 up to 1912
when the rest of his family emigrated to Canada and he and his brother Richard remained in the UK, My Grandfather was married to my Grandmother and was in the Royal navy and Richard hubbard was a cavalry man  in the 14th Lancers .

The first Hubbard book I wrote in 2009

So here are a few of the family History Photos from my archive of my grandfather and some of the ships he served on which I will use for the book.  about his Naval career.

HMS Impregnable. Grandfathers first ship

Frederick Hubbard and Annie Maria Brewer ( My grandmother) 1911

The hard Portsmouth, just outside the Naval Dockyard

Rear of the Postcard sent to my future Grandmother  by my Grandfather posted 1906

The old Krook's Naval Football Team Grandfather the officer front centre.

Mediterranean fleet Boxing team Grandfather rear at the end on the left 1922

Grandfathers last ship HMS Iron Duke

There are many more but I have bored you enough so I will leave it at that, it is now 5.30  so I will get this journal posted and leave you in peace until tomorrow, as you can see that with this heat I have done very little today, so sorry if it is a short Journal but as my teacher always said when I was at school. !!!! Frank !!!!, tomorrow you must do better, so I will try. so until tomorrow I will say ........... Bye Bye

The last day of June. And the Sun is Shining.

Well here we are on Sunday the 30th June, the last day of the month and I woke this morning at 5.30 to a really sunny day, It was a good nights sleep last night so went and made a coffee and took back to bed and just lazed in bed with the window open, listening to the radio until 9.30 when I decided that I had better get up. So I hope you all........

Watching the Politic shows
on TV

Once out of bed I made a coffee and then into the lounge where I text Pauline and then settle down to the normal regime of checking facebook and emails, before Pauline phones to say that all is Ok with them and that they will be leaving Weymouth, to head back home this afternoon so will text me when they get near to Portsmouth.

Once I have spoken to Pauline I get some Gluten free porridge for breakfast and then settle down to watch the politic shows on the TV, as I always do on a Sunday morning so I can keep up to date with the mess our incompetent government is making.

Getting Ready for when Gervase
arrives at 1.00 pm

About 12.00 Gervase phones to say that He will be round at about 1.00 and we can go shopping up at sainsburys at Farlington and then afterwards we can take a drive along the sea front, so that will be OK so I watch a bit more TV and then at 12.30 I go and get myself sorted and ready for when Gervase arrives. the Roads will be a but congested today as there are Armed Forces Day events taking place in the Royal Naval Dockyard

Armed Forces day at the Historic Dockyard

True to his word Gervase arrives at 1.05. I am all ready so off we go up to Sainsburys at Farlington to get the shopping, I walk around the store pushing the trolley and we both get what we need and then we get it paid for and then out to the car park where Gervase loads it in to the car and then we are off for a drive home along the seafront as you can see by the photograph,s below.

Gervase loading the shopping into the car

Sainsburys car park

In the car park looking North to Portsdown Hill

In the Car towards the Seafront at Milton

Traffic is starting to get congested at Milton Park

The quiet area of the Seafront at Eastney

The colourful beach huts at Eastney

The Seafront heading towards South Parade Pier.

The Flower beds in Bloom near to South Parade pier

The pyramid Centre on the Seafront

The Trees in full leaf near to Castle Fields

Southsea Castle

The Esplanade near to Clarence pier

Heavy Traffic along the seafront and the skyline of old Portsmouth

Clarence Pier at the end of the Seafront drive

Soccer on the common by the University students.

so there we have the photographic record of our drive along the seafront from Eastney to Clarence Pier a distance of 2.8 Miles. Once we reach clarence pier we then head back home. once indoors I make a coffee and we have a chat before Gervase sets of back home to Leanne at about 3.40.I also have a text from Pauline at 3.30 to say they are just coming into portsmouth and will speak later.

Daily Journal

Once Gervase has gone I make another coffee and get the vegetable prepared for tonight,s dinner before settling down to get todays Journal written. It is now 5.45 so I am going to get this posted and then out into the back garden for 30 minutes in the evening sunshine with a coffee and to read the daily paper before getting dinner at 6.30 so until tomorrow I will say tatty bye.