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Saturday 28 September 2013

The Marine Gears Up for Autumn

As the summer season closes, visiting the seafront naturally becomes a less frequent event.
 
To try to ensure that you don't forget to visit The Marine, Richard and the team have introduced a range of Autumn Dining Offers to tempt you any time of day.
 
The Marine also loves to hold a party, and have a Jazz Evening coming soon, a Halloween Disco and Christmas Party Nights. It is also worth keeping an eye on their website, as more new events are being planned. Indeed, signing up to their newsletter from their website would ensure you did not miss a thing!
 
Don't let them get lonely, pop down and see them!
 
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Autumn Offers at The Marine Cafe Bar: 

Breakfast: served between 9.30am and 12.00noon Monday - Sunday
Free cup of coffee or pot of Tea with every Marine Classic Breakfast

Mid morning break: served between 10.30am and 12.00noon Monday - Sunday
Free piece of Homemade Cake with every cup of Coffee or pot of Tea
 
Lunchtime: served between 12.00noon and 3.00pm
Free cup of coffee or pot of Tea with every Main course including from the grill
 
Afternoon Tea: served between 3.00pm and 5.30pm Monday - Sunday
Cream Tea – Buy One get the second one Half Price

Evening: served between 6.00pm and 9.00pm every Wednesday – Saturday
Free pint of draught beer or a glass of house wine (175ml) with every Cod & Chips platter


The Marine
Hurst Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PY
Tel: 01590 644369
enquiries@themarinerestaurant.co.uk
www.themarinemos.co.uk
 

Free Electric Blanket Safety Check

Free local electric blanket safety checks are going to be available in mid-October.
 
Old or worn electric blankets can be dangerous and even cause a fire. It's therefore worthwhile before winter sets in to have your blanket checked for safety particularly if your blanket is fraying, showing scorch marks, if the tapes are damaged or the flex is worn.
 
Free checks are available at New Milton Fire Station on October 14th. To make an appointment phone Hampshire County Council Trading Standards on 01962 833 358.
 
You will have to take your blanket to the Fire Station yourself, but if you can't manage to do that, contact Tony, the Milford Village Agent, and he will take it for you. His phone is 07806 659 452 and his email address is milfordonseava@ageconcernhampshire.co.uk

 

Sunday 22 September 2013

Your Party Tour on Great Dining Bus

The Milford on Sea Great Dining Bus has launched the 'PARTY Dining Tour'.

The new Party Dining Tour enables you to simply Choose Any Date or Day of Week, and Your Preferred Dining Tour. You can even choose the restaurants you visit!

The PARTY Dining Tour is perfect for your special party, get-together or celebration. All you need is a minimum party of 8 and a love of food!

*We are also able to arrange an Optional Private Area in The Cave for drinks before or after your Party Dining Tour.

For more information, or to book please contact to: info@greatdiningbus.co.uk

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About The Great Dining Bus Tours
 
The Great Dining Bus is perfect as a treat, a gift, for spending time with friends, special celebrations, anniversaries, birthdays, or just a great excuse to enjoy a unique dining experience whilst savouring great food in excellent restaurants.
 
There are four Dining Tours to choose from, two of the tours give people the choice to walk the short distances between courses, for a different type of dining experience. The village is fortunate to have many of the restaurants close to the village green which enables people to either take the bus, or enjoy a leisurely stroll between courses.

click image to enlarge
Great Dining Bus (37.50pp): Jump on the Great Dining Bus for a 4 course meal, with each course served in 4 different Milford on Sea village restaurants. The courses are: Canapés & Welcome Drink, Starter, Main Course & Sweet. Each course includes a non-alcoholic or paired drink.

Strolling Dining Tour (£32pp): Stroll to a savour a 4 course meal, with each course served in 3 different Milford on Sea village restaurants. The courses are: Canapés & Welcome Drink, Starter, Main Course & Sweet. Each course includes a non-alcoholic or paired drink.

Spice Dining Tour (£24pp): Wander to enjoy a 3 course spicy meal, with each course served in 3 different Milford on Sea village restaurants. The courses are: Canapés & Welcome Drink, Starter, & Main Course. Each course includes a non-alcoholic or paired drink.

Party Dining Tour: Simply Choose Any Date or Day of Week, and Choose Your Preferred Dining Tour. You can even choose the restaurants you visit. Perfect for your special party, get-together or celebration. All you need is a min. party of 8 and a love of food!

If you love food and great company, a lunch on the Great Dining Bus in Milford on Sea is for you. Each Dining Tour gives people a great opportunity to experience fresh local ingredients and tasty creative dishes as the Milford on Sea village restaurants showcase their food offering and service. The village has a multi-award winning fish restaurant, French restaurant, cosmopolitan bistro, seafront British restaurant, and you can even enjoy authentic regional Indian & Thai food.
 
Booking Great Dining Bus Tickets: You can purchase tickets in two ways:
 
1. In Cash from:
The Community Centre Box Office, Sea Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PH  or from:
The Cave, 2 Church Hill, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QH.
 
2. Online by Credit Card at: www.greatdiningbus.co.uk (Small Credit Card booking fee applies)

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Great Dining Bus Tour Dates & Vouchers
 
The Dining Tours run on a regular basis throughout the year, and dates are already available from June 2013 through to April 2014 (See Tour Dates here), after that a new programme will be published.  The courses each restaurant serves changes each time.

Dining Vouchers make a great gift with difference, and would be excellent for birthdays, celebrations, or just a great way to say thank you.  After all, who doesn't love a great meal and company!  The Dining Vouchers can be found on the Great Dining Bus website.
 
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About the Great Dining Bus
 
Milford on Sea runs what is believed to be the first & only Dining Bus Event in the UK.

The Great Dining Bus first ran very successfully at Milford on Sea Food Week in 2012, and the Food Week team now operate the Great Dining Bus as a regular and permanent event in the Milford on Sea village calendar. Around 16 Dining Tours will run each year.
 
The Great Dining Bus is for the pleasure of village foodies and people from outside of Milford on Sea, with the added benefit of bringing trade to various businesses in the village.
 
On the Great Dining Bus, diners will enjoy a different course in a selection of Milford on Sea restaurants. There are also 'Strolling Tour' options to add variety. Whichever way the diners arrive, each restaurant will delight in showcasing a taste of their food offering and service.
 
The Great Dining Bus is designed for diners to experience our excellent village restaurants, and as the concept is so unique, we hope to attract local and national exposure, and to put Milford on Sea on the map as a 'Foodie Heaven'!, and recognised as the 'South coast destination for great dining'.
 
Milford on Sea also has much more to offer; being blessed with a spectacular coastline, quaint seaside village & great places to stay, eat & shop. To go with our excellent restaurants, pubs & cafés, the village also has B&B's, hotels, self-catering, caravans & camping, in fact something to suit every taste and budget.

The Great Dining Bus is also encouraging people to come and ‘Stay & Dine’, which is great for the visitors' experience and for local businesses.
 
If you have any queries at all, please contact: info@greatdiningbus.co.uk 

To find out more please visit: www.greatdiningbus.co.uk - www.ticketsource.co.uk/greatdiningbus

Hurst make splash on Coast

Wild Rose
Hurst Ferries: Wild Rose
click image to enlarge

Last week the BBC TV programme, Coast were out at sea with the Hurst Castle Team filming one of their more unusual and least known jobs, - a burial at sea.

A lot of people may not be aware that bodies can still be buried at sea, and one of the few grounds in UK open for this ceromony is to the South of The Needles.
 
Whoever the person was, it is clear that they had a love of the sea, and this beautiful coastline.
 
The person's body was loaded aboard Wild Rose at Keyhaven Quay by the teams tractor and using a heavy lift, as the coffin is partially filled with concrete.

The Coast film crew were aboard Wild Rose for the committal. They were accompanied by our RIB Wightwater Rose with another film crew aboard. In spite of a little chop on the water all went well and the program is due to be shown in the next series of Coast.

Sean, Mary, Jason and the team at Hurst Ferries do a wide variety of sea-based jobs and services. Most well known is the Keyhaven Ferry which sails daily from Keyhaven Quay to and from Hurst Castle approx every 20 minutes. Return: Adults £5.50/Child £3 or Single: Adult £3.50/Child £2.
They also run a Water Taxi, which is licensed for 12 passengers in the Solent and available for transport to yachts, sightseeing, bird watching and other water taxi services in the west Solent.

Another unusual service, is that of Scattering of Ashes. Any size of group may be catered for from a single mourner to parties of 90 passengers. Within the Hurst Ferry fleet of seven boats there will be a vessel of the appropriate size. On board the boat there will be specially designed equipment which you may wish to use to ensure greater dignity.

Added to this, they also do a lot more usual work, suc has; scheduled & private Sea Sightseeing Tours, Adventure Rib Boat Rides, and commerical work, including ferrying various workmen out to The Needles Lighthouse.
 
Whilst Hurst Ferries do not operate angling trips, sea fishing trips do run from Keyhaven Quay with Ray Pitt Sea Fishing: www.raypittseafishing.co.uk
 
News from Hurst Castle
The Hurst Ferries Team have a 'Ferrymans Notes' section on their website, is is worth a regular visit, and an example is below.

Bird Spotting: 3rd September 2013
Summer tends to be a bit quiet but good broods of Scheld duck and Mallard have been raised. Now seeing the swallows and Starlings starting to feed up ready for departure. The Rock pipits at the Castle enjoyed a good season as did the Turnstones who think they own the low tide pontoon. The first of the Godwits now arriving.
Boat News: 3rd September 2013
Busy summer for boats Wild Rose and Solent Rose started their season on the Hythe to Southampton ferry and then moved to Cowes for the I.o.W Festival before returning to Keyhaven for the main season. Rosebud spent Cowes week ferrying yachtsmen around Cowes.

The ferry fleet: The custom is to name boats with names of monarchs or consorts from the period whilst the castle existed.

Fishing News: 3rd September 2013
Good numbers of Bream and Bass off Hurst beaches at present but Mackeral a bit patchy.

Hurst Castle
07766 310751 | 07802 503678
www.hurstcastle.co.uk

A Week of Curry

Some things just make you feel good. For me, one of those is seeing 'National Curry Week' approaching! This glorious celebration of Britains' favourite food take place from the 7th to 13th October 2013.

Red Tractor Beef and Lamb took a poll of 2,000 people in 2011, and concluded that; The average Brit will spend £34,070 on curry in their lifetime.

Researchers found the typical adult splashes out £8.19pp on spicy delights a week, including takeaways, ingredients and sauces. Sounds like £425 a year very well spent!

In a wonderful dream, I imagined my wife serving me curry every night of National Curry Week. Some meals were takeaways, some home-made, and some eaten in Zaika after a visit to one or more of the village pubs. My mind savoured over the changing selection of spicy and mild meat dishes, accompanied by various breads and ... amazingly, vegetables were made edible due to great sauces. I even pictured having marmalade on popadums for breakfast.

Waking up with a warm glow, I turned to one side to see my wife happily dreaming. I suspect her dream was not the same as mine, and if I manage to convince her to have curry twice in the same week I will have done pretty well.
 
That however does not stop me doing my bit for the occasion. A couple of 'Boy's Night's Out', and a 'Business Lunch' or two, should ensure that I make my contribution to National Curry Week.
 
Word on the street is that Zaika in Milford on Sea High Street, are currently serving top draw dishes. Having been myself, plus feedback from my son, a couple of neighbours and some friends who stayed in the village, all said the food was excellent. Why not book your table for Zaika's 'National Curry Week' promotion (See below), - or before! 
 
Zaika Indian Restaurant
69-71 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QG
Tel: 01590 643084
 
Regular Tuesday Night Buffet: Four Course Indian Banquet: Just £9.95pp

Zakia 'National Curry Week' Promotion: 7th to 13th October 2013:
10% OFF All Eat In & Takeaway Meals.

Regular Tuesday Night Buffet: Four Course Indian Banquet: Just £9.95pp
 
Restaurant Open 7 Days a Week
Lunches: 12noon to 2.30pm - Evenings: 6pm to 11.30pm.
 

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Milford: World Fashion Capital

Seafront & Beach Huts
click image to enlarge
We recently had an interesting e-mail from Gwen Peden, formerly of Gwen's Ladies Fashions in Milford on Sea High Street.
 
The bug for clothing and fashion obviously runs in the family, as Gwen tells us; "Our granddaughter Emily, who lives in Toronto, came to visit us in July and enjoyed some lovely visits to our beach hut. Back home in Canada she was browsing a fashion company named Aritzia.com (Canadian company) and discovered that they had used Milford on Sea for a fashion shoot and that one of the photos was taken almost outside our beach hut!!! What an amazing coincidence!"
 
This prompted you intrepid and deluded editor to take a look. Sure enough, Milford on Sea is the background for a number of the fashion shots.
 
One set of pictures are taken on the Milford on Sea Seafront with the Beach Huts, another outside Mr Pinks Fish & Chip Shop (with one of the models eating a bag of chips, good girl!) Others have been taken at the New Forest Ice Cream factory in Lymington. (One fo their directors lives in the village.)
 
Mr Pinks Fish & Chip Shop
click image to enlarge
The big question is of course, how do scenes from Milford on Sea end up on the website of a major retailer in Canada, who doesn't even sell in the UK?
 
Gwen discovered that the photographer is Valerie Phillips, who is a New York born fashion photographer, based in London. I wonder if she has any connection with Milford on Sea?
 
If anyone knows any more, please post a comment below.
 
Aritzia began in 1984 as a single boutique in Vancouver, Canada, and over the years, expanded to over 50 locations across North America, including Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Toronto. They have their own portfolio of exclusive brands, offering beautifully designed clothes that are on-trend, high quality, and of good value.
 
New Forest Ice Cream
click image to enlarge
Aritzia.com
Milford on Sea Images are on the 'Tough Love' Pages. 
www.aritzia.com

Valerie Phillips Photography
www.valeriephillips.com

 

Sunday 15 September 2013

The Ladies Jump on Great Dining Bus

click image to enlarge
The most recent Great Dining Bus consisted of a full contingent of happy diners, including two girls from 'Ladies Who Lunch in Hampshire'.

The  'Ladies Who Lunch in Hampshire' (LWL) are a lively group of four Hampshire women, who enjoy great food (and the odd glass of wine or two!). For several years now, they have liked nothing more than trying out just about every restaurant across Hampshire, and then sharing their experiences with a full unbiased restaurant review on their website:
www.ladieswholunch-in-hampshire.co.uk

The LWL score each establishment out of 25, and then, if they are good enough, we will award the location either a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

Knowing that these seasoned diners were in Milford on Sea, trying the unique Great Dining Bus experience of enjoying four different courses in four different village restaurants, there was as you may expect, a lot of anticipation about the final LWL Review of their lunch on the move!

Well, Carol from Ladies Who Lunch, has just published her review, …..and it is excellent!  The food served sounded great and impressively demonstrated what is on offer in our excellent village restaurants. It is clear that all of the chefs are putting a lot of effort into showcasing their skills, and quality menus.

The LWL were so impressed, that the Great Dining Bus was awarded the ‘LWL Gold Award’.


The Great Dining Bus scored an impressive 21/25 – which is the same as Pebble Beach in Barton on Sea, and only one point behind the very highly renowned Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant at the 5 Star Lime Wood Country House Hotel just outside Lyndhurst. 

It is very pleasing to sit alongside the best dining options in Hampshire, and for the Great Dining Bus to offer a unique way to for people to enjoy great food. Where else can you try 4 different restaurants within the same meal?!!

(Our Milford on Sea village restaurants have also had some impressive individual scores from past LWL Reviews: Verveine 24/25 - La Perle 22/25 - The Marine 21/25 - The Raft 20/25 - Zaika 20/25)

Now that the LWL Review is on the web, it will do its magic and filter through to lots of people, which will help continue to put Milford on Sea on the map as a 'Foodie Heaven', and a destination for diners looking for quality food and dining experiences.

You can read the full LWL review by clicking here. Find out more about Milford on Sea's Great Dining Bus by clicking here.
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Extracts from the Ladies Who Lunch Great Dining Bus Review

"Verveine Chef/Patron, David Wykes's had unique canapés ready for us all to share. There were 2 beautiful rocks sourced from the local beach; on it were pieces of home smoked bass to eat in our fingers, a sardine tin containing cantaloupe melon, Lymington lobster and fizzy grapes, crackling pigs cheeks served with pear and mead ketchup, mackerel pate in a little flower pot covered with edible soil and planted with radishes and David’s version of pork scratchings, the pork skin is dehydrated for three days, scraped then deep fried so you've only got the skin with no fat.... very light and fluffy so obviously no calories! We were served a white wine spritzer mixed with elderflower rather than soda, very refreshing."


"The bus collected us at 1.30pm and drove us to our next destination The Raft. Love the décor in here, it has a very relaxed ambiance, appropriate as most of us separated from who we had come with to sit and chat to new friends around the table. We were given a choice of either a chicken or a mackerel tortilla. I chose chicken, it was delicious and a very substantial portion for a starter. Here we were offered the choice of a white wine sangria or iced tea to drink. SM was very impressed with the wonderful home made pizzas she enjoyed on her last visit here."

"La Perle is a very pretty French bistro and as Lionel, Chef/Patron and his lovely wife Emily are still offering their £10 Lunch prix fixe menu which includes 1 course and a drink or a small glass of wine was not surprised to hear they have had a very busy summer. We ate, on 2 tables this time, a beautifully presented dish, quenelle of lemon sole, crab bisque, courgette purée, confit tomato and tiger prawns accompanied by a glass of a Languedoc Sauvignon Blanc." 

"The bus collected us at 3.15 to take us to The Marine for our pudding. It's a wonderful Art Deco building almost on the beach. The upstairs fine dining restaurant where we were seated, has fabulous views over to the Isle of Wight and there's a café/bar downstairs. Our dessert was a large Milford Mess, the Marine's version of Eton mess and we were served tea or coffee." 

"It was sad to say goodbye, a fine time had been had by all. Interesting conversation and delicious food, the perfect lunchtime combination!"

"As it says on their website “The Great Dining Bus is perfect as a treat, a gift, for spending time with friends, special celebrations, anniversaries, birthdays, or just a great excuse to experience a unique dining experience whilst enjoying great food in excellent restaurants.” It does what it says on the tin and comes highly recommended!" Dining Tour prices range from: £37.50 to £22pp.

Ladies Who Lunch In Hampshire
www.ladieswholunch-in-hampshire.co.uk 
Click here for Ladies Who Lunch Blog

Great Dining Bus
Various Milford on Sea Restaurants
www.greatdiningbus.co.uk
 

Danestream, Danes Stream, Dane's Stream or Dane Stream, who knows?

I was feeling a bit mischievous today, and to kill time whilst I was waiting for my wife to awake from her beauty sleep, I was trying to gather the courage to put a big plastic spider in her knicker drawer.
 
Still waiting, I then decided that the spider idea may be too dangerous as my wife can strike as quiet and as powerful as ninja on steroids, so I decided it would be safer to find out which of my arms were the longest.
 
As I was using a six inch ruler to do the measuring, I recalled the News Story I had written in these pages a few weeks ago, which investigated whether ‘Milford on Sea should contain hyphens or not’? (click here to read.) The story concluded with some ‘comedian’ then asking me another question; ‘Which is correct, Danestream, Danes Stream or Dane Stream?’
 
Well, no time like the present I decided, and my latest nonsensical research was soon under way.
 
Local addresses would be a good indicator I thought, and I was soon to discover that Sea Road contains both a Danestream House and Danestream Court. Hampshire County Council also list our waterway as Danestream in their Hampshire Treasures pages. Danestream Farm Shop in New Milton had also obviously decided that a space was not for them.
 
To try and get another clear opinion I called my mate Dan, he was however less than helpful, as he reckoned it was named after him.
 
The New Forest National Park Authority has both versions (cunning move boys), plus two of our local B&B’s also go for Danestream. Just as the opinion was going strongly one way, the tide quickly turned, as I spotted that the Environment Agency, the New Forest District Council, and Hampshire County Council, all go for Danes Stream, and as they control the public signage I reckon they have an advantage on this one.
 
Our own Parish Council website however goes for Danestream. They even go further, by explaining that got its name from a local legend. The story goes, that the Saxons once fought a fierce battle against the Danes nearby, and every year on the anniversary of the battle the water turns red!
 
Danish people in Milford on Sea? This sounded a bit far fetched, until I remembered that today we have Inger Lise’s Coffee Shop in the village High Street. Inger Lise’s was originally opened by a real live Scandinavian lady, and they served smorgasbord, waffles, Danish pastries and reindeer sandwiches. (I made one of those up.) Perhaps Milford on Sea has a mystical power to draw in Scandinavians? 

Alternatively, it was historically a place where people just turned up for a fight, as there was also the reputed 18th Century Battle of Milford Green between smugglers and the militia, so it looks like Milford on Sea was a bit like a dodgy nightclub in the olden days.
 
I was sure someone in the village must know, so off I went. I approached several random people to ask them, most managed to get across the road before I reached them, some threatened to call the police unless I went away, and one person even suggested a new location for the Danestream, but that idea was physically impossible. My dilemma did not look like getting resolved on the street, so I soon went home again.
 
I then decided to view our own village website for the correct terminology, but this was totally inconclusive and more than a little pointless. Mainly because, as I had built that website, I had used both versions to ensure that we have it correct sometimes.
 
My final research really perplexed me, as I found several entries on the web for a new singular versions of: ‘Dane Stream’ and ‘Dane's Stream’, I however dismissed these, as I was getting bored by now.

Anyway, whatever the stream is properly called, I do know that it flows through The Pleasure Grounds. To be factual, the Danes Stream forms part of the Milford on Sea conservation area and runs the length of the parish, through the Pleasure Grounds, Westerly through Studland Common and Sharvells Copse, and Eastwards along the rear of the village shops exiting into Sturt Pond. The Pleasure Grounds have 14 acres of ancient woodland with a network of footpaths along the Danes Stream as it runs parallel to the coast.
 
So there you go, another fine piece of investigative journalism with absolutely no conclusion whatsoever. On her eventual exit from the bedroom, (Why is it that women spend so long getting up and dressed?) I asked my wife her valued opinion on my latest cutting edge village research, and she calmly asked me, “Have you thought of moving?”, “Why’s that monkey?” I warmly replied.  (Monkey?! Perhaps a story for another day.) She swiftly retorted “because there must a another village somewhere that needs an idiot!”. It is hard to believe that she actually quite liked me on our wedding day. 

Fortunately, my wife’s sharp wit did not spoil what had been a good morning, as I was happy that my mini ruler had revealed that both of my arms are the same length. Now, where’s that plastic spider.
 
PS: Dan just called, (still insisting the stream was named after him). He now wants to know the difference between a stream and a river! Will my quest for answers never be over!

To read a further update, please click here.

Another conundrum:

Milford on Sea or Milford-on-Sea? - click here to find out.

Saturday 14 September 2013

Find Me a Friend Week!

Since having the ridiculous idea to create a tourism website for Milford on Sea in May 2008, we have had 943,572 visits to the website. www.milfordonsea.org

A short while later, a local new Milford on Sea News Blog appeared, (not by magic, I started it!). The concept was to send a monthly e-newsletter to local villagers, this has now become a weekly e-newsletter, we get over 10,000 page views a month, and the 200th Edition of the Enjoy Milford on Sea News Bulletin is coming this week. www.milfordonseanews.org
 
The Enjoy Milford on Sea News Bulletin & Blog carries stories about news & activities from the village, a number of stories have a bit of humour thrown in, plus you will also find a smattering of made up and ridiculous local articles.
 
Anyway, to Find Me a Friend Week!
 
As there is just big 'ol me & the dogs putting all this together (& frankly, the dogs don't help much) - so, I need your help to get us more friends!
 
The Enjoy Milford on Sea Bulletin recently hit a milestone of 2000 e-mail contacts, (a lot of people are certainly willing to read this nonsense!) - But, ....as Milford on Sea has 5000 residents, plus plenty of visitors interested in the area, lots of people are either unaware that the News Bulletin exists, or are avoiding it like the plague!
 
What we need is your help to get more people registered for the Enjoy Milford on Sea Bulletin please. 

Existing Friends: Send an e-mail, or have a chat with your own friends & neighbours to see if they would like to join us & become a friend of our site. You could also send them a link to this article for them to read what it is all about. Everyone's welcome!

New Friends: Simply ask them to send an e-mail to david@milfordonsea.org with a note in the title saying; 'Please send me the e-newletter.'

*Important for you to know: Your e-mail address on our database is totally secure, the data is never shared with any third party and you can 'Unsubscribe' whenever you want and never hear from us again!

Find Me a Friend Week? Ah yes, this is in fact every week, as our site is always looking for more friends to join us! It's just a bit of fun, and you discover things about Milford on Sea, so why not join us now.
 
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PS: There is also the Milford on Sea Calendar, where anyone can discover what is happening in and around Milford on Sea. www.milfordonseacalendar.org
 
Currently working on an updated version of the Milford on Sea Directory as the next project! Note to self: "Find time to get a life!"
 

Friday 13 September 2013

Older Driver Awareness Roadshow

Life can be very unfair. At a time of life when people need the independence and convenience a car gives, faculties start to fail and bits start to fall off! People are then faced with the challenging issue of when to stop driving.
 
Tony Harrison has recently been appointed as Milford Village Agent by Age Concern. He will be involved in trying to help older people in Milford maintain both their independence and safety on the road.
 
 
 
 
Older Driver Awareness Roadshow 
 
Have you ever wondered whether you or a member of your family are still safe to drive?

If so, you should come to the Older Driver Awareness Roadshow at the Community Centre on 26th September between 10am and 4pm. Simply pop in anytime during the day for a chat and to pick up some information.
 
The event is organised by the Older Drivers Forum, a not-for-profit organisation consisting of road safety experts, representatives of the emergency services as well as voluntary bodies and local authorities. You can find out more at: www.olderdriversforum.com
 
The aim of the event is to help older drivers to keep driving safely for example by suggesting modification to their cars such as wing mirror adaptors or higher seats and by helping them to retain and improve their driving skills, having their driving abilities assessed and eye sight checked. And for those who have to give up driving because they are no longer safe, the Forum offers advice to help them maintain their independence without having access to a care.
 
If you would like to speak to Tony, his contact details are below:
 
Milford Village Agent by Age Concern Hampshire
Tony Harrison
07806 659452
milfordonseava@ageconcernhampshire.org.uk
www.olderdriversforum.com

 

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Millennium Clock Slides Down Wall

click image to enlarge
The more observant villagers will have noticed that the Millennium Clock in Milford on Sea village centre has moved. Others will be not be aware, and quite a few will be saying ‘No one told me about any Millennium Clock!?’
 
To celebrate the Year 2000, the village commissioned a village clock made by ‘Smiths of Derby’. This was erected above what is now Lymington Cat & Kitten Rescue shop in Milford on Sea High Street. The clock was located in the eaves of the building and it has to be said, off centre of the hub of the village.
 
Those that have seen it, may also have spotted that it has not worked for six of the years since installation, and finding a clock repairer with a 40ft ladder is pretty tricky.
 
The Parish Council created an initiative to deal with the issue, and led by Peter Jennions, started a fundraising campaign around 18 months ago to raise £3000 to refurbish and relocate the Millennium Clock. Thanks to generous donations from a number of villagers, the clock has now been moved down, giving it a good chance of being seen, it has also been adapted to illuminate at night.
 
Nice work, and thanks to everyone involved, yet another characterful feature for the village now glows in the dark.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Milford Bowls Club Champions

Rod Somerton - Presidents Cup Winner
Sheila Hall - Rose Bowl Winner
Presentations by Ron West, Club President
The unsettled weather was unable to dampen the high spirits of the Milford on Sea Bowls Club players, as they battled it out for the Annual Club Trophies.
The Club Finals took place last Saturday & Sunday, as the Club Champions for 2014 won numerous games before revealing themselves. (Not literally of course, couldn't have that sort of thing in Milford on Sea.)
The two days consisted of ten hotly contested competitions, which finally decided that the Ladies Champion 2014 is Sheila Hall, who won the Rose Bowl after a close match against last years finalist, Di Goodyear.
The winner of the Mens Champions competition, the Presidents Cup, was Rod Somerton against first time challenger Peter Larke.
The celebrations went on long into the night. After the revelries ended, six large holes were dug around the edges of the green, and the members all joined in a game of giant foot snooker using colour painted footballs. (As you may have guessed, I made this last paragraph up!)
Milford on Sea Bowls Club
Hurst Road, Milford on Sea
www.milfordbowls.co.uk

Monday 9 September 2013

Milford's Going Street!

We have heard of an interesting entrepreneurial new business, run by Mel Green in Milford on Sea.
 
The first one will appeal to our young people, and will really confuse lots of the older ones. (What ever happened to a good Quick Step eh?!)
 
A new 'Street Dance with Mel' course starts at the Community Centre on Monday 16th September 2013 - 7:45 to 8:45pm - Mixed ability £5 - ages 12+.

For those that may be concerned, this does not actually involve dancing in the road. The dress code of 'comfy clothes you can move in', would not I think be a problem to most readers of these pages!
 
Mel Says; "It doesn't matter whether you've been dancing for years or are giving it a go for the first time - if you like to move and groove to RnB tunes, then please come and join me."
 
I am not sure if the course include the latest craze of 'Twerking', (a lot of you will have to look that one up on Google!), but I'm sending my wife if it does!
 
Mel's other business ventures include:
 
Melduzz Website Design, where Mel will craft an original, effective information Website at an affordable price. she blends the creativity of an Adobe Photoshop trained artist, with the experience and professionalism of our IT Project Manager, who has over 15 years experience of working on major Government IT projects and Website development.
 
Whether you're after fun and funky, simple yet stylish or elegantly understated, Melduzz Website Design will create a unique style just for you.
 
Starting at just £200 for a Home Page plus two Sub pages, the service seems good value for money.
 
Melduzz Home Cleaning, this is where Mel offers a friendly, reliable domestic cleaning service in and around Milford on Sea, £10 an hour, 3 hours maximum at a time and customers to please provide the cleaning materials.
 
Additional domestic services include: Jet washing of driveways, paths, garden furniture, mobile home exteriors. Quotes available on request.
 
Melduzz Car Valeting at £10 an hour for an interior and exterior car clean.
 
Contact Mel if you have something you want cleaning, or just fancy cutting some shapes.

Tel: 07887 935990
info@melduzz.com
www.melduzz.com
Facebook: click here

 

Beach with a Turbine View

Challenge Navitus are opposing the offshore wind farm proposed between Purbeck and the Isle of Wight.
 
The coast from Purbeck in Dorset to the south of the Isle of Wight surrounding Poole Bay is rightly valued. Challenge Navitus state that: ‘Expansive views escape the intrusion of man-made structures, and it is a popular destination for those wanting to “get away from it all”. That could change if the Navitus Bay offshore wind farm is built by Dutch & French companies, Eneco & EDF (Navitus Bay Development Limited) as it is currently proposed.
 
This offshore wind farm would be the world's biggest if it were operating today. It would lie between Purbeck and the Isle of Wight, to the south of a line from St. Aldhelm's Head to St. Catherine's Point. It would occupy an area bigger than Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch put together and contain up to 218 turbines Turbines up to 200m (656ft) tall are currently planned, taller than Salisbury Cathedral, the Bournemouth Eye or the Spinnaker Tower. The farm would be highly visible from all around the region, but especially from Durlston, Swanage, Sandbanks, Bournemouth, Hengistbury Head and the Needles area of the Isle of Wight.’
 
Perhaps not a great new tourist attraction for Milford on Sea.
 
Challenge Navitus have published brand new video-simulations on their website: www.challengenavitus.org.uk for Bournemouth, Sandbanks, Studland beach, Ballard Down, Swanage and Worth Matravers. In the new videos, they have adopted turbine arrays that are as close as possible to the developer’s 8MW and 5MW layouts, so that you can compare the videos with the developer’s images more easily. You will need an HDTV or a high resolution monitor to see the videos properly – on small screens the turbines will just blur out. Make sure you view them "full screen" by clicking on the "box" symbol at the right hand side of the toolbar in the video frame after it starts playing.
 
Challenge Navitus say: ‘Visual impact is just one of the many impacts this development would have on our region, but it is an important one. We encourage everyone to take part in this last stage of public consultation (ends October 11th) before the developer applies for consent. It is especially important to encourage your friends to write to the developer with their views and to sign up on our website. This is not a “done deal” and together we can hopefully stop this badly placed and badly planned industrial project from proceeding in its current form. But we need you to do your bit by registering your concerns with the developer.’

You can see how the Navitus Windfarm will look from Milford on Sea by clicking here.
 
As part of the final period of Public Consultation (from September 2nd to October 11th 2013), the following public exhibitions are taking place should you fancy going along to discover more.

Public Exhibition dates:

Friday 13 September, 2-8pm Lymington Community Centre, Fuller/Mclellan Hall, New Street, Lymington SO41 9BQ

Friday 20th September, 2-8pm New Milton Community Centre, Osborne Road, New Milton, BH25 6EA

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Challenge Navitus
info@challengenavitus.org.uk
www.challengenavitus.org.uk
 

Friday 6 September 2013

30 Years of Flowers

If flower arranging is your thing, have you heard that it is Milford Floral Art Clubs' 30th Birthday?
 
This month the club are celebrating their 30th Anniversary, and on Thursday 12th September they will be having a demonstration by Carol Norman entitled 'Surprise, Surprise', a celebration cake and Bucks Fizz!

(I might take a handful of flowers from the Pleasure Gardens and sneak in for the cake & bubbles!)

Milford Floral Art Club is always welcoming new members, and they meet in All Saints' Church Hall, 2pm to 4.30pm, Every Second Thursday of the Month.

Simply pop along, or if you would like more information please contact:
 
Milford Floral Art Club
Sheila Quinney | Secretary
e-mail: click here
01590 641867
Website: click here 
 
Venue: All Saints Church Hall, Greenbanks Close, Milford on Sea, SO41 0SQ

Wednesday 4 September 2013

A Perfect Indian Storm

A "Perfect Storm" is an expression that describes an event that happens to occur in such a confluence, resulting in an event of unusual magnitude.
 
Well, I had one of them on Monday.
 
To explain, it was a day of glorious early September sun, my wife was busy for the evening, and a mate who's wife was away and him up for a beer and curry.
 
My 'wifeless' friend took all of two seconds to accept the evenings invitation, and things got even better when my wife offered to drop us off in the village.
 
First stop for 'the boys on tour' was The White Horse, which has seen some small changes since new landlords Benjamin & Vikki took over recently. Still a bit early for the evening meal trade to arrive, we joined the good number of locals in enjoying a well deserved couple of pints.
 
Next stop was The Smugglers, where it will come as no surprise that some beer was on our agenda, as was a packet of excellent pork scratchings. (Don't tell either of the wives.) The pub was looking pretty busy, which is always good to see. The gardens looked full of colour, with families and a smattering of dogs inside and out.
 
Suitably refreshed, it was now time for the main event, and we wandered over to Zaika, receiving the customary warm welcome.  Beers ordered, the warm freshly cooked pile of papadoms were soon on our table. Six sounded a reasonable number for two, plus of course two spicy. Fellow diners had looks on their faces saying 'they will never eat all of those'. They were soon proved wrong, as slowly the papadums snapped and the pile diminshed. For an experienced curry eater, it is of course all about pacing yourself and balancing the intake of food and fluids!
 
Our conversation was as ever amusing and pointless, ideal for a boys night out. Our mail meal was a feast and tasted excellent. Chicken Patia, Lamb Bhuna, Onion Bhaji, Mushroom Bahji, Pilau Rice and Pashwari Naan. Who could resist such a spice explosion?
 
It was great to hear that Zaika had enjoyed a busy summer season, and on the quality of food served tonight, I was not surprised.
 
As we forgo the coffee for a last Kingfisher, we deliberated a walk to The Red Lion, but whilst our minds were willing, our bodies were now too full to move effectively. Our last effort was the walk home, discovering along the way that the road had become unexpectedly zig zaggy, something that we shall report to the Parish Council later.
 
To end the evening we had a night cap, chatted some more and swiftly forgot everything we had spoken about. - Roll on the next 'Perfect Storm'.

Zaika Indian Restaurant
69 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QG
01590 643084
www.zaikanewforest.co.uk
 

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Alice & her Onions!


We have received this picture from Alice Yeandle after bunches 

of onions stirred Milford memories for her.

Alice is from Milford on Sea, and is the former parson's daughter. 60 odd years later, she is living in France and following in the steps of 'Johnny the Onion Man'?

Alice recalls how 'Johnny the Onion Man' used to travel on the ferry from St Malo to Southampton, complete with a beret on his head, his onions on the handle bars, and then cycled to Milford on Sea to sell his wares.

Alice asks: Does anyone else remembers this event in Carrington Lane? And, indeed, does anyone remember Alice?

Please enter a comment below if you do.

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On pressing Alice for some recollections of her time in Milford on Sea, she has sent a colourful description of times and village characters from time gone by. She is obviously a girl that loves to reminisce!

Here goes: "The family arrived in Milford at the request of Alderman Mrs Trokes for my father to be minister of the then Evangelical Free Church, next to Bell's the baker's, opposite Telfords, the book shop and police station. Mrs Trokes had a marvellous shop full of just everything and drove a sleek, black car, one the few in Milford.

I started school in Milford when Mr 'Skip' Austen was headmaster, Miss Woods and Mrs Griffiths were two of the teachers I remember, Miss Woods because she rapped my knuckles too often with a ruler as I was not her brightest of pupils. For some reason, one year, a maypole was erected in the playground and I was chosen to be Maid Marion and lead the whole school out to dance in front of all the parents, I cannot remember my partner but I loved the dancing, a thing my father did not agree with! The caretaker and his wife of the school, who lived on the premises, had a super grey husky dog that played with us all in the playground.

Some people made a deep impression on me, Methusela, as we called him, from Gollege's farm, with a long, grey beard, smartly dressed, walking behind two well groomed cart horses with their gleaming brasses adorning their necks ready for a days work ploughing, reaping the two acre field at the top of Carrington Lane. On his return he would sometimes be seated side sadlle, wearied from his day of walking in the hot sun that we always had in those days.

I also recall; Carrington Grange where we were invited to play tennis, Montigue Dawson with his paintings of the scenes from his house, the Isle of Wight, rough or calm seas. Mr Mogg with his veg shop, I would go in the van delivering and always we stopped at the White House Sanitoruium. Miss Capron who rode into the village from Kivernals Road on her 'sit up and beg bike' singing hymns at the top of her voice. She and her brother had a beautiful house with a well manicured garden, little box trees around the veg patch, a thing I have developed here. Miss Baker, sitting in a bath chair in the front room of her cottage opposite the pub, withered with rheumatism, watching the world go by and always appreciated a little wave from passers-by, and Mrs day who gave me her scrapbook with old fashioned pop-up pictures that I value still.

Miss Marchand with her long, jewelled pieced earrings making her ear lobes drag, putting me off for life to have the same! Mrs Pitt, cycling up and down caring for the Barnes Lane Baptist Church, always making marvellous flower arrangements in a beautiful pink vase which she gave me on our departure which I treasure still. The families of Hobby's, one with a saw mill at the bottom of his garden which caught alight one night and the excitement of the fire engine coming up the lane, the fireman sitting on the front, hand ringing the shinning brass bell. Edgar Hobby, Arthur Hobby. Mr Meffin who rowed us over to Hurst Castle , no speedy machines in those days. The Knights with their sweet/gift shop, one of the first to have a television, Betty the shopkeeper. Smithy gift shop with the very softly spoken lady where I bought my mother many present, black vases by Knash which I have inherited! My great school pal Marion Munden. Oh, so many more!

Off down Long Lane at the early hours of the morning with a group of youngsters to have a swim after cooking sausages and baked bean on the beach for breakfast. Heaving bikes onto the roofs of the beach huts at the end of Sea Road and cycling along a row until some kill joy had up turned nails hammered into the tar covering! Racing home from school at 4pm and all meeting up on the beach to swim to the sand bank that appeared at that time of day. No life guards or flags in those days. Building dams in the Pleasure Gardens, picking primroses from fields near Pennington to decorated the church for Easter. I left Ashley Secondary Modern school at the age of 15 and worked in Milford hospital as Matron's maid. From a very early age I joined the St John's Ambulance brigade knowing I wanted to be a nurse.

My days in Milford unfortunately ended when my parents chose for their retirement Weston Super Mare. I went to Bristol Royal Infirmary to train to be a nurse and met up with many Uni students, one being who was to become my better half. We both qualified, he as a Chartered Accountant, and I was then Sister for the students of the Bristol Uni after having worked as senior scrub nurse in ENT and night sister in Weston. We tied the knot in 1970, had a lovely house on the outskirts of Bristol when my husband, in 71 accepted a post in Paris, to become the liaison partner for Paris and Bristol but after 2 years a client asked for help to set up a business in Normandy. When finalized, he was then offered the post of Financial Director which he accepted for a stint of a year or two! And here we still are now in our retirement!

Life has been good, our three boys are well placed after having done their schooling both in France and luckily in England, Bristol, London and altho' dispersed, wish that their parents stay put where they were brought up. One day we might return to England! My choice would be Milford on Sea.

Well, Mr David, you may well regret asking for a little more, once started I could go on and on and..............when one's nearing 70 the past becomes such a delight to remember!"

The Kemp's All at Sea


Katie Kemp, organiser of The Milford on Sea Community Big Breakfast, and her husband, Simon, are currently living on their boat in Greece.

The adventure started from adversity, when Simon unexpectedly lost his job, creating a time to re-evaluate life.
 
After lots of soul searching and discussion with family and friends, Katie & Simon decided to rent their lovely Milford on Sea home to holiday makers to gain an income over the summer months, and then live on board their sailing boat, Rope Sole, in Greece. Returning to their home and family, church and village, for the winter. They described the process as "at times painful, yet also immensely freeing and revealing."
Rope Sole
click image to enlarge
So, now they are in Greece, a place they have enjoyed since their first visit in 1984. As well as enjoying sailing on Rope Sole, they are making a foray into the latest technology, by creating (learning to create!) a blog. The idea of writing a blog came from family and friends who wanted to keep track of them, and for those who are curious or just love a good story.
 
If you would like to keep up with Simon & Katie in Greece, welcome to life aboard Rope Sole.

Note: The 'Blue & White Plaque Logo' is a photo of a plate made for them by Val Sparkes…a talented potter friend who has The Pottery, at Danestream Farm, Sway Road, New Milton. The plaque also acts as a 'back button for users of the blog.

Rope Sole Blog
www.ropesole.com
 
If you know anyone looking for a very special self-catering holiday, check out: Lighthouse in Milford on Sea by clicking here.
 
 

Sunday 1 September 2013

New Timeless Shop in Village


Milford on Sea village is soon to see a new shop open, and another new shopkeeper joining the community.

Claire Deegan lives in Hordle and is opening her first shop after establishing her business online.

As of Saturday 21st September, Timeless Fabrics will open at 61 High Street, Milford on Sea. (Next to the Cat & Kitten Rescue Charity Shop.)

New owner, Claire is an ex-computer programmer who was taught at a young age to sew, knit, crochet & tat lace, by her mother & aunts. After redundancy, she returned to college to formalise her sewing skills - pattern cutting and City & Guilds in Lingerie! (This is good, must get my wife down to learn how to create me some special pants!)

Claire is a married mum of 3 children who attend Priestlands School & Brockenhurst College, and at the same time she juggles her husband & two dogs! (Not literally). She is also an enthusiastic tennis player (She claims, more enthusiasm than skill!) playing at Milford Tennis & Squash Club.

Previously, Timeless Fabrics was solely a web based shop, with UK and overseas customers. The bonus of having a physical shop, is to extend the range of services they can offer.


Claire is looking for the Timeless Fabrics shop to be a hive of creativity for all abilities. A sewing machine will be in-house to rent by the hour, a range of patterns, magazines & books available for inspiration and many fabrics, trims and haberdashery to create with.  Timeless Fabrics will also be running a range of workshops to assist in learning new skills and having fun.

Timeless Fabrics take great care in choosing quality fabrics, trims and patterns, sourcing them from all over the world, to stock our sewing emporium. Our stock is regularly updated and keeps up to date with current trends and colours. All orders can be packaged the same day and dispatched swiftly to your door.

Please get in touch if there's anything Claire can help you with, or if there is a particular product you are trying to get hold of. She would love to hear from you.

Timeless Fabrics
61 High Street, Milford on Sea
Tel: 01590 642808 (After 16th Sept 2013) | Mobile: 07713 498459
www.timelessfabrics.co.uk
 
To find out more, visit the 'Timeless Fabrics' blog or find them on Facebook, where Claire shares news, ideas and inspiration!
 

Taxi for Milford!

Living in a village has many advantages, which I am sure we all enjoy. However, if on a night out you like a drink or two, you may well recognise this dilemma.

An evening with friends, or a visit to a Milford on Sea restaurant/pub, leaves the issue of how to get home. Walking is of course an option, but this requires effort and a directional sense in the dark. It can also compromised valuable entertainment time. 

On more than one occasion we have found ourselves in this situation and have tried numerous ways to resolve it. My generous offer that we shared the driving worked for a short while, but once my wife discovered my share was always the outward journey, that option was soon rejected. 
I then had a run of luck, when we tossed a coin for who was going to drive. Well, that was until my wife discovered my double headed coin. A swift & powerful size 6 kick to the groin had me down like a sack of potatoes, hobbling for a week and my favourite coin confiscated. 
Things got better at the recent Comedy Club at the Community Centre. (An excellent night out, and well worth going to if you haven't been before.) We shared a table with a charming couple, David & Eve, and they told us of a travel option we had not heard of before. A taxi.
OK, we have heard of taxi's before, but not a mini cab company that was happy to come to Milford on Sea to transport people on short journeys around the village. Apparently, Abacus Cars from New Milton happily venture across to provide a Milford on Sea taxi service, and will move people around the village for a reasonable price, with a number of village journeys from as little as £5+.

Abacus Cars not ony do local trips, they also cover journeys to airports, docks, shopping trips, tours, - with the motto: 'No job too small, or too big'. They are open from 7am to midnight every week day, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. This is of course, way past when most of Milford is tucked up in bed!
So, next time you are faced with 'who will drive', and need a Milford on Sea mini cab, why not give these guys a try.

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Abacus Cars

Tel: 01425 638100
37 Station Road, New Milton, BH25 6HR

Opening Hours:
Monday: 7am to Midnight.
Tuesday: 7am to Midnight.
Wednesday: 7am to Midnight.
Thursday: 7am to Midnight.
Friday: 7am to 2am
Saturday: 7am to 2am
Sunday: 7am to Midnight.

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We have also discovered another taxi company happy to work in Milford on Sea. Carlos has a high specification Mercedes and is happy to work in Milford on Sea, as well as to do longer runs to airports etc.

Carlos Private Hire
Carlos Miranda
carl1miranda@aol.com
Tel: 01425 620340 | 07718 280110