The First One.

This morning I have been to the hospital for another (lost count!) x-ray on my wrist. I don’t have to go back, which is good news. It’s been a tough three months where just keeping going has been a major challenge. As someone who needs physical activity to deal with too much damn energy, being unable to run, ride, swim, or skate has been a significant challenge.

A smashed-up wrist, fractured knee, and ruptured ACL made moving around unsurprisingly difficult. What was surprising, to me at least, was the mental toll of being unable to work and how I relied on physical activity to support this. Through April and early May, I turned to walking for exercise and fill the time when my wrist meant I could not draw and I could not be bothered to work or even speak.

Finding solace

There have been some major lows in this period, but I found solace in the part of Portsmouth that has always been my favourite – out by the lifeboat station, old houseboats and Hayling ferry pontoon. It’s quiet and open, a bit run down but is by far the best bit of Portsmouth (but then I have a thing for unusual bits of the beach or urban river edge).

The little beach opposite Whale Island is another favourite. I’d love to live in one of the houses on Island View Terrace, with easy access to the M27 and a sea view. What more do you need? Probably the entire house flipped around so it actually faces the water – I’d move all the bedrooms downstairs and make an open plan first floor with skylit cathedral ceiling space into the loft, and a big window onto the harbour.

Last weekend I found another nice beach in Woolston, Southampton, but more on run-down urban waterfronts some other time. For now, some links below to a couple of beautiful houses. A lovely Southsea house for sale and, if you’re at the far end of Portobello Road someday, a lovely Italian restaurant, plus some other bits and pieces. Any comments or suggestions, you can get me at carl@carlarchitect.co.uk 

This Week’s Links:

• A friend showed me how to make this amazing tart in Perpignan many years ago, I was only thinking about making it the other day, and then this showed up in my browser.
• You don’t always need an island.
• A little bit of Holland Park in Southsea (we are starting work on a house on the same terrace soon)
• Lovely Hampshire garden
• I’m bored with white plates
• It’s a bit stark for me, but the window seat and bathroom are fantastic
• And finally, an Italian restaurant with Italian-sized portions.