Throwing Tomatoes

Had so much fun in studio today, this little set up was very easy, but required quick reflexes!

Millicent

Intrigued with the camera

Lounging about

Keeping my nose warm

Messy face after a beach walk

Broadstairs

Broadstairs Beachfront

I took this shot of Broadstairs beach today on my phone using retrocamera as I think it adds to the old English seaside feel.  Broadstairs is a lovely Victorian town, which was popular with smugglers in the eighteenth century.  There are many tunnels and caves in the white, chalky cliffs where tobacco, alcohol and tea was stored due to the very high duty imposed.    Charles Dickens visited Broadstairs regularly and wrote David Copperfield here.  It is a beautiful little place that makes you want to buy an ice cream and ride on the merry-go-round.

Sweeps Festival, Rochester

Today I went to Rochester – a great little town – to watch the Sweeps Festival.  This spring festival recreates the fun and laughter enjoyed by chimney sweeps on their traditional holiday – 1 May (Mayday), and began 400 years ago.  It was the only day of the year they could leave the sooty chimneys behind and have some fun and laughter drinking ale and being merry.  The Jack in the Green used to awaken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill in Chatham and lead the Morris Dancers through the city.  Today the festivities celebrate the arrival of spring with street dancing, folk music, drinking ale and cake stands and stalls.   Don’t let the green trees fool you though, it was 6 degrees!

Chimney Sweepers with sooty faces and feathers!

Street performers

Traditional dancing

Playing accordion and banjo

Performers with Jack in the Green behind

Performers with a beak mask made of wicker

These guys played fantastic music, had
 a really earthy, thunderous beat

Scary!  

The Morris Dancers' fool

Sweeps with Jack in the Green (yes, there's a
 person in there!)

Beautiful bread stall

Amazing cakes

And a few shots of historic Rochester.  Rochester is where Charles Dickens spent the later years of his life, and many of the buildings feature in his novels, notably The Pickwick Papers, and Great Expectations.  Each year there is a Dickens Festival in the town centre.

The High Street

The High Street

Rochester Castle (dates back to
 Norman times)

Rochester Cathedral is a Norman church and dates back to 604.  The bishopric is the second oldest in England after Canterbury.

Rochester Cathedral

Down in the crypt

The crypt

BBQ near the old city gate

Fields

Sheppey Fields

I love driving around England and seeing beautiful fields.  It was really hazy when I took this, but the warmest day since I've been here (17 degrees!)  I love the yellow rape fields in the distance, and the trees too.  It feels like The Darling Buds of May.

Dolci

These beautiful cakes were really enjoying themselves showing off to the passers by in L'Eto Caffe on Wardour Street in Soho.  So many pedestrians stopped to stare and point.  Their colours were exquisite, and they were all so fresh and delicately arranged.  Every now and then a waiter in a crisp, white apron would remove a tray and place a new selection in its place, or select a particularly proud cake for a customer to accompany their freshly roasted demitasse of espresso.

Beautiful cakes.  Copyright Rebecca Appleby

Camden Town

Spent Friday the 13th in Camden Town.  Just as arty and alternative as ever - great food market, and especially enjoyed the Chicken Paella from Azafran for lunch.  You can buy anything with a Union Jack on it here.

The food markets

Yummy chicken paella

LPs, LPs, so many LPs

Union Jack jumper?

Or perhaps Union Jack leggings?

All photos copyright Rebecca Appleby