A Good Read

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This is a heartbreaking story of the friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan in the process of being destroyed.

The year is 1975. Twelve year olds Amir and Hassan are the best of friends, running and playing around their homes and the streets. Amir is desperate to win the local kite flying tournament and loyal Hassan promises to help him.

The story started very well, there was a strong sense of family, love and friendship, but as it progressed I began to dislike Amir. And then came the cowardice, cruelty, misplaced honour and pride, and eventually redemption.

 

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

A Nice Day Out

My last day out read "glorious weather made for a lovely day out", we had the windows open in the car and I spent a good part of the day wearing a short sleeve t-shirt. That was just seven days ago, yesterday's day out was cold, rain and a vicious wind. I had a day trip to St Albans a Hertfordshire market town, originally the Celtic Iron Age settlement of Verlamion. After the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43 it developed as Verulamium and became one of the largest towns in Roman Britain but was later destroyed during the revolt of Boudicca in AD 60-61 before being rebuilt. The town is named after Alban a pagan who was converted to Christianity when he sheltered a Christian priest. The legend goes that Alban switched cloaks with the priest and was arrested in his stead by Roman soldiers and subsequently executed for his faith. Alban’s declaration “I worship and adore the true and living God who created all things” is still used in prayer at St Albans Cathedral. He was later made a saint and named as the first Christian martyr. Historically a market town, it grew in importance, gaining city status in 1877, largely due to its cathedral which is HUGE. 

My friend M didn't go because she has a cold. The coach dropped us off in the High Street, after a coffee and croissant I headed in search of the cathedral. I visited a few shops and looked at a few restaurants with lunch in mind and then lost sight of the cathedral! but I knew it was somewhere near.

I explored an alley with some lovely small shops

and came out in the cathedral grounds.

It's the 137th anniversary of the foundation of St Albans High School for Girls and preparations were under way for a service of thanksgiving.

There was a good exhibition from a local college exploring the themes of Shrines and Homes

oOo

Time for lunch. 

There were so many eating places

it was hard to choose - sandwich, soup, a roast.

Because I hadn't had breakfast I decided on a small English all day breakfast

at the courtroom cafe in the museum. 

Bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomato, hash brownies and a perfect runny poached egg on a slice of toast, delicious

This is where the accused entered the court

from the holding cells below. The courtroom was in use from 1831 right up to the 1960's when the court was moved to a new location.

Some cells are now toilets

Judges chair

There were some interesting but sad cases

If you click on the images you should be able to read the transcripts

The museum was small but very good

Famous people with a connection to St Albans

I think it's a parrot

At one time there were 92 pub in and around St Albans!

Fragility is Strength

The bricks have London Brick on them, my father worked for

the London Brick company in Peterborough.

Before boarding the coach for home I had time to buy a jumper

from a charity shop and visit St Peter's church

I was lucky with the weather, the worst of it was when I was having lunch.

But it was very windy and cold

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

Beach Huts

In my last post I mentioned beach huts which I thought were invented by the Victorians but I was wrong, by the time Queen Victoria became the reigning monarch in 1837, bathing machines had already become an established feature of seaside resorts. A whole century earlier, mobile changing rooms were in use at Scarborough, the world’s first seaside resort located on the east Yorkshire coast.

These simple wooden vehicles (basically four-wheeled sheds) were a result of the radical new fascination with the sea. Prior to this, no one but fishermen and smugglers used the beach but when doctors began to prescribe the cold sea salt bath as the latest ‘cure-all’ remedy royalty and the rich and famous "Took to the waters" for total body immersion. Before long entire families were taking to the sea.

"Mermaids at Brighton" by William Heath (1795 - 1840), c. 1829.

Depicts women sea-bathing with bathing machines at Brighton.

It wasn’t long after that the 'bathing machine’ was invented to offer greater privacy. In its original form the horse drawn carriage was towed into the sea, allowing bathers (primarily women) to change into swimwear and access the water without being seen in public, adhering to strict social codes regarding modesty. For inexperienced swimmers (which would have been most Victorian women in their billowing swimwear), some resorts offered the service of a 'dipper', a strong person of the same sex to assist people into the water and yank them out when they were done. In 1789 George III gave royal approval to the new fashion when he took a medicinal bath at Weymouth to the musical accompaniment of ‘God Save the King.’

The rules designed to keep male bathing machines at a set distance from female bathing machines were probably only in force for about 30 years, less in some places, and they were routinely flouted. By the 1890s the call for mixed bathing was getting stronger, not least because this was the norm in northern European as well as American resorts. As it became more acceptable for people to walk across the beach in their bathing costumes, a whole host of  stripy changing tents were erected on the Edwardian sands. Around the same time some of the bathing machines began to lose their wheels and other purpose-built day huts began to appear.

In the inter-War period sunbathing was the new fashion and bathing machines, though still lingering on, were outdated and antiquated. New modern-looking blocks of beach huts or chalets were built near to huge lidos and everywhere had to have a sun terrace.

The last of the bathing machines disappeared with the Second World War, and when the beaches had been cleared of barbed wire at the end of hostilities, the holiday makers came back in their millions. The 1950s was the heyday of the beach hut, dedicated fans have been keeping up their huts ever since and today there’s a clear resurgence with spiralling prices and much media interest.

With an estimated 20,000 in the UK, these candy-colored wooden structures evolved from Victorian bathing machines into popular, often expensive privately owned spots for changing, storing equipment, and enjoying the coast.

Queen Victoria used a bathing machine at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

As one would expect it was very posh!

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

A Nice Day Out

A very good friend, a very nice location and glorious weather made for a lovely day out today. We went to Osea Leisure Park situated on the banks of the Blackwater Estuary.

After enjoying a delicious coffee and blueberry muffin in the Osea View cafe

we walked along the headland 

These modern huts are very nice

but these older ones have character and a bit of charm

Some nice boats and the Tiptree restaurant at Heybridge Basin

The Jolly Sailor was busy

This sweet little cottage was for sale, it has a lovely view over the basin.

I would like to live there.

Lunch was at the charming Chequers Inn in Goldhanger

St Peter's Church. I thought it was Norman, R thought it was Saxon, turns out it's both - it's structure is "of 11th century Saxon/Norman origins featuring extensive re-used Roman flint and brick flint rubble construction".

It's been a wonderful day. We will return.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x