We Had Our Day Planned,

but looking out of the window,

one duck was on the roof, silhouetted by a grey, cold sky,

he was soon joined by a second duck, we looked at the weather forecast for Rochester, we had planned to take the train to watch the Dicken's Day, but alas the forecast was for rain and more rain, so it was plan 'B',

a walk in the park, the residents here planning a street party,

great community sprit on this special occasion,

all wrapped up warm, it was a tad cold,

past the snail mail box,

and this is what we were going to visit, a market selling vintage goods in and around the mansion,

a plan of the park,

cars are not normally allowed here, but as the market was here parking was allowed,

last week the park had so many sunbathers, but not today!

in the distance the mansion house with stalls and tables outside,

we entered the area at the front of the mansion,

one of the first stalls was not selling vintage items but plants,

I was tempted with the insectivorous plants, but decided against buying one,

the same stall had cut flowers,

to the left stalls selling food,

on the right clothes stalls,

Diana was tempted by the stall selling Filipino food, but we already had our meal planed, we had bough a joint, which if the weather was nice and we would have gone to Rochester would have gone into the freezer,

the mansion,

these stalls selling household goods on the left of it,

Diana was still undecided about the Filipino food,

we started looking at the household goods stalls,

the thing is I can remember so much of these bits and pieces in our or our friends homes,

lots of glassware,

and I even had one of these, although not so gayly painted as this one,

Diana was making a panorama of the stalls,

we popped inside,

where there were more stalls,

selling cards,

and prints,

in another room looking up I guess this is the original ceiling,

in this room LP records and clothes,

after seeing everything inside we walked to the left of the building to see the stalls at the rear of the building, opposite the entrance to the funfair,

at the side a shop inside the building with its own entrance,

I remember my father having one of these, or at least very similar,

the stalls at the rear selling food and household goods,

we started back home,

a couple of years ago I remember one time we were here lots of school kids planting what looked like a load of sticks,

but now they have taken root and are really growing,

a read, sherry and a 'Cheers!',

for our starter prawns with mayonnaise on a bed of lettuce, cucumber and diced spring onions,

eyes down and tuck in,

roast pork for our main course, with gravy for Diana,

sans gravy for myself,

Diana all set to tuck in,

for dessert, apricot and almond pie topped with cream, and ice cream delicious, after our meal,

it was out with the special spiced rum, Kraken, Steve and Kai had bought it for my birthday, the special occasion? the Queen's Platinum Jubilee of course!

so it was feet up for our evenings films, firstly Diana asked to watch Apocalypto, a gruesome, but powerful movie, movie making at it's best, on a subject that many of us find so interesting not the least because only recently has more been found out about the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs, only last year I read that a new temple complex had been discovered,

we rounded off the evening with The Chronicles of Riddick, 5 years after Pitch Black, the wanted criminal Riddick arrives on a planet called Helion Prime, and finds himself up against an invading empire called the Necromongers, great special effects, after which we were off to bed.