In reality I have also been working on commissions and we've also had a busy schedule of Bowls matches, a trip to France, our voluntary jobs and family visits. I have a lovely terrier and a double cat portrait to finish in the next 10 days (working around a visit from my Mother next weekend) so its nose to the grindstone again now.
Whilst checking the medals tally on the BBC website I noticed a familiar building at the bottom of the page. Its the Old Neptune pub from Whitstable. Probably one of the most photographed buildings in the County as it sits right on the beach and the beautiful sunsets for which Whitstable is reknown make a great backdrop for the pictures. Its a rickety old wooden building and a major landmark in Whitstable.
It has a great history - In 1853 the Old Neptune suffered serious structural damage when an exceptionally high tide combined with a northerly gale washed away her foundations. Another great storm in 1883 wrecked several vessels awaiting repair along the shore but the Old Neptune survived that one and was used as a temporary morgue to receive the bodies of those killed in the storm.
Finally in 1897 the old wooden building was completely washed away in another great storm. Old Neptune was rebuilt, using timber reclaimed from the original structure and several other cottages that had also been destroyed.
The building has warped and twisted over the years owing too its old wooden foundations, however the timber structure seems to accommodate this movement as can be seen in the window frames and sloping floor.
But the 'powers that be' have transported the Old Neptune from its home on a shingle beach (with cottages in the background) to a beautiful sandy beach ..... this is what it really looks like (using the same perspective as the BBC)
and the Beeb's version - minus the Medals Count
and this was sent to me today .... whilst we are all still in patriotic mode and proud to be British I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did ... Clever Stuff !
Queen Elizabeth II
hmmm other people must have noticed that too
ReplyDeletei haven't watched any of the olympics, i waatched about an hour of the opening ceremonies, got bored and turned it off :p not a sports fan it seems :p
I loved the Olympics and watched lots of it, as much as I could anyway. Didn't really see the closing ceremonies though. I think Britain did a great job.
ReplyDeleteLoved that video of QE II and have stolen it to use on my blog, very clever.
Love the old pub, not sure I haven't been there in years gone by.
Hi Jennifer. I wouldn't say I'm a sports fan (ordinarily) but was surprised how obsessed I became :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree we did much better than most people expected and its great to hear such good reviews/feedback.