'A Lovely Day In Dickensian Rochester'

I had a great time yesterday during my visit to the Dickensian Festival in Rochester!

Thanks to the SUPERB Clive Richardson Coach Tours I found myself effortlessly 'whisked away' to a town with a great many connection to, Charles Dickens and the books he wrote.

If you've not been before the great thing about the festival is that the High Street in Rochester is pretty much the only main street in the town centre so anything and everything that happens during the day is in relatively easy reach from there. There is so much to do and take part in throughout the day once you are there! As well as the usual street performers & characters dressed in Dickensian costumes to meet, greet and have a photo taken with there are processions, stall holders, carol singing sessions, craft fairs a LOVELY fair ground full of fun AND 'oddities' like an ice sculpting demonstration, the chance to try your hand at bell ringing and the odd impromptu theatre re-inaction of 'A Christmas Carol' which also calls for a lot of audience participation! That's without the usual array of interesting 'curiosity' shops, museums and Churches to explore.

I got a VERY 'warm glow' whilst visiting a craft fair that was being held in (hilariously) a 'Gentleman's Night Club' (not sure what either Santa or Charles Dickens would make of that!) that was very sparkly and (ironically) Christmassy when I found just the right Christmas Present for a special friend! The lady who sold it to me was lovely and even modelled the item for me. We got on very well and she told me that she had imported the item from Dubai after holidaying there. I asked her if she liked poetry? To which she said enthusiastically that she was and was a 'creative sort'. Because it is Christmas and I liked her I then offered her a free copy of my 'In Words, In Music...Of Life, Of Death' CD. She was very surprised at this but accepted gratefully (she hasn't heard it yet! - I hear you, Ro Gardner! (lol) and we then shared a few more words. She told me that my lovely gesture was very kind and helped make up for the fact that she was actually having to sell the items I had bought one off at a loss. I'm so glad that we shared a few 'nice moments' together and I hope she enjoys at least some of my CD. I did explain a bit about a couple of the tracks because I recorded a tribute to Top Of The Pops on that Cd on which I (unfortunately as it later turned out) do a Jimmy Savile impression on! Trust me to record a 'tribute' to an iconic character who turns out to be a vile 'wrong un'! I won't forget that lady and I really hope that she had a good day at the craft fair and made a lot of money...

Scrooge is that way, I shouted! (lol)

What made going with Clive so brilliant is that we had plenty of time (about 5 hours) to be able to take our time looking around the shops, taking part in the carol singing or just soaking up the atmosphere! I hate it when you go on a Coach trip to something special and then all you have is 2 hours to 'whip round it'. Christmas is such a 'stressy' time anyway that its great when you can just 'chill' and 'watch the world go by' if you want to for a bit. I met a few nice ladies at the Carol singing session in front of Rochester Castle and even took the mic and told the crowd my 'heartwarming Christmas story' of the day I dressed up in full Santa Claus outfit (boots, bells, sack of presents, bear, bell - you name it!) and was then subsequently LET DOWN by a friend who'd promised to give me a lift to my 'newly joined' writing clubs Christmas do. Did I get a taxi? NO! I walked the mile and a quarter from my house to hilarious effect! (lol)

That was a 'long time ago' now and it's been a while since I have 'sprung' one of my festive tricks on the universe but I'm planning one for my old mate, Mr.Belton and all at The Conquest Hospital come our radio show on the 23rd!!! HA HA HA

Back to Rochester though and I have to say that the most magical part for me of the day was when I visited the huge craft fair and fairground situated in the middle of Rochester Castle! Once the light began to dim and the thousands of fairy lights and fairground ride bulbs could be seen in their full glory it was just like taking a trip back in time to my childhood!

Spinning Magic!

Standing in front of one of the loveliest of old Traction engine powered Carousel rides I was simply in heaven seeing the Carousel spin, the fairground music blaring out and breathing in that distinctive white smoke that blooms out of the top of a Traction Engine chimney along with a 'toot toot' of its whistle when its at full power! I could have stood there like a little boy for hours had I the time just watching the Mum's and Dad's take the kids for rides on it! So many HAPPY faces, giggles and pointing and bobble hats 'rushing past in a blur' to enjoy! I shall never forget how full of love my heart felt for those three or more minutes, I can tell you!

As much fun as I had though, not all of the things I saw and witnessed in Rochester made me happy. There were quite a few homeless people about and many looked so down trodden and ignored that I could hardly bear to look at them. Charles Dickens would be gutted I feel to think how, all these many years later, there are STILL people living in such a way in our country. Shamefully, the pain of engaging with these poor souls frightens the hell out of most of us and so - as thousands (for it was pretty packed) passed them by few took any notice of them. I also noted one or two 'dodgy characters' hanging around - probably looking to pick-pockets. I would not say that they were homeless but instead seemed to trying hard to dress as if they were. How rotten can you get to not only pick a persons pocket but in the same breathe try to blame it on a homeless person? Then there was a certain amount of 'disturbing graffiti' about the place. Rochester is so old fashioned and historic that to see horrid graffiti daubed about the place was deeply upsetting - especially as some of it was political and  so one- sided in its view. Councils everywhere need to do more to clamp down on Graffiti and see that it is REMOVED as quickly as possible because there is nothing more unwelcoming for a visitor to see vile, biased slogans written on walls and (in one or two cases) left to stand on raised banners.

Overall though, if Charles Dickens and the story of 'A Christmas Carol' is your thing then you should definitely make sure to visit the Rochester Dickensian Festival at least once in your life. It does get a bit too busy at times during the day and I did find it hard to find a reasonably priced place to get something to eat but the spirit of Dickens, of Bob Cratchit - and occasionally of Scrooge seeps out of every pore at this time of year and helps to bring the true meaning of Christmas to life...

'The BIG Mail Out!'

Well, it has taken a LONG time to reach this point! My Christmas album, 'A Nod To Mr. Dickens' has been almost a DECADE in the making and there were plenty of times during that period that I thought it would never be completed. The fact that I have been busy therefore looking up addresses, packaging CD's and making trips to the Post Office to send copies of the finished article to friends and family all over the world is understandably then for me a triumph!

The Front Cover Of My New Album!

It's amazing how many of the people you know that you have either out-dated contact details for or no details at all bar a connection on social media or their phone number! The amount of time I have spent trying to locate this person or contact that one has been considerable but I am glad to say that it has all been worth it!

One of the lovely things to come out of making such an effort is that you re-kindle old friendships and I have heard back from a friend of mine I haven't seen since the early 1980's recently! I met Eric Pitteloud when he came to England from Switzerland to study (I think?) and though we only knew each other for about two weeks or so we managed to almost squeeze a lifetime of memories into that time! Eric was a D.J. back then at home and I think I was either on a Manpower Services Commission Scheme at Debenhams or unemployed - I'm not sure now? Anyway, we met at  the 'Speakeasy' night club in Kings Road when my old mate, Terry Har (Johns) was behind the decks.
I recall one of the big dance tunes at the time being 'The Voice Of Q' by 'Q' https://youtu.be/PAP6OAmbWO0 and Eric and I both wanting to buy the last 12" copy of The Buggles, 'I Am A Camera'. I was a selfish git in those days and bought it for myself rather than letting Eric have it to take back with him - I've always regretted that - but I don't think I had met my old mate, Alan Gaywood then so had not been around people that were likely to be generous.

I e mailed Eric to let him know that a copy of 'A Nod To Mr. Dickens' was on its way and got a lovely e mail back from his daughter, Valerie with some family photos as well! Great to see how he and his family look now and I am so glad that he has done so well in life! I have sent a few pics of me and mine back this morning and we all plan to try and keep in touch more often from now on. I have even been offered the chance to go and stay with them in Switzerland for a while, which would be great! I haven't got a passport these days though and finances are not great but things might change!

So, you see, the 'old fashioned' way of getting involved with Christmas still has its advantages and brings some joy! Ironically, I wrote a new Christmas song called 'Heart Full Of Joy' only the other week so I must have known!

More soon...

'A Christmassy Walk And Oranges'

I went for an evening walk along George Street in The Old Town of Hastings on the 9th. So much of Christmas is 'best served' when it is dark and the cobbled streets of The Old town really come into their own when you can see lots of Christmassy lights twinkling and flashing above them!

The snag with that though is that it is VERY hard to try and capture the magic of all that with a small camera - especially if like me you are no 'whizz kid' with the technical side of things! As you can see by the pics here, I did my best but ultimately failed pretty miserably!

Still, Christmas is a time when it does you good to get out into the world and give yourself a chance of meeting new people. With people traditionally busying about the shops there is often a chance to stop for a rest on a seat and share a few words with someone you don't know...

In many cases, it is words like this that can make a Christmas for many. I'm one of thousands of single people who often feel isolated at Christmas and while I while I  am lucky enough to have some GREAT friends, when the festivities really get under way they all have families of their own to visit or concentrate on and so I spend a lot of the main days of Christmas playing records in my bedroom at home. Mum and Dad are not really into Christmas at all (especially Dad, whose the ULTIMATE 'Bah Humbugger') and so I have to try and create the festive atmosphere for myself more often than not! Next time you sit down next to or near someone when Christmas shopping say a few words to them - it doesn't cost you anything and you might just make someones day!

Anyway, I made a little video of my walk! Like the photos here, its not great quality but if you want to see it you can do so here...

If you do watch the film, there is a part in it where I take a shot of the front window of the Jewellers shop . I was really taken with that scene as it transported me straight into the era of one of Charles Dickens novels. I felt like Tiny Tim lovingly staring at the toys in the window of the toy shop in 'A Christmas Carol' I can tell you! This morning I had an Orange and the citrus burst I experienced had a similar effect upon me as I imagined the look of utter delight  there would be on one of the poor little street urchins faces in that film if they could have just one segment...I think the Orange is the most 'christmassy' fruit of all and in the right circumstances can really connect with how marvellous a feeling it must have been to poor kids to find a WHOLE one all to themselves at the bottom of their Christmas stocking...

'Nearly There!'

Well, we are nearly at the finishing line for this years Christmas build up. It hasn't been the most memorable of Christmas run ins this year for me as the weather (will it EVER stop raining!) has been far from anything you imagine when thinking of a 'Winter Wonderland'. My luck hasn't been that great either as far as my camera letting me down TWICE on visits to Battle and my unavailability because of a writing festival in London to be able to attend my favourite Christmas Fair...

The papers though have cheered me up a bit with a few Christmassy stories and my old pal, Charles Dickens, would be well chuffed with teenager, Jordan Cox, who according to THE SUN used a selection of promotional vouchers to 'buy' £572.16 worth of food from Tesco's for 4p and then gave the lot to the charity, Doorstep. Now THATS the Christmas spirit old 'Charlie boy' was hoping to conjure up in all of us!

Old 'Charlie boy' Mr Charles Dickens and GOD BLESS his cotton socks!

Christmas is such a special time of the year but it is also a time when loneliness, financial worries, frustrations and thoughts of the past/missing loved ones strike home hardest. This Christmas please make sure that those you know who are alone are made aware of how loved and cherished they are. We all tend to get carried away with the hullabaloo that surrounds us at Christmas and often many amongst us who are sad, lost or are suffering are made to feel more so by the happiness of others. Christmas is a time to open your eyes as well as your heart and that is a part of the Christmas message I will always mention at this time no matter how many years (or not) I write this blog...

We all have unfulfilled dreams, we all 'wish' for pipe dreams but equally we all fail to see what a wonderful life we ALREADY HAVE. People are the most important thing on Dec 25th not money, not presents, not television, people and as a single guy myself I know that only too well. 

Me with my friend, Sally Patricia Gardner at our writing club Christmas meal.

I am not going to get all maudlin on you though, my GOD no! HA HA I am a 'bouncing off the walls' person at Christmas and so I will continue to spend the festive season in good cheer and complete with my Elf costume! The world cannot handle the festive cheer I pump out to others in December each year and I never tire of peoples looks of 'nutter' when I stumble across a member of the 'Bah Humbugian Sect'. Dear old Ebeneezer (the former) shall never dampen a TONY MAY CHRISTMAS no matter how hard they try!

No, no, no, be HAPPY over Christmas whatever you do PLEASE - but just be aware of the other side of the coin for others and make sure you always have a spare glass of wine/sherry and a mince pie for the less fortunate as well...

Love to all , xxxx

'A Dickens Christmas'

As mentioned in an earlier post, I love Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' and think its the best story ever written. Regular readers of this blog will see just how inspired by the timeless story I have been (and continue to be). A few years ago I did a bit of research into the life of Charles Dickens and was amazed that discover that he actually visited Hastings in 1861 during one of his 'reading tours'. The following is an article I wrote about 'A Christmas Carol' for 'Hastings Town' magazine in 2009 - have a read and see if you agree with what I have to say? If not, why not leave a comment and start a discussion about it?

‘A Dickens Christmas’ by Tony May

In the midst of the current recession, most of us are struggling a bit financially these days.  Thus, no matter how much of the spirit of ‘old saint nick’ resides in us, to hear the word Christmas being banded about again ‘so soon’ is unlikely to make us feel jolly.

Christmas has become so commercialized these days, the religious aspect of the festive season hardly gets a mention now and as a whole, the secret to enjoying a true ‘family Christmas’ has been lost. As far as giving and receiving presents goes, the traditional motto of “it’s the thought that counts” has, thanks to the birth of television and the rise of the media, been replaced in the public consciousness as “it’s how much that it costs”.

So, what is at the heart of the problem?

My Nan (who is 99) has often told me of the fun her family used to get up to when she was young enjoying Christmas dinner together at the table, singing carols around the piano and playing ‘parlour games’. The funniest game of all was when her father, Maurice, who had a devilish sense of humour, would ‘do something’ or ‘make a motion’ that everyone had to mimic exactly. Should anyone get even the slightest thing wrong they would have to pay a forfeit and Nan, recalls with a smile, how one Christmas she had to stand on the top step in front of their house and sing ‘God save the King’ at the top of her voice. Great fun indeed - not a mobile phone, games consul or television in sight.

The simple truth is that today we all have too much. How many times can you think of for example where you have become exasperated because you cannot think of what to buy someone? Most people have hundreds of books, compact discs and DVD’s gathering dust on shelves in their living room already while bigger items are so expensive you just cannot afford to buy them. Every year it gets more difficult, stressful and likely to give us a headache, a lot of us turn into Ebenezer Scrooge and spend most of November and December announcing to the world how much we hate Christmas.

But it doesn’t have to be that way and frankly, it shouldn’t.

Imagine yourself back in the days of Charles Dickens for a moment. We must all have seen at least one film adaptation of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’.  Can anyone honestly tell me they were unmoved by the scene near the end where Bob Cratchit takes home a large Turkey to feed poor Tiny Tim and the rest of his family? Remember, also, the joy on the little boy’s face when he finds a big juicy round orange in his Christmas stocking.

Yes folks, an Orange. Not a brand new Playstation game or consul, not an ipod nor a pair of designer trainers, a humble orange.  I am also willing to bet that he spent far more time gazing at his beloved gift and thinking how lucky he was to have it than any of our kids do today. As the saying goes, less is more, sometimes, and it would do all of us good to remember that these days.

Interestingly, Charles Dickens himself made a few visits to Hastings during his lifetime. He had a sister who lived in a house named ‘The Briars’ here and on the 8^th of November 1861, at The Music Hall he read extracts from ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘The Trial From Pickwick’ as part of a public reading tour.

The Music Hall was situated where ‘Yates’s’ is today (opposite Debenhams) and also had an entrance in Havelock Road. According to the Hastings & St Leonards News of the day, the reading was a huge success and a great many people without tickets had to be turned away. Dickens was apparently a very talented performer. Earlier in life, he’d had some experience as an amateur on ‘the boards’ and this it seems served him well. Aided by some stage accessories, he performed magnificently changing his voice and facial expressions skillfully to produce many an emotional response from his audience.

A lot of  ‘well to do’ people attended the Hastings reading and afterwards two rows of carriages could be seen extending half a mile up, what was then Bohemia Road, waiting to pick them up.

It was initially hoped that Dickens might make another professional appearance in Hastings but sadly this never came to pass. His son, also Charles Dickens (1837-1890), did however visit the town and like his father before him performed a public reading of his father’s works. This visit took place on the 23^rd of February 1889 at The Public Hall (The same venue as his father had visited) and Dickens junior read extracts from ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘Bob Sawyers Party’.

Before I finish, I should tackle one of Hastings most common rumours connecting ‘Dickens Cottage’ in High Street with the great man. In fact, the connection with the Dickens family is not through Charles Dickens himself but via his youngest son Sir Henry Dickens (1849-1933) and his wife Lady Dickens. They were friends with a Miss M Valette who owned the cottage and visited her there occasionally. She apparently gave her home its name because of the couple’s visits and because Lady Dickens considered it to be the ideal setting for Dickens’ Christmas book ‘The Cricket On The Hearth’ published in 1845.

So, there you go, Hastings has a genuine connection to the spirit of the man who brought the traditional meaning and values of Christmas so powerfully home to all of us.  Let’s do him and each other a favour this year then and CHEER UP A BIT! HA HA

Lots of love to you all this Christmas,

Antony May 16/09/09

Information from this article gathered in part from ‘Hastings In Dickens and Dickens In Hastings’ by Edward G. Preston, Wikkipedia and ‘Hastings And Men Of Letters’ by Gerald Brodribb.