So, this week my boss has been on the second week of his holiday in the land of the Pharaohs; and so it has been up to me to prepare for our scheduled quality meetings in Denmark this week. That done, flights and accommodation arranged, plus the chance to meet an old RAF friend whilst in Denmark it was all shaping to be an interesting week. And then the phone goes; it's my boss; he's quite ill and unfit to travel next week, and so all the meetings and the trip have been postponed.
And then an afternoon of cancelling travel arrangements and the such, and instead of packing this weekend I have been lazing around. Amongst other things.
And Friday had been going so well; my old Boss, Ian and one of the other guys went to the Bell in Minster for a pint and cheesy chilli chips for lunch; a good weekend ahead and the end of what was going to be my last full working week at Ramsgate until the new year.
And, as I said, the phone rang.
Oh well. For Saturday, I had planned an all day Flickrmeet in Canterbury, starting at eight in the morning and going on until after dark, if anyone else would turn up. And so it was seven when we left the house for the short drive to Canterbury, and half past when I was dropped off on the deserted streets. And the day was mine; as it were.
I walked a circuit of the cobbled streets getting shots of the empty streets, with the lights still showing strong in the shop's windows. At eight I went to the Cathedral Gate, and already my friend Matt was there. We waited ten minutes more and another couple arrived, and so we went for a walk through the city centre, and out past the old King's School and back again.
I had prepared an itinerary, and so at nine we made our way to the coffee shop to see if any one else would arrive, and for some of us to have a second breakfast.
One more person arrived, and so the five of us headed off to the city walls for a walk along them to the castle. Sadly, the weather was, and stayed overcast all day, making photography tricky; but we got some shots and plenty to get our juices flowing.
The castle was closed for the whole moth for renovation, and so we walked back to the centre of town, and we found we had an hour before the next rendezvous at half twelve in a pub. As it is Jools' birthday this week, I headed off to get a card and left the others.
After getting one, I saw that the pilgrim's hospital was open, and at just a pound to get in, I thought I would take the chance to visit in the half hour I had. First, as king if photography is allowed, of course!
After getting my shots, I headed to the Dolphin for a refreshing beer and a baguette, and waited for the others to arrive. In the end it was two long beers and plenty of chatting before we headed out back onto the streets. The intention was to visit the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey, but the light was fading past, and at about three the others decided to call it a day and i was left alone.
Alone and trying to find a public toilet as the two pints tried to exit my body; after finding two sets closed, the only things was to visit a pub, order another pint and use the facilities there. So, I went to the Miller's arms, ordered a pint of Christmas Ale and took a seat by the fire and checked up on the football scores on my mobile.
At four I went to meet with Jools at the Cathedral Gate, and in the fast fading light we walked round so I could get some shots of the shops and shoppers before the chill made us head to another bar for more warming beer.
Rather than wait for our reserved table, we tried to restaurant we had booked early to see if our table was free; and they were more than pleased to serve us early.
And so we sat down to a Moorish starter to share; smoked peanuts, kofke style meatballs, chorizo sausage and some kind of dip; all very nice. And then our tagines arrived, which along with some couscous was splendid. Time for a coffee and a selection of sweet, sticky cakes, and then a walk in the chill night air to the car and a quick drive home.
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