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Introduction
The other day we had some lovely snow photos from Derek
Weatherall.... and it made me wonder if I should dust off the old
camera and take same shots of my favourite snow location of the
1950s/1960s. Well, since then, more of the white stuff has fallen
to make it perfect sledging weather and, this morning, off I
went..... to Duncan Downs.
On the south side of the Downs (the flat bit!), I met these
guys...
They were creating something... but what? Well, they said that
it would all be finished in twenty minutes... so we will return to
them later on this page.
The Picturesque Downs
Of course, the Downs are all very photogenic in snow.
Particularly when looking down on the town below....
.... or across the bay to the Isle of
Sheppey....
Then, of course, there are those winter wonderland scenes....
..... and a chance to see a famous local landmark speckled with
the white stuff....
Some years ago, shots like these prompted a newspaper colmnist
to suggest that Simply Whitstable was full of picture postcard
shots with whimsical comments. But, we can do "arty-farty" if we
want. So here's a bit of windmill with foliage....
Okay, so it's not the back of a beach hut.... but it's more
interesting and a whole lot cheaper.
The Real Downs
Of course, these shots are not the one's I was after. I wanted
a real touch of the 1950s because the north face of Duncan Downs
means just one thing... sledges! (Forget Tankerton Slopes! Tankerton
Slopes is for wimps!).
And, just like in our day, almost anything flat will do the
trick if you don't have a sledge. Options include sophisticated snowboards....
.... inflatible dinghies.....
... and even plastic sheeting.....
But, whatever comes down has to go up and, with
the snow icing over in freezing daytime temperatures, it's a long
and slippery path....
Climbers are, of course, rewarded with those
magnificent Whitstable views....
Whatever happened to
the Likely Lads?
So, what were those guys doing on the south side of the Downs.
Well, here's the finished product.. .. a snowman
having a "bad hair" day.....
Thanks, lads! Now, notice how quick we got it
all onto the web site. I told you so! ;-)
The Little Hitch Hiker....
Of course a smaller snowman can get into and onto things
unnoticed.... as with this 10" guy....
However, a snowman does have to be a bit careful
about accepting lifts from strangers.....
This little chap is now doing community
service...... as a blue light.
;-)
Back to Reality....
It's not all fun, of course. Whilst main roads are being kept
open, local roads are causing some headaches. This includes the
relatively busy Old Bridge Road.....
.... and Grimshill Road....
Memories....
I know that we have quite a few ex-residents of Thurston Park
amongst our readership. So our final shot is just for them....
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