There was a choice of what to do on Saturday afternoon, we could stay home, if we went out do we jump in a car and go to a fair in Hampton or do we go one stop by train to Twickenham where there is a festival. Sounds very grand, but the festival is a series of events, including school fetes or fairs. What is the difference between fairs and fetes?
In the end Twickenham won, no car meant no parking hassles, we would have freedom to return another way, also a chance to pop into our pharmacy to collect the corticosteroid cream to complete the prescription for medication to treat the ezcema on my hands and to collect Ian's prescriptions too.
Onwards towards the river and we encountered a dragon boat race, photograph taken by Ian on his phone. 
Eel Pie Island is in the background, famous in the 60s for the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and other groups playing there, now the residence of Trevor Bayliss whom we saw with his cars on The Embankment, near where this photo was taken.
Feeling like tourists in our own town we discovered Morris dancers outside the Barmy Arms pub. 
The sign at the back says Spring Grove of Kingston upon Thames, so a local group from across the river.
More touristy stuff, we just had time to inspect the book stall at the church fair, I found a 1976 knitting book, The Art of Knitting by Anne Gordon. Very interesting history of the craft at the beginning, then instructions given for adapting very old pieces of work to mid-seventies designs and materials. Some have worn better than others. The other book I found was Joanna Trollope's Daughters of Britannia so bought that too.
One final thought, we walked further along towards Orleans House Gallery, thence to the Old Stables where there is a cafe, but there is no service after four o'clock. In such a tourist area, at Summer weekends especially why cannot cafes offer tea and cakes later in the afternoon? This is the town that is welcoming the rugby world to its doorstep in September and October, tourism is a major industry.
We went to The Crown, a pub/restaurant where we had a very good pot of Earl Grey tea but there were no cakes.
At least we weren't far from home, it wasn't a long wait for the London omnibus, not a grand vehicle, single decker, very rattley with quite a fast driver.
It's nice playing tourist in your own area, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame the café wouldn't serve tea and cakes after 4.00 pm. Like you said, especially in summer, it does not make sense. Don't they want the money?