The Broadstairs Food Festival was on last weekend, which was rather fun. I took Bryan down for some lunch on the Sunday (I had pizza, he had a halloumi burger, in case you were wondering).
We spent a very pleasant couple of hours watching the world go by and listening to a musician playing in the bandstand. I’m mortified that I can’t remember his name, because he was very good and I wanted to urge you to watch out for him.
Ah well, that was a disappointing end to that part of the story – but it was a lovely way to have some quality time with my lad and just enjoy his company while listening to good music. I love these local events; you often bump into people you know, spend some time with family and friends, and get to enjoy a (usually) pleasant atmosphere. I say “usually” as there’s always bound to be someone who embarrasses themselves, but thankfully, they’re few and far between.
I’ve lived in Thanet my entire life, so I’ve seen some very familiar events over the years; Folk Week, Ramsgate Harbour lights at Christmas, and I even remember when there was a market in the (now-defunct) Greyhound racing track car park. Okay, that last one’s not quite the “event” I was trying to get across, but it’s stuck in my mind now, and I can’t get it out.
A lot of my most precious memories of events as an adult have been the ones I’ve taken Bryan to, especially the firsts. The first Christmas fair, at Ramsgate Leisure Centre, the first Broadstairs Folk Week, where we watched the procession from outside Pierremont Park … I think I’m in a nostalgic mood at the moment.
Nostalgia can hit us at the most obscure moments. I’m undoubtedly middle-aged – 43 could certainly not be considered the first flush of youth – and I’ve got a lot of memories to sift through; walking marathons that I completed pre-parenthood, and all the things I’ve done with my son over the past five years. It’s strange how some memories still very clearly in your mind, and others just fade quickly. Bryan will occasionally tell me things that I vaguely remember, but that have obviously really stuck with him. I also have to remind him of things that we’ve done together, and he usually remembers what I’m talking about. “Usually” being the operative word.
Bryan has two weeks for the Halloween half-term, due to a particular way his school structures their staff training days. While I have to work for one of those weeks, I get to take a week off and spend some time with him. This holiday, we’re not planning to do anything big. Instead, we both want to enjoy some quiet moments; I’m going to take him to the cinema and a guided tour of Canterbury (it’s a spooky story tour to tie in with Halloween – we’re both excited by that one); most of all, we’re just going to just spend some time together.
There is one thing in particular I wanted to mention that Bryan and I are going to be doing in the half-term. We’re going to be doing a coastal walk for charity, along the coast from the Clock Tower in Margate all the way through Cliftonville, Kingsgate, Broadstairs, and then end up in Ramsgate. I think that’s going to be about eight or nine miles, but I’ve got the Strava app on my phone now, which means I’ll know for sure after we do it.
We’re doing the walk in aid of the Caldecott Foundation over in Ashford, which supports children and young people in care and in specialist education. It’s a cause I’m very passionate about, and I’d love to raise some money for them. If you can spare anything to give to our walk and this charity, you can find the Just Giving page here.
This weekend, it’s my mum’s birthday as well, so we’ll be going out for lunch with her and my dad to celebrate the occasion. She’s not one for big celebrations, so quiet and understated are our watchwords this weekend. Happy birthday, mum.
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