Jack in the Green Festival, Hastings

I went to the “Jack in the Green” Festival today. People had wreaths of green leaves or colourful flowers in their hair to celebrate spring and some had their faces painted too.

Also at the festival were a lot of motorbikes of varying makes, each belonging to a proud rider clad in leather trousers and jackets. Motorbikes of varying colours and designs lined the promenade into the distance.

There were motorbike-themed markets selling clothing, jewellery and books too. There were also other market stalls.

I walked past the stores and peered at what was for sale: very fascinating array of wares, especially the jewellery which glinted silver. I made my way back to the promenade and ate a delicious and huge Cornish pasty.

I walked back along the promenade in the opposite direction, past the outdoor jazz venue on the seafront which had many people out on its deck and found a red and inviting Mr Whippy van.

I bought a vanilla ice cream with a crunchy chocolate flake. Wandering along the beach, I found an English seashell in amongst the pebbles as the seagulls swam in the sea.

 

Gardens with historical statues!

Today was part of a Bank holiday weekend so many people were out enjoying the sun. I did this too, walking along the promenade. There were yachts, people fishing, people having barbecues on the beach or swimming or sun baking. People were walking dogs ecstatic to be out in the sunshine too. I walked in the opposite direction along the promenade than I did last time and watched the sea sparkling in the sun as I pottered along my way. I found gardens I had not been to before. These gardens were special because they had a statue depicting a scene from the Battle of Hastings. I walked around the gardens and admired the colourful flowers. I marvelled at how close the gardens were to the promenade and the beach which were just across the road. There was even a golf course in the gardens with some people putting a ball around and getting it in the hole! I sat on a bench where the warm sunlight streameded down and read The Daily Mail: fantastic day 🙂

Wandering around Hastings: St Leonards and Ore

Today I began with a full English Breakfast at the B&B I’m staying at: absolutely delicious. Later I had a slice of Victoria Sponge cake and a cup of tea at a local bakery down the road: also delicious. 

I walked down to the Promenade with my lunch and the Daily Mail weekend newspaper. I walked to Ore Town Centre and back. I passed seagulls either sitting on the pebbly beach or bathing in the sea.

They did this in certain ways including sitting on varying levels of a structure which was in the water. This meant the seagulls on the lower levels got wetter than those on the upper ones and I thought the seagulls were very clever to have worked this out for themselves. I passed a theatre, 

a Queen Victoria statue in front of Warrior Square

and saw the castle ruins on the hill in Ore. I walked back past a jazz performance venue
and found St Leonards Gardens. Through a towering archway and open black giant spiky gates and onto the winding hilly paths past flower beds and trees.

There were bluebells, daffodils and many other flowers.

Birds chirped from the branches of the trees. I found an excellent vantage point almost at the top of the gardens where I could see across the entire area and look out to the sea beyond it: fantastic place to read my paper. 

Squirrel in a Tree

I had my breakfast on a bench under a tall, leafy tree this morning when I looked behind me and saw a grey squirrel on the tree, nut in mouth. In the time it took me to take out my camera it had scurried to a very high branch, nut still firmly in mouth.