Easter Sunday Transport and Steam

After a lovely Easter Saturday at home

We headed out to the town of my birth

Chatham

To a place of local historical interest

And family historical interest

Chatham Dockyard

Most of my family

Worked at the dockyard in their time

Before it closed in 1984

The closure of the dockyard

Led to a real twist in the fate of the Medway towns

It is not the same now as when I lived there

We left in 1982

Returned for 18 months in 1986

Before leaving again for Germany

But my parents spent most of their lives in Gillingham

It is where we had our family home

And it will always hold a special place in my heart

My extended family are still in Medway

But my immediate family

Including me

Have all moved away

I always find it very emotional going back

And I am immensely proud that the dockyard is once again

The pulse of the towns

Providing a fantastic family attraction

And employing lots of local people

The regeneration of the Medway towns is happening

But for me it is always a step back in time when I visit

And perfect then that our visit on Easter Sunday

Was to The Chatham Dockyard Festival of Steam and Transport

As we entered the site we could see the vintage cars lined up

We could hear the sounds of the fifties and sixties

Coming from the old fashioned Chair O Plane

The place was packed with things to do and things to see

But it was not overly busy

The dockyard had a nice feel to it

In spite of the unfriendly weather

It had a definite family feel

vintage fun

The music reminded me of my childhood

So sharing the day with my sister was wonderful

My parents being there would have made it perfect

After a look along the lines of cars

We boarded a war ship for an explore

Esther and William called it a pirate ship

And were busy acting out all kinds of awesome adventures

deeds not words

After the ship we spent a lovely long time

Riding the Helter Skelter

And the steam carousel

Esther, William and I also braved the Ferris Wheel

On a very windy day!

We all loved the funfair

I was telling tales of the helter skelter

That used to be at The Strand

Do you remember that?

merry go duck

I was remembering my own childhood

While my children were making the most of theirs

They had a fabulous time

When the rain stopped outdoor play

We headed in to the soft play frame

Before coming back out with the sun

To the adventure park

One of the highlights of the day

Were the shows

enjoying the shows

The juggler and the giant balloon

Both picked out Uncle Hugh

As a willing volunteer

Esther and William loved the shows

And stood entranced throughout

giant balloon show

Both performers were very engaging

We loved our day

Esther and William loved exploring the battle ship

HMS Cavalier

And they are already asking when we can go back

I think they fancy a picnic lunch in the mess!

docks

This was our second visit to Chatham Historical Dockyard

And we will definitely be going back again

There is still so much more to explore!

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