Feasting Continued In Margate...

My friend Fitzrufus was visiting Blighty for the Feast of All Saints, so, after the Mass in Ramsgate, the two of us made our way to Margate - which, for the uninitiated, was all of fifteen minutes' drive away. It would have taken even less time, if the following exchange had not happened...

First, we saw a field of green leaves. I'm a Science teacher but my knowledge of plants is rather limited. The classification system runs in my head as Tree, Flower, Fruit, Vegetable...

Fitzrufus:  Oooh. Cauliflowers.
Me:  Really? How do you know?
Fitzrufus:  There was one lying open on the ground, and it had the same leaves...
Me:  Ah...
Fitzrufus:  It's not quite the root which we eat, it's... ummm... it's...
Me:  It's the flower.
Fitzrufus:  Really?
Me:  The clue is in the name...
Fitzrufus:  Yes, but it's not spelled the same way, so...
Me:  Yes it is... You're thinking of the "cauli" bit...

Much giggling ensued, and the tears of laughter meant that I had to pull over, as I was in danger of losing my contact lenses... or crashing the car. Then I tried to decide on a direction to take at the next junction (my geography is non-existent)...

Fitzrufus:  Go left.
Me:  Are you sure? Why not right?
Fitzrufus:  Because right is Broadstairs.
Me:  How do you know?
Fitzrufus:  There's a sign which says Broadstairs...
Me:  Where?
Fitzrufus:  On your right...

Sure enough, there was. More giggling, and it slowed us down just a bit.

Once we were in Margate, we headed to Café G for a light lunch. The sun was shining, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Neither of us could quite believe that it was November. We shot across the road to take photos of the beach. The tide appeared to be out...

Then, it being a Feast Day, we decided we wanted dessert. We started to walk along the sea front, and stopped to discuss which direction to take. Fitzrufus looked up and noticed that we were standing outside Bernie's Chocolate Bar. Fr. Tim had already tweeted about the place and posted details on Facebook, so in we went.

The place is wonderful, smelling of chocolate and other goodies. There are tables and chairs, a reading section and comfy sofas. There is also free wifi. And chocolate...

Bernie (on the right) and one of her assistants were happy to pose for a photo...

By the time we emerged, the sun was setting (the clocks had gone back to GMT the week before, so this wasn't as reprehensible as it sounds!) and we took a few more photos to try and capture the famous Margate sunset...

Then it was time to visit another shop made famous by His Hermeneuticalness. Crafted Naturally sells all sorts of lovely stuff, but is best known for having a cat as its Marketing Manager.

Pumpkin the Shop Cat has his own Facebook page and business cards and will shortly be getting a Twitter account. He is the most laid-back of felines, allowing himself to be picked up and petted, and posed for selfies with various customers. His picture adorns various items such as mugs, key rings, calendars and fudge. He had had a busy few days, and looked distinctly unimpressed by two more people approaching him with a camera...

However, I knew the correct procedure for doing homage to such a magnificent cat, and put my skills as a kitty-charmer to the test. Pumpkin condescended to purr...

We ended the day with Mass at St. Austin & St. Gregory's, followed by dinner with His Hermeneuticalness at Bentley's (which boasts a baby grand piano and more free wifi, as well as great service and lovely food), and then the drive back to London with Fitzrufus, praying the Rosary together. All in all, a most fitting way to spend a Feast Day...

A Feast For The Senses For All Saints' Day...

I have finally put up my photos (on Flickr) from my visit to the Shrine of St. Augustine, Ramsgate, for the Feast of All Saints. I meant to get them (and this post) uploaded much sooner, but real life has a habit of interfering with blogging. Still, better late than never...

The church is really quite exquisite. It will be even better once the High Altar is restored, and the scaffolding removed (I'm not quite sure what work is being done) and will be sure to take more photos once the work has been completed.

Fr. Finigan celebrated the Mass, as Fr. Holden was away, and the music was provided by The Victoria Consort. They sang some rather nice tunes, as my friend Zephy would say... (actually the singing, and the organ accompaniment, were really sublime!)

I was trying out my "new" camera - a bridge digital camera - and I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. As a result, some of the photos are a little blurrier than usual, as the camera is heavy compared to my phablet camera, and requires greater dexterity when pressing the shutter button, first halfway to focus, then all the way to take the photo (and that's the point at which I seem to move the camera.)

I was also rather disconcerted by the whirring noise made as the camera focussed, and the beeping and clicking which followed. There doesn't appear to be any way of muting these sounds. Being accustomed to my phablet camera, which can be rendered totally silent, I felt intensely uncomfortable using it during the Mass, especially during the Consecration. The last thing I wish to do is disturb anyone else by taking photos.

As a result, I switched between my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and my Fujifilm FinePix s9500. I deleted all (or most) of the blurred images, and mixed the two sets of photos in the Flickr set (they are separated in the timeline.) I didn't edit the colour balance of any of the photos, to allow for a comparison. I do need to play with the camera settings on the FinePix, and get accustomed to the heft of it... but that will need time and practice.

Given that some people were celebrating Halloween on the Saturday, I found this notice on the church door rather amusing, and not a little disconcerting...

... but this really has to rank as one of the most picturesque places in which to be buried...

Do check out the results of my "experiment" and let me know what you think in the combox.