I’ve heard about this for a few years and not got round to going. In general i am glad we did, though the entrance fee wasn’t on the website and was quite high, so i wish i had known and had gone for the whole day, not just the afternoon. Still it was hot, so 4 hours felt long enough really. Will probably go back next year and do more of it and try to go on Saturday and take advantage of the stalls a bit more.
It felt pertinent with the 70th anniversary of the evacuees leaving London coming up next week. It chokes me to imagine the cleft stick parents must have felt caught in; keep them and risk the bombs or send them off into the unknown. For all the children who had a good experience away, some had terrible times and i can hardly imagine how it felt to be parent or child 🙁
Anyway, the Upwood day was fun. There were plenty of things to look at, some period planes flying and lots of people in costume. I took Fran and Maddy and we met up with the beans (narrowly, touch wood, escaping their lurgy). My girls tried spam sandwiches and bread pudding from the food tent and we talked about old/new money and the books they’ve read with old style pennies in.
They spent a long time looking at various kits bags all laid out…
and we talked a reasonable amount about the different set ups we saw.
I’m always surprised by how much the know from reading, dvds and tv. They always absorb far more than i expect from casual conversations too and so there was plenty to look out and point out. The nurses table was a particular hit.
After lollies (BB felt she could smell ice-cream and ‘oooh, isn’t it hot!’) the adults flakes a bit and the girls all went off and accosted a man at a table.
They were interested enough to get taken off to try dialling each other on field telephones. While Maddy and i were doing that, we got told about the different fabrics the armies wore as uniforms and how hampered the British were by a determination to stick to good old fashioned wool.
Fran and SB took part in a dancing workshop to learn a 1940’s dance.
I should have taken more photos really a treasure trove of things to look at and see but it was really just slightly too hot and bright. Still, a good event – i love things put on by people with passion, it reminded me a lot of VSCC car meetings we’ve been to.
loved the vid – glad not the bit with me doing it!!
I didn’t take that, didn’t think you would have appreciated it, though in fact you were perfectly lovely to watch 🙂
giggle, enjoyed it.
my ohotos about to hit flickr
sounded lovely. we’re off to another 40’s event next weekend, nice that at least one of my kids enjoys them and the other is starting to aswell. A normally hates hostory things, but was so much better today.
I wish I could have done the dancing too – looked FAB!!!
dancing was fab, and the dancers who were making it up made it not too difficult with the steps, so fun for all.