WIDatW
One odd little nugget I picked up from a local history course a few years ago was a tale from someone who had been working int he city centre during the 'Coventry Blitz' - the first major bombing raid on Coventry, that killed upward of 600 people on 14th November 1940, 70 years ago yesterday. He spoke of walking home in the early morning, and getting out of the city centre, to be shocked by the hard frost on the ground, from that clear moonlit night. He had been unaware how cold it was, fromt he heat of the fires started by the incendiary bombs dropped in the third wave of the raid.
It was a clear moonlit night last night, and I was in the centre of Coventry. While chatting on Facebook about it I remarked on it not being as cold as reported in 1940. When I got up this morning, and went out to my car, there was a good hard frost on it, perhaps the night was more like that 1940 night than I had realised at the time.
It was a busy weekend for me, and one that ended up with a spur of the moment stop off in the centre of Coventry to take a few photographs of the commemorations on that night. In fact pretty well everything over the weekend had come from spur of the moment decisions - even if the ideas had been planted well in advance. About all that was really planned was Saturday afternoon at the rugby.
Friday afternoon was spent in the depths of rural Warwickshire working on some model making. Friday was scenery, with lots of glue and controlled mess. Back there again by lunchtime on Saturday to tidy up from Friday once the glue had set. Saturday morning had also involved a visit to the re-enactors market, where very little was bought, but plenty of chat occurred wit visitors expected and unexpected.
The rugby was terrific. Two high scoring teams cancelling each other out, resulting in a hard tight game, decided (in Coventry's favour) by one point, following a late converted try. Coventry 17 Blackheath 16. All the players coming off looked as if they had been in a battle - it's a long time since I;ve seen quite so many black eyes and cut faces. The only shame was that the light was so poor, it's going to be hard work sorting out suitable programme photos this week
Following the rugby I had a difficult decision. I intended to be in Spalding on Sunday, and htere was a party in Birmingham on Saturday night. If I went to the party by train I could drink, but probably couldn't drive early enough in the morning (if I was even up). I could skip the party, and be awake, I could go, drink coke, drive home, and be tired in the morning. Eventually, I had a brainwave - I'd drive, be sensible, and head back to bed good and early.
So, when the party (at which there were loads of people I;d not seen for ages, and much good chatting happened) started to move on towards clubbing, and I was wide awake (and caffeine fueled from all the Diet Pepsi) and sober, I decided to drive over to Peterborough that night, have a lie-in in the morning, and only have a short drive on Sunday morning. The theory was good, the practice slightly crazy. I'd not planned a route,a nd while I know the route from Coventry well there isn't a good obvious route from central Birmingham. I headed towards the M42, and the A45 was closed for an accident - the journey didn't start well. Eventually though I was there, I slept well, leaving my photographs from the rugby uploading to the web.
Sunday was fun. I woke at about ten, reached Spalding in good time, met up with some friends,a nd generally had a good day before setting off back. I stopped on the outskirts of Coventry for a bite to eat, and it was then I decided to head down into the centre for the remembrance events.
It was a clear moonlit night last night, and I was in the centre of Coventry. While chatting on Facebook about it I remarked on it not being as cold as reported in 1940. When I got up this morning, and went out to my car, there was a good hard frost on it, perhaps the night was more like that 1940 night than I had realised at the time.
It was a busy weekend for me, and one that ended up with a spur of the moment stop off in the centre of Coventry to take a few photographs of the commemorations on that night. In fact pretty well everything over the weekend had come from spur of the moment decisions - even if the ideas had been planted well in advance. About all that was really planned was Saturday afternoon at the rugby.
Friday afternoon was spent in the depths of rural Warwickshire working on some model making. Friday was scenery, with lots of glue and controlled mess. Back there again by lunchtime on Saturday to tidy up from Friday once the glue had set. Saturday morning had also involved a visit to the re-enactors market, where very little was bought, but plenty of chat occurred wit visitors expected and unexpected.
The rugby was terrific. Two high scoring teams cancelling each other out, resulting in a hard tight game, decided (in Coventry's favour) by one point, following a late converted try. Coventry 17 Blackheath 16. All the players coming off looked as if they had been in a battle - it's a long time since I;ve seen quite so many black eyes and cut faces. The only shame was that the light was so poor, it's going to be hard work sorting out suitable programme photos this week
Following the rugby I had a difficult decision. I intended to be in Spalding on Sunday, and htere was a party in Birmingham on Saturday night. If I went to the party by train I could drink, but probably couldn't drive early enough in the morning (if I was even up). I could skip the party, and be awake, I could go, drink coke, drive home, and be tired in the morning. Eventually, I had a brainwave - I'd drive, be sensible, and head back to bed good and early.
So, when the party (at which there were loads of people I;d not seen for ages, and much good chatting happened) started to move on towards clubbing, and I was wide awake (and caffeine fueled from all the Diet Pepsi) and sober, I decided to drive over to Peterborough that night, have a lie-in in the morning, and only have a short drive on Sunday morning. The theory was good, the practice slightly crazy. I'd not planned a route,a nd while I know the route from Coventry well there isn't a good obvious route from central Birmingham. I headed towards the M42, and the A45 was closed for an accident - the journey didn't start well. Eventually though I was there, I slept well, leaving my photographs from the rugby uploading to the web.
Sunday was fun. I woke at about ten, reached Spalding in good time, met up with some friends,a nd generally had a good day before setting off back. I stopped on the outskirts of Coventry for a bite to eat, and it was then I decided to head down into the centre for the remembrance events.