Don't Be Afraid Darling

There was an interesting little scene near the entrance to the Photography Show.

It was a reenactment of life in the 1940s. There was a Nissan Hut and a little garden scene, which I am showing here.

The people that take part are all fans of vintage, and really enjoy dressing up and pretending that they are living in that era. They call themselves 'Timeline Events'.

Of course they were attracting lots of attention from all the photographers that were coming in and they were all queuing up to take photos. The 'actors' were only too pleased to pose for everyone.

I caught them on the way out, when there weren't that many people around, which made it a lot easier to get the shot without having to dodge other people.

Beware The Yellow Peril

This weekend is dedicated to England's heritage, with lots of events taking place up and down the country. Beeston of course is holding a number of events around the town, as it has done since the idea was first suggested.
As I have been going to such things for years, I have seen practically all the things on offer, but this year I was pleased to go somewhere that I don't think has been involved before.

The Boat and Horses pub in the Rylands had quite a variety of things to see and do. I saw a friend of ours who does wood turning and was giving a demonstration of his talent, a local beekeeper who was giving tastings of her home produced honey, a display of some old glass bottles and of course a cake stall.

There was also some female Morris dancers and then there were these three characters. There were a number of people dressed as they would have been in say the 1940s, and these two ladies were certainly enjoying themselves as period housewives. The fellow in the centre was part of another Morris dancing troupe, which I couldn't stay to watch, as I had some more visits to make.

Sitting Pretty

I took this shot of  the posing model at the Photography Show last month in Birmingham. So I thought I would see if I could give it a vintage look. The sort of photo that reminds you of Hollywood during the 1940s.

Poise

Something from the archive today, in the form of this model who was posing for a photographer (not me) at the 1940s weekend at the Brewhouse Yard near the castle in May.

Military Man

I saw this very distinguished looking man dressed as a WW2 army captain, smoking his pipe at the 1940s Knees-up, so I just had to take a photo of him as he looked like he belonged to the 1940s.

Off Down Pit

Another shot from yesterday's 1940s Knees-up at the Brewhouse Yard. Something a bit different too; a wartime miner.

He obviously is just starting his shift, as his jumper is still clean. Miners would have played a very important job in keeping the war effort up, with supplying coal; not only to heat people's homes, but to power the railways (no electric trains then) and keep the factories that made bombs, planes and all the other weapons of war going.

Knees-Up

The Brewhouse Yard area below the castle is usually a calm and quiet area. But the sights and sounds of the 1940s were bought to life today with music, fashion, vehicles and dancing.

Obviously the war years played a big part, with guys dressing as both British and American soldiers, like this guy surveying the scene below.

Quite a few old cars had been bought alongs. A couple of Rileys. I even saw an old Citroen. There were a couple of Jeeps there and an old ambulance.

Some of the ladies had really gone to town with their outfits, like this young lady who happily posed for me whilst enjoying an ice cream.

I'm always amazed as to how much effort some people go in recreating the past, and what era they pick. I have a couple of friends who like wearing vintage gear. Amy, who I saw today, loves the 40s/50s and Tricia who loves the Mod fashion and sounds of the 1960s. I don't know what era I would choose, if I wanted to go revisit the past. Maybe the 1930s, as I love art deco, or I wonder if its too early to become a 1980s New Romantic?

Then there was Frank the chihuahua. He was happily sat on the bonnet of a Jeep. But when I tried to take his portrait, he just wouldn't sit still. It took ages and many shots to actually get one where he was in a good position and not moving. That's his slightly blurred owner in the background.