Fond memories of Herne Bay and Herne Village, Kent, UK

Thanks for coming to my blog.

Herne Village and Herne Bay in Kent have a special place in my childhood memories. When my Dad went abroad on unaccompanied postings with the RAF my Mother, my sister and I went to stay with my Dad's parents in Herne Village. This happened twice for 1 year each time and another time for 3 months. Plus this was where we went on holiday.

I have lovely memories so I got a lot of pleasure taking photos of places I remember since I was a wee lad!

These pictures of Herne and Herne Bay were taken on my recent trip to the UK.

Next time I'll show pictures I took of Whitstable, Kent - a fishing village which is an icon of a British seaside town and a refuge for many people who live in East London, as it was for us before we moved to Singapore.

See you then.

Alan
















The beginning and the end of the Herne Bay
pier. There used to be a middle!
















A close up of the end of the pier. Now with
wind whatsits in the background.
















The clock tower which was the world's first
free standing and purpose built clock tower.
It was completed in 1837.
















Herne Bay is a Victorian town with much of
it's lovely architecture still intact.
















Here you can see a line of Victorian terraced
houses on the seafront











The iconic beach huts.
















This landmark windmill is very vivid in my
menory. It stands out above Herne Bay on a
site where a windmill has stood for the last
600 years.













Standing proud!













An autumn rural shot off the Ridgeway, above
Herne Village.
















Classic village home, for the better off.
















Lovely slatted home, typical of this area.


















Herne village terraced homes.

















Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Herne Bay.
My parents got married here 60 years ago.
And I was an altar boy........
.......but not quite 60 years ago!

















St Martin's Church in Herne Village. It is a
traditional Norman 12th century Church.














St Martins Tower above the rooftops

Batam Island, Indonesia

Welcome to Batam Island!

Occasionally we organise a short break for the British Council Professional Development Centre, Singapore team. In 2007 we went to Bintan Island.

Batam is a 30 minute ferry trip from Singapore. The first picture shows you one of the many ferries that go frequently between Singapore & Batam We stayed at the Turi Beach Resort.


















The weather was a bit of a photographic
challenge. The light was bright but hazy.
The sky a whiteout, but on Saturday late
afternoon it improved a little.
















We stayed in a room on the hill. This shot
looks down on the entrance to the resort.
















Daniela reclining, protected by 2 Balinese type
Statues. In fact the feel of the resort was quite
Balinese. More Hindu than Muslim.













Traditional accommodation. These huts are
quite old now. They look much better in the
publicity photos on the Resort website!
















The East wing is traditional. Recently the West
has been built in a more modern style.














The Resort has two swimming pools.
This is the original one.
















Part of the Resort foyer














And this is the new pool. You can see the
new rooms. They are more expensive,
of course.











There are two piers. Always a boon for a
photographer looking for something to
shoot.......












.......from different angles.
















When you come to a resort straight from
Singapore you don't realise that Batam is
an industrial island.















Just 20 Kms from Singapore, Indonesia and
Singapore have invested heavily into the
development of Batam.














Can you see the little bird on the rock?
Ship building and electronics are the main
industries. It is a trade free zone



















The resort has water sports and you can
get a boat to a snorkelling site off a very
small island called No Man's Island close to
Batam
















Batam is not famous for its coral and fish but I
did manage to spot my favourite clown fish
hanging out in an anenome
















Close up of one of the traditional huts






















This is the second pier. It was closed.
You can see there is nothing to stop you
falling in on the left side. Not good after
a few beers!






















Tourists share the resort with
monkeys.













Local game. Object of the game is to hit the
steeple of flip flops and make it collapse. So
simple but everyone was having a great time.











In case you were having withdrawal
symptoms, one last shot of the pier before
nightfall. Two bathers in the bottom left
hand corner.














The sun doesn't set in the sea but I managed
to catch it just before it disappeared behind
the trees. Goodnight! Hope to see you again
soon.