Summer snaportage

Well, the miracle has happened.  For the first time in 7 years, we've actually had a decent prolonged bit of summer weather.  It's enough to make you want to wander about taking random snaps of assorted nonsense ;)



Summer snaportage (78 pics)

Curse of Canterbury strikes again - Whitefriars jobsworth

Take a look at the picture above. You may think it's a group of people on a public street. But you'd be wrong. It's a group of young buskers being removed from Whitefriars 'premises' in Canterbury by one of the most hilariously pompous jobsworths I've ever seen in my life.

A guy standing next to me when I took this snap said 'Ooh, he'll be after you now! It's ridiculous but that's how it is here.' Not sure if he was an employee of Whitefriars or one of the shops but he was right. Moments later Mr Jobsworth came over and told me I couldn't take pictures. I said surely this was a public street. No, said he, it's private property and photography is banned without prior permission.

This I found very odd as I have snapped numerous times there and seen others do the same without any bother whatsoever.

I pointed out that there was nothing to suggest that area is private property, nor any warning that certain activities that would be lawful in a public place were prohibited there. Such as snapping and busking. How is anyone supposed to know?

It's not up for discussion, he said, and then asked me if I wanted to seek permission to take pictures there. Given that he'd just moved the buskers on and it was them I'd been about to take a picture of when he appeared, I said no. He replied 'Well in that case, can I ask you to leave the premises?'

This was the first time premises were mentioned. I was standing in what certainly once was a public street, before Canterbury sold its soul to the devil and turned in to the monster it is now, a place obsessed only with gathering as much tourist footfall - and their money - as possible.
So I said, reasonably I thought, what premises? Where does private property end and the public right of way begin?

He repeated that it wasn't up for discussion (even though I was asking a perfectly sensible question - how could I possibly leave when I didn't know where their property ended?). He then got on his radio and said something along the lines of 'I have a lone IC1 male who is taking photographs and has become extremely argumentative and refused to leave the premises. Please keep the cameras tight on us!'  And then wandered off, still babbling drivel into his radio.

I really don't know how I kept a straight face. Where do they find these people? Clearly he would desperately love to be a real policeman and have a bit of power. Sadly, he's just some rather pathetic halfwit in an ill fitting uniform talking a complete load of bloody nonsense and trying to make it seem that a big drama was unfolding, when in fact one snapper - a regular in Canterbury for years - was mildly annoyed and trying to ascertain why there wasn't any mention of Whitefriars being private and snapping, busking and other such admittedly heinous crimes being banned there. And why this idiot wouldn't tell me where the public footpath began so I could 'leave the premises' as requested.

I never ever have any bother whatsoever anywhere else. Brighton, London, Folkestone, the Medway towns, Hastings - I'm regularly out and about around the south east. I've snapped in and near some of the most security sensitive parts of the UK with no hassle at all. And yet in Canterbury, there's always some moron round the corner looking to give you grief, particularly if you're a photographer. What is it with the place?

Why have I never been stopped from snapping before? Why have the numerous street entertainers I've seen performing 'on the premises' of Whitefriars not been moved on, to my knowledge? Do Whitefriars operate a policy of random discrimination?
One thing I do know is that I will never set foot on Whitefriars property again, once I work out exactly where that starts and ends. I will also warn everyone I know that it's not a public place, despite giving a very good impression of that, and a policy of overt discrimination against photographers now appears to be in force. Though I'm guessing they don't interfere with the tourists spending plenty in the shops if they take a few snaps...

Blue sky & random nonsense

Ever had one of those days when you just take pictures simply because the sun is shining?  Today was one of those days.

Blue sky & random nonsense (27 pics)

I do, she does & they are

The weather turned out to be surprisingly less appalling than the forecast suggested.  So I had a wander round Canterbury and encountered a wedding, a Finnish acrobat and some buskers.

I do, she does... (35 pics)

March sunshine

Spring has sprung - at least for now.  It'll probably be snowing next week.

March sunshine (62 pics)

One Billion Rising, Canterbury

Happened upon this flashmob event while having a wander round Canterbury.

One Billion Rising, Canterbury (50 pics)

Taihg & friends

Three more pictures of Taihg busking.  I think the colour one, snapped during the beautiful autumn of 2011, may have been the last one I took of him.  Fittingly, the sun is shining, he's looking super cool and is playing to the camera.  Great street entertainer and all round decent bloke.  As someone said, there's a big hole in the heart of Canterbury now :(

Taihg & Hugo Tribute - Canterbury Alumni - Sunday 3 February 2013

I arrived later on the Sunday but still caught a good bit of music.  The BBC turned up, shot a bit of footage and interviewed some of the friends & family of Taihg, which was nice.  It was grey and extremely cold, which wasn't so nice.  Some excellent performances from various Canterbury Alumni - a few of which I caught on video.

Taihg & Hugo Tribute, Sunday (68 pics)

Some vids:

The Four Roads
Vince Herron & Jules Madjar
Canterbury Buskers Collective - The Way It Is
Jules Madjar on acoustic guitar
Canterbury Buskers Collective - Guiding Stars
Canterbury Buskers Collective
Canterbury Buskers Collective - Voodoo Chile/Hey Joe medley
Canterbury Buskers Collective - assorted men with beards
Vince Herron AKA Captain Birdseye's nephew
Lloyds Corner
Canterbury Buskers Collective - Wagon Wheel
Canterbury Buskers Collective - I Chase The Devil
Canterbury Buskers Collective - Atlantic City (incomplete)

Taihg & Hugo Tribute - Canterbury Alumni - Saturday 2 February 2013

Rocking Lloyds Corner in memory of Daniel 'Taihg' Lloyd & Hugo Wenn.

Taihg & Hugo Tribute, Canterbury (56 pics)

Couple of vids:
I Chase the Devil
Bez makes a guest appearance
Get Up, Stand up

A year has gone by

RIP Taihg.

Aylesham Carnival 2012

Once again I had luck on my side as the sun appeared in time for an event, this time the carnival in Aylesham village near Canterbury.

Aylesham Carnival 2012 (81 pics)

Canterbury Wise Words Festival 2012

Poetry and stuff relating to words and language, apparently.  I wandered about and enjoyed the sunshine without really understanding much of what was going on ;)


Canterbury Wise Words Festival (66 pics)

Hop hoodening 2012, Canterbury

Heralding the start of autumn...not that we actually had a summer in 2012...


Hop hoodening 2012 (77 pics)

Aylesham Miners' Festival 2012

The traditional annual miners' festival.  No rain!  And even a bit of sunshine.

Aylesham Miners' Festival 2012 (74 pics)

Randomonium 2012

Odds and ends from the (ahem) glorious summer just gone.

Randomonium 2012 (103 pics)