Merry Christmas 2017

THANKS FOR VISITING CHRYSALISM IN 2017.
AND THANKS TO THE FEW THAT REGULARLY STOPPED BY
TO COMMENT AND CONTRIBUTE.

HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS AND GOOD HEALTH IN 2018.

Hampstead Christmas Festival 2017

On Sunday our local Village of Hampstead put on their annual Christmas Festival
after taking a year off after no one was prepared to take on the event in 2016. And yet
upon it's welcomed return we were promised a bigger and better event with more performers
and not only one but, as 'The Ham & High' announced, at least four or five performances
stages dotted around the Street venue. In fact visitors to the event were quite shocked
to discover no stages at all. And there was no visiting local celebrities there to switch
on the Christmas lights. It really was quite a small affair despite the promise of
it being bigger and better than ever. It was as though the event had gone back to
it's roots when it was just a small affair. One wonders what the letters in this week's
Ham & High are going to say having been promised so much. There was also no
Fun Fair with the Big Wheel. And the entire length of the event stretched down
Hampstead High street to half the length it normally took up.

The one street performer we saw had the whole Village High Street to himself.
But I couldn't help noticing that in the local media that the build up to the event
was very low key. Nowhere could we find any news of who the visiting local
celebrity would be that would come and switch on the lights which lead me to
believe that things were going to be different.
The central main Stage area was badly missing. So there was no event announcers,
no performers and no rock and pop groups to keep the crowds entertained.
The very things that previously drew in the crowds from all over London.

But still, the event is back even if it was in a small way. Perhaps from here it will
grow again.

The Hampstead & Highgate local newspaper also announced last week that
the Summer outdoor Concerts at Kenwood will be returning at long last after
a three year gap. So that's good news for locals.

Above: Now here's a novel idea. It's actually a former London Telephone kiosk that is now
a coffee shop right in the middle of Hampstead High Street. And it was the idea
of Umar Khalid. Understandably he has been having problems with the local
Council over having to pay for a new street licence rather than a regular retail
Kiosk licence which would apparently increase his costs to extortionate levels.

I briefly stopped by to say hello and congratulate him on still hanging on there
having followed his story in our local newspaper THE HAM & HIGH. But silly ol' me
I forgot to take Umar's picture along with his partner Alona.
Amazingly the couple recently won a London Time Out Award for their unusual
coffee bar. And they've certainly had a lot of support from Hampstead locals.

A VISIT TO THE HOME OF CHARLES DICKENS

On Saturday I managed to get out and start a bit of festive photo blogging. And my
first port of call was a visit to the former London home of literary giant Charles Dickens.
The house at 48 Doughty Street Bloomsbury is now a museum housing many of Dicken's
personal artifacts.
And being the month of December the organizers of the museum had the house decorated
throughout with lots of festive decorations. After all we do tend to associate Dickens
with this time of the year, although he didn't actually write A Christmas Carol while
living here, but he was working on some ideas for a Christmas story that would
eventually lead up to the release and publication of 'A Christmas Carol.'

With his new young wife Catherine, Dickens moved here to Doughty Street in
1837, the year Queen Victoria began her long reign. But the family only stayed
here for the next three years in what hat has often been described as a very fruitful
period for Dickens.
Joining the family at Doughty Street was Catherine's Sister Mary who sadly died
at the young age of only 17 in 1937.  This had a great impact on Dicken's life
who it is now believed was very emotionally attached to the young Sister. And some
writers have hinted at Dicken's unfullfilled sexual attraction for the young 
Mary Hogarth. Apparently Dicken's once confided in a close literary associate that
he would often dream of Mary at night. And when Mary died in the arms of Dickens in
1837 it was one of the biggest upheavals in the writers life. He put aside all his
writing work while publishers were screaming over his writing commitments.

While visiting the upstairs rooms at Doughty Street I looked in on the room where
the young Mary died. Even her white gown is still layed out on the bed. But for some
reason while being deep in thought I forgot to take a few pictures of the top floor
bedrooms with their typical Victorian four poster beds.

I did make a short video of my visit to the house which I posted up on my Youtube
page, but I was thoroughly disappointed with the outcome. Maybe it was because
many of the rooms were quite dark. I also feel quite lost without the steadying effect
of a camera tripod. But I enjoyed my little visit prying around on all four floors. And
thankfully there weren't staff and volunteers standing guard in every room like they
annoyingly do at Hampstead's Kenwood House. This allows you time to quietly stand
in any of the rooms at Doughty Street and take it all in, alone in  peace and 
quiet with just your thoughts.

For more information on The Dickens home, visit their website.

THE CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM 

Above and below is The Dining Room on the ground floor. And it's in this
room where Dickens and his family spent many happy hours socialising
with London's literary elite.

Gawd Bless Us All!

While one visitor seems interested in the Dining room table layout
it looks like the husband is more interested in Mr Pickwick's Clock.

Above is the festively decorated Drawing Room on the first floor where Dickens
would often give impromptu performances and readings.
And on a visit to this room you can hear voice recordings by Museum patrons
Simon Callow and the wonderful Miriam Margolyes reciting some of Dicken's works.

I wonder how many times Miriam Margolyes has played the role of Queen Victoria
in her many colourful drama roles. Of course I can never resist watching her
in that annual tv festive comedy with Rowan Atkinson in The Black Adder's Christmas
Carol. The highlight being when Atkinson playing a Dicken's inspired Scrooge character
banishes the visiting Queen Victoria (Miriam Margolyes) from his humble abode
little realising that it is in fact the real Queen.

Situated on the first floor is Dicken's study. And it's here we see the very desk and
chair (above) where he wrote 'Great Expectations'  'A Tale of Two Cities'  and
'Our Mutual Friend.'
It's also here that he kept all his reading books.

Above: Click on picture to enlarge and read.

Above and Below: The Ground floor Entrance and Gift Shop.

Below left: A portrait of the younger Dickens looking fine and dandy which hangs
in the Ground floor Dining Room. The portrait is by Samuel Drummond (1837).
And there was I thinking it was actor Alan Cumming. There's definitely a strong
resemblance.

Below right is a new reprint edition of Oliver Twist which was published last year
by MacMillan Collectors Library.

And so after leaving The Dickens Museum I made my way over to Kings Cross and
St Pancras Station to see the big Christmas tree all decorated in roses.
Then I popped in next door for another visit to The British Library where there
must have been some children's event as there were kids absolutely everywhere.
Oh yes, there was a big Harry Potter exhibition going on.
And while there I also popped in to the Library's Gift and Bookshop where I
bought an interesting book called 'A Very British Christmas' (image below).

Below: I didn't realize until recently that I've actually got
three copies of Dickens Christmas Carol. But then there's
one book I don't mind having several copies of.
But I wonder why it's only around this time of the year that
I prefer to read it over and over.
Dickens on a Kindle reader! Never!!!