Stratford-on-Avon

Chesterfield's pre-Christmas Market washout.

Most of the 200 stalls in this normally bustling market were empty on this Sunday in November 2007, when the pre-Christmas market should have been in full swing. Constant heavy rain kept the crowds and many of the traders away.




ABOVE: "Never mind the rain, dear."

I got very wet, but was happy with the picture opportunities that presented themselves on this rainy day.

RIGHT: Even Chesterfield's famous crooked spire seemed to be sagging in the wet.

BELOW: A local professional band playing 1950s Rock 'n' Roll brightened the day. I lived in Derbyshire in those days, and this excellent performance took me back to the first time I heard these now classic songs, and I suddenly felt 50 years younger.