Whitstable, Church Wood, and the Ploughman's Dinner

Just 1/2 hour by local bus is the harbour town of Whitstable. It is a bustling weekend spot for Londoners and others in the region to get fresh oysters and shop this quaint village. 

In the background, are former fishing huts that have been renovated for weekend getaway rentals. The style takes over this section of town as fronts for restaurants (complete with outdoor picnic tables and piles for oyster shell castoffs) and huts like this are set up for a market/gift shop villiage. 

The town was a bustling place this weekend, filled with cafè's, antique shops, and lots of vintage clothing shops. 

Of course the obligatory:

On my return to Rough Common, I decided to explore Church Wood, which, if you Google Canterbury, Bleen, and Rough Common on a map, you'll see sits just behind the development where I am staying. There are loads of walking and biking trails through the woods, and I read that these woods are some of the oldest, untouched woods in the country. 

So- a selfie in the woods:

Since my first day in Canterbury, at my "return trip neighborhood bust stop," there has been an event sign stuck in the ground for "An Evening of Jazz and Ploughman's Dinner" slated for last night. It was a neighborhood function at the Rough Common Village Hall, and since I'm taking ownership for 12 days of this neighborhood, and I'm no stranger to "fire hall dinners" back home; I figured this Yank would crash the party!

It was a nice function with a 7 piece jazz band, Jazz Omnibus, and as I had come to find out was a fundraiser for the hall and for aid for families who are effected by cancer. 

I met Mathew, who lives just across the street from where I am staying, and he is head of IT security at the University of Kent...so, of course I asked him if he could get my U of Kent email on my phone...

I also got schooled in the best British play productions of the last ten years by Margaret. 

She had been to London on Friday night and had seen the avant guarde production of Marlowe's Edward II and is a fan of the smaller theatre spaces.