Cool Colchester...

A quick trip to Colchester the other week to search for a birthday present for Mr Drookit. It was a lovely warm day, and the architecture was looking its best in the sunshine - unfortunately the castle is closed for a major refurbishment, but was looking pretty handsome against the blue sky. Friends of friends used to live in the house where Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star was composed - they got slightly tired of having folk trying to peer in the windows! I tried to be a bit discreet taking my pictures!

Colchester castle

Home of Jane Taylor who wrote Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Stopped in at the rather groovy and hip Emmaus Emporium and Emmaus Home (the charity for the homeless) - two shops, filled with 'retro, cool junk, antique and weird' stuff! Charity shopping in style!

I spotted a whole load of women, all dressed in red and purple, and had to find out their story - they are the Phoenix Fillies, part of The Red Hat Society, inspired by the Jenny Joseph poem, 'Warning' - which is worth a read. It is a world-wide society of women who go out to celebrate fun and friendship, dressed in purple, and wearing red hats. They were really charming, and delighted to pose for me. Aren't they lovely? I do think they have misread the poem, as all of their hats suited them very well indeed!

"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me." 

from Warning by Jenny Joseph.