Fishermen's huts, Rock-a-Nore, Hastings
It started snowing gently a couple of days ago. I had to go up to London for a session with my osteopath. Mick, the voluble painter working in the Shoebox, was full of gloom about my chance of returning that evening. However, in spite of the fact that the snow was falling more heavily in London than Hastings, the trains were all working and I returned safely. The only difficulty I had was, ironically, on the way back, in Crown Lane, which runs up to our street. The car started skidding on ice. Neighbours came out to help with gritting from the nearby bin, and Paul - far more competent a driver than I am in these conditions - managed to get the car up to the top.
And there it has stayed. Today, Sunday, we woke to a rather heavier fall, and it has continued snowing through the day - though in the streets it is already slushy. We shall see what tomorrow brings. Meanwhile everything is looking very atmospheric, as you can see from the pictures of the fishermen's huts above. Their tall shape is peculiar to Hastings, and arose through the fishermen wishing to store three types of net, on three levels, to cater for the herring, mackerel and other fishing needs. They are thought to have started from the upended hull form that you can see on the right. New York's Metropolitan Opera did a production of Britten's Peter Grimes a few years ago, which features the same sort of huts on stage - which just goes to show that the designer was unaware of the difference between Hastings and Aldeburgh, in Suffolk, where the opera was originally set. But that's another story.
It looks as if we shall have the white stuff for a few days yet - which may well cause building activity to be suspended. We shall see who turns up tomorrow.
Antony Mair
Pulpitt Gate, All Saints Street
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