Thursday 23 July 2009

Caribbean Carnival the Start.

The Police Outriders wait for the Caribbean Carnival Procession to start as they come out Alexandra Park in Manchester.

A Steel Band


As the Parade Starts a Jamaican Steel Band is playing on the back of this Lorry. The Music is Great. Nothing Sounds like a Steel Drum Band.

Another Steel Band.

This Steel Band is being played by a group of white youngsters, having learnt from the Jamaicans who live in Manchester. So the cultures have come together.

The Dancers

The Dancers exit from the Park to the sound of the Steel Bands

A Different Troupe of Dancers.

More Colourful dancers appear from the Park. Everybody is in Party Mood.

A Colourfull Scene.

This Colourful Float has another Band on board it's being followed by a number of dressed up children.

A Change of Colour.

This Group of Dancers have Black and Yellow Costumes which are all hand made.

The Children

A Plethora of very colourfully dressed children follow the Steel Band Music. They are all dancing and jumping about as only children can do.

Very Colourful.

Every colour under the Rainbow and still they come out of Alexandra Park to dance the streets of Manchester.

On the Lorries Giant Speakers

The Caribbean Music intensifies as the Giant Speakers on the waggons belt out Jamaican Calypso's.

A Caribbean Scene

The Girls are all dressed in Leopard Skins dancing around very large head appearing out of the Sun.

Bring on the Girls.


These are more Comely Lasses ( As we say in Manchester ) dancing to the sounds of the drums.

Not to Sure about these Dancers?

These Dancers have Dressed as Some Kind of Bird complete with Bird Feet. So I have lost the Plot, may be you can put me right ( please ) about what they represent? LOL.

Wow

This is Stunning, what a great costume, it's got to be one of the best costumes in the carnival.

Great Colour for Manchester.

Manchester is called the Rainy City. The Caribbean Carnival belies all that it's the place to be.

A Great Costume

Another wonderful costume for Mancunians to Marvel At.

Scene from the Caribbean.

The Great Peacock style of decorations of each person shows the Personalities and the Inventiveness of Carribbean Carnival.

Manchester has seen nothing like this.


Sturdy limbs and Colourful Costumes parade through the streets brightening up the city.

Who Dreamed up This?

This Huge Head looks quite menacing, but the children love it

Tropical Birds?

These Dancers are flapping their Wings I think?

The Followers

These are the Followers of the Birds

Legs Eleven

Are they Imitating Pink Flamingo's?

More Dancers

There are Male and Female Dancers.

Amazons?

Just look at these stunning ladies dressed like Amazons Spectacular. (Yes ? )

More Amazons

And still they come out of Alexandra Park. The crowds are stunned and cheering is loud.

Bat Wings

This costume has a Set of Bat Wings with it. Which shows us that Great Imagination has been used for this Parade.

Ladies

As the Ladies pass by just look at the fancy foot ware that they are wearing, ( As well their Great Legs) LOL.

As They Disappear in to the Distance

The Ladies bring up the Rear Guard ( Ha Ha ) to the Procession. It was a Great Caribbean Effort for Manchester.

Monday 20 July 2009

A man is down.

Several of the Combatants are down before the Battle is Won. Then they can all retire to the Beer Tent. LOL.

The two sides square up.

The Colour Bearer has to make sure that he is on right side so that the men in armour know who they are fighting. Later on the Knights had Coats of Arms painted on their Shields

Swords and Pikes at the Ready

The Battle Begins it's like Fred Karnos War.

The Men get ready to do Battle.

The two sides get ready to fight for a Ladies Hand in Marriage.

Thursday 9 July 2009

Lunch Time

It's all hands on deck in the Out Door Kitchen getting dinner ready and Cooking over open fires.

Haunches of Venison.

This is an early kitchen. Talk about the Kettle calling the Pan Black LOL but the Venison smells good.

Make and Mend.


These Ladies are hard at work sewing up costumes. A very time consuming job but it had to be done.

Tented Village.

The tents that make up the Village with the Lord of the Manor's Standard flying in the breeze.

Heavy Duty Clothing.

This Photograph brings another meaning to Tin Knickers. They are sitting outside the beer tent waiting to get served.

Saddle Shop.

No it's not an advertisement to stop Nagging just a Leather Stall. Ha Ha.

Oops the the Lady has SunGlasses on?

They didn't have sun glasses in the 14th Century, but never mind it doesn't matter as long as she is happy.

The Eagle.

The Falconer has now got a small American Eagle to show the Crowd. He also works with a Black Raven. The Eagle flew in to the trees and wouldn't come down much to the chagrin of the Falconer.

The Crusaders

These People are dressed up as Crusaders who went to fight the Moslem's in Jerusalem in the Holy Land. There were no less than 8 crusades to the middle east. In the end Christians won the right to be able to visit Jerusalem and Nazareth but the Moslem's declared it was their land.

Well Dressed Crusaders

The Eight Crusades were organised with the Blessings of the Popes of Rome. King Richard the 1st led one of them, but failed to take Jerusalem he was fought off by Saladin.

No Electricity?

This Stall is selling Candle Lights which in the Middle Ages were the only source of light at night.

Arms in the Armoury

Helmets all different sizes, Swords and Daggers can be bought and sold in this traders tent and if you wish to play the fool there is a Fools Hat as well.

Wood Turning.


This is a Wood turning Lathe Medieval Style. The Springy Willow Branch is bent by the foot treadle on the ground with the string wrapped around the wood that is being turned.

Wood Turning Wench.


Here we can see the Wood Turning Lathe in action a very sharp chisel is needed to carve out things like table legs and chair backs.

The Head Cook.

This Cooking Medieval Style with the Meat being cooked on spits over hot wood chips and Charcoal. The Modern Way is the Barbie so nothing is new. LOL.

Making Clothes

This Lady isn't just doing Make and Mend all clothes had to be made by hand, which included Spinning, Weaving and cutting ,sewing it all together. The term "Spinster of this Parish" came because most Girls were taught to Spin from an early age.

The Living Quarters

This is a the of Living Quarters of the Medieval Peoples in the Summer. Just Eating Drinking and Sleeping it off.

How to Light a Fire.

This man is demonstrating the art of making Fire, by using a Hard Silicate found in Chalk Seams. The Silicate is struck by a knife and Spark are generated on to very dry moss or wood shavings which then started smoking and then blown on to create flames.