Its been some eight years since I last frequented Southend. Last time it was on a rainy bank holiday Monday when I happened to capture the above image which has severed me well and can be seen in the latest show here.
As I am currently working my way around the UK's coastline I thought I would zip up the M25 and spend another rainy Monday in Southend where the Thames meets the sea.
The sky was dark, the shops were shut and the theme park closed which must of been a disappointment for all the teenage mums with toddlers on wrist leads dressed in shell suits. I have always found with a lot of sea side towns that there is a slightly sinister undertone behind the scenes of the jolly promenade. On a few occasions I felt like I was being checked out and may at any time be attacked by a youth group thinking my camera was some valuable digital number. But I dont intimidate easily and fortunately did not have to remove the blade from my boot and take them all to task.
The biggest shock of the day was asking the young girl behind the donut counter if I could photograph the front of her stall. A pretty girl at first, but unfortunately her one and only big tooth let her down, her Nanny McFee status probably due to all those sugary doughy delights. I was taken back to the days when my Aunt Morag removed her false teeth and chased me round the living room until I wept and gave in to a gummy kiss...
So there you are, no shouting at the mountains, or groin chaffing, or getting trapped somewhere silly. Just a wet afternoon by the sea..