Holding the Years

 Yesterday I wrote about people playing but it was also about Whitby.  A stroll through my 'search' brings up numerous blogs I have written on this town.  But certain things popped out.  My intense curiosity as to everything around me as I travelled through time and put down what I saw and also people's comments.

The first thing I came across was Paul's coverage of the 2012 landslide, that not only threatened Fortune's Kippers but a much better photo than I had taken. It is still open, after all a few 18th bones will not keep us from our kippers!  And yes the contents of St.Marys church graveyard are sliding down the cliff face.

I had also written about the land slides that affected about 6 houses, the BBC news is best listened to here.  Small disasters feeding into the bigger picture of climate change one might argue.  But excessive rain as it build up on the moors and uplands will coming rushing down into the valleys just like Todmorden.

But to less dramatic happenings.  I also came across a very bad video of the good ship Endeavour, but it still brought tears to the eye, as the ship sailed out of Whitby Harbour, and Tigger's comment of being fearful of sailing through the narrow opening was well illustrated. The guns fired, the bells rang and a saucy jig filled the sound, reminding us that Captain Cooke had been brought up in this area and had probably sailed from this self same harbour all that time ago. There are several reconstructed Endeavours by the way, either in museums or in harbours. 

I think that reconstructing our past is how I see 'people playing' from medieval jousting to dancing round the maypole - we just love it.

So here is a collection of videos, starting with Holding On by Simply Red, filmed in Whitby.

The next one is Endeavour arriving in Whitby.  It is badly taken, but its essence is captured by the long lines of people waiting along the quayside and the flotilla of boats fussing around it.

Another longer video made in 1997.  Miss the first couple of minutes when our guide dwells a mite too long on the length of the mast and carry on as the Endeavour goes through the bridge and out to a rather choppy sea with its little flotilla of boats surrounding it.