On a personal note ...

Today I used one of my Christmas presents  ...  a Call the Midwife tour.  

For those who are not familiar, Call the Midwife is a TV series that started in 2012 and follows a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London from the 1950s. It is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. 

Personally, I have been an avid fan from the very first episode. So, today, to visit the Chatham Historic Dockyard, where virtually all outdoor scenes are filmed was a real treat.

Our guide for the tour was
Heather, she was amazing!!

In 26 degree heat we walked all around the Dockyard, being shown a variety of locations that are used for many of the scenes that fans, like me, are familiar with.

These grey doorways are actually false,
they're made of wood and can be moved
wherever the film crew want them.

The tour ended with a selection of familiar locations and costumes which we got to explore at our leisure.

One of the things I've loved about the programme, is how faithfully is has been to various historical events.  In the early 1960s babies were born with malformities of their limbs, this was eventually linked to a drug called thalidomide, which was used as a sedative for pregnant women. Baby Susan, above, represented the many thousands affected by this drug.  This animatronic baby was so unbelievable life-like.

THANK YOU, Tony & Sarah 😀