Reflect

Today we braved the wind and rain and went to Gravesend to visit the Reflect Arts and Mind Project at LV21 on the Thames.

Unfortunately, this morning, there was very little of the promised sound, light, music and art exploring the connection between coastal living and wellbeing.

We had expected to board the LV21 Red Historic Lightship which has been moored at St Andrew's Quay since september 2016 and took part in the Estuary Festival. Unfortunately today it was not open to visitors.

We boarded the ship ,which is a community art space and performance facility, when we went to the Estuary Festival in 2016. This was an amazing arts project linking Gravesend with Tilbury. A passenger ferry boat crosses from the pier and drops off people at the Tilbury cruise terminal.

Tilbury was the port where the Windrush passenger ship brought the invited Commonwealth citizens in 1948, promising them prosperity and employment.

My blip is of the beach hut which looks onto the Thames, and people are invited to write their feelings on the walls and into a book.

There were three benches inviting visitors to sit and reflect. One had been knitted by blind people (in extra).

So not experiencing much creativity, we walked along the Thames , watched the swans on the little beach, went on the pier and found out that the ferry boat to Tilbury on the other side, does not operate on a sunday, and generally got windswept and wet.

It was good to get out for a couple of hours and Gravesend is an interesting maritime town, which is well worth a visit.