Happy fourth of July!

Every Great British Summer requires a seaside holiday, and so this weekend I headed down to the picture-perfect little town of Deal, on the Kentish coast, to celebrate the 4th of July with a couple of my North American friends and other favourites.


At the last minute, The Producer pulled a great one out of the hat – a fabulous Georgian house right on the seafront, decorated in airy shades of white, with enormous armchairs for flopping in and shelves of the latest hardbacks to devour. I was in heaven.


The sun shone. Everyone played to their strengths.

Sparklemotion played nicely with her assband’s ball on the beach. It looked like rugger to me but what do I know?


Said assband garnered points towards his British citizenship by taking off his shirt and drinking lager like every good Englishman should on a sunny Saturday.


The Producer checked his nether regions for ginger nuts.


Marjorie produced toothsome snacks which we gobbled down before we could take any photos.

We went for a walk along the promenade looking for my future wife.


We found pirates.


We toyed with the idea of buying our very own Cinema Paradiso and screening Behind Convent Walls on a loop.


And I spent a happy hour or so practising the English Patient bath scene in preparation for the upcoming event. Almasy behind the camera at all times, natch.