Beach Hut 19

It was the worst weather so far tonight with a strong Easterly wind and almost continuous rain, so we had to strategically place a car to one side of the hut to act as a windbreak otherwise everything in it would have flown off to Worthing, despite being weighed down with pebbles.

O Little Town of Bethlehem had a political edge to it as Helen and Mary decided to mix the story of Mary & Joseph journeying to Bethlehem with the current situation in the land we call holy.

Bethlehem was set in the background of the hut but Mary & Joseph couldn't get to it because they were blocked by the 700 Km separation wall which Israel is constructing along the West Bank.

It's interesting to note that if Mary & Joseph wanted to make their Christmas journey today, they probably wouldn't be able to as it would involve crossing this wall and getting special permits.  There's an interesting video that highlights this on youtube at the moment which you can watch here.

Some of the graffiti on the model wall in the hut reflects what is actually painted on the wall in Israel, including the rather odd sign from the Israeli Tourist Board greeting all the visitors to the wall, including those who it's designed to keep out, with the words 'Peace be with you'.

Hopefully the weather will calm down a little by tomorrow when we're at hut 341.

Tomorrow at 8pm we feature as part of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces Christmas special on Channel 4.