Dead Men's Spex Keep Calm and Carry on at The North Norfolk Railway

Hi there

Well we had a great weekend at Holt and the weather gods were incredibly kind to us. I don't know how the organisers of the North Norfolk Railway 1940s event manage it, but every year it is warm and dry.

It was fun to see familiar faces again and we are used to being the most photographed stall - Dead Men's Spex always attract a response whether it be laughter or shudders!

Dead Men's Spex view on the world!

The biggest event of the weekend had to be the shunt; where an engine was derailed as it went to turn round at Holt station. Fortunately it was only a slight derailment as it was going very slowly and was not attached to any carriages. No one was hurt but the fireman and driver were shaken up.  See The Eastern Daily Press  article for more details.

The beleaguered engine 

I heard an ominous clunk but Dead Man was too busy chatting and missed it completely. However, the news soon trickled in from our customers. It caused chaos as it disrupted the running of the other trains, knocked out the electricity in the canteen and knocked down the wall in front of the buffers. However, it was Keep calm and Carry on as you would expect in wartime Britain!

Business as usual - a train leaves Holt for Sheringham after the derailment

Everyone summoned their stiff-upper lips and continued the serious business of enjoying themselves. Luckily we had our sandwiches and flask with us, I was a Girl Guide in my youth, - other people were less fortunate and had to ages wait for their picnics!


Well that's all for now, Mrs Deadman

Holt- who goes there? Dead Men's Spex

Hi there

Yes it's mid September and today I am mainly pricing glasses for our stall at the North Norfolk Railway 1940s weekend  at Holt. As usual we have great selection of stock which Dead Man has been collecting and preparing. We have loads of 1940s frames including a whole tray of gas mask frames and some lovely original 1940s and 1950s sunglasses.

original vintage sunglasses- new old stock- unworn.

This is in addition to a good array of the much loved NHS 524 Old School glasses, fabulous cats' eyes, gents' frames; including the popular American make Shuron and other goodies.
We are looking forward to a fun weekend and hope to see you there.


TTFN Mrs Deadman

A taste of La Belle France for Dead Men's Spex

Hi there
Well the summer holidays are over and we had a lovely trip to Paris. It was Deadman junior's idea to go there and we hit the tourist trail to 'do' all the classic Parisien sights along with thousands of others. Deadman spent the whole time singing 'chansons d'amour' and shrugging in his best Gallic style. We climbed a daunting bank of steep steps to reach the Sacre Coeur - the Catholic cathedral which commands great views over the city. It it is the only hot church I've ever been in, this was due to the large crowds; it was shuffling room only, and the banks of votive candles glittering in the gloom. (Sorry, I couldn't resist a bit of alliteration!)

Jesus embraces all in the Sacre Coeur

We also went to some more unusual places including Deyrolle the taxidermist shop which does attract tourists but thankfully not in the same volumes as the Eiffel Tower!  We also visited the Marche St Pierre a fantastic fabric shop at the foot of the Sacre Coeur which has four floors of fabric, a must for all home sewers.  Deadman junior however, was more attracted to the beautiful sweet shops and developed a taste for macaroons.

Cool sign; can we have one please?

An optician's window display next to Deyrolle, 

However, we were probably the only tourists on the look out for optician's shops - Deadman lost count at 25 in one day. There were some very attractive window displays including the one above which has real butterflies in with the designer frames.

Hope you all had a good summer.

TTFN Mrs Deadman