The Looker

No not a sexist female comment but the name of a new local weekly community newspaper for the Romney Marsh.

Now out - the third edition.   Full of good local news (which can be viewed on line - http://www.thelooker.co.uk/).
This is a really well produced locally created newspaper that is offered free at numerous retail outlets on the Marsh.   However I feel that, as a weekly publication, it could  become a strain on the dedicated team who have put it all together.   I can forsee this becoming a full time occupation and, once committed, there is no going back.   I sincerely hope the magazine continues to be a  success and congratulations to the team behind the venture.

World Wide Veiwings

Over the past two weeks over 650 page views with 412 from UK followed by 57 from the US and surprisingly 28 Brazil, 15 Japan, 14 Germany, 14 Luxembourg, 13 Canada, 13 Spain and 12 from Vietnam.   Nothing from the USSR - must have upset them with last comment.

Back At Last

Back at last - been away for a bit - I did protest my innocence but it didn't wash!

It was saddening to hear that Brenda, a stalwart of the residents committee had passed away suddenly- and belated condolences to all her family.   Albert, an active campaigner for a local political party despite being less able bodied than most has sold and moved on to a new locale.   It is a sad fact that as one gets older it becomes more difficult to get around and there being no shops to waddle to it does make sense to move to somewhere with more facilities - that said we do have a ninety odd year old lady still here.   And this week Eric has finally moved, again to a more practically situated abode.   All the best to both.   All this movement has seen an unprecedented increase of 'shacks for sale' and prices seem to have stabilised since the last one went at £220,000.00.

The Smokery commented on in a previous blog is near completion - to a very high standard.  This would seem to have annoyed some moronic scroat or scroats who, the night before last, decided to deface the front with six foot high yellow paint.   I suppose trying not to be outdone by the recently reported theft of the 'Banksie' graffiti from the side of a container**.  Another act of mindless vandalism!    The yellow paint wasn't from normal spray cans, being too large a spread, so it looks as though the responsible assh...es obtained the commercially available road marking paint to do their deed.  Despite ongoing reaction to the building from a few locals it is hard to conceive any were responsible but at same time it is unlikely that the opportunist drunken reveller, if that were they, would just happen to have a large can of spray paint upon their person.   So a deliberate act.......................?


                                      PHOTOS HAVE BEEN REMOVED

**(For those overseas visitors to the site who may not know of such things 'Banksie' is a pseudonym for an unknown graffiti artist of some talent.   He was reported to have visited Dungeness recently and painted the side of a storage container in his inimitable style.   He is highly collectable nowadays and although most of his work appears on public buildings, walls, pavements etc. this latest effort was open to theft.   The miscreants simply hacked the side of the container off and carted it away.   Odd all these goings on what with all the police activity in the area.   Mind you with all the government cuts in police expenditure I suppose the armed patrols will now be weekly and with two on a tandem!

All this on top of a recent attempted theft of a fishing boat propeller by some pikeys (sorry misunderstood, under privileged travelling persons) caught in the act with all the heavy lifting gear needed.   Not charged as word has it they were duffed up a little by Batman and Robin, who just happened to be passing.

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE, and widely reported in the press and tv news (television not transvestite) one

 Sir Richard Branson got in a pickle when he graced the area with his presence. 

  Richard had come to Dungie  to attempt a record breaking mass crossing of the Channel on surf
boards, dragged along by a large sails.   The first day the winds were high and the waves and swell made
 it impossible to complete the crossing.     The sad thing is the  endeavour was called off because the safety boats couldn't cope with the rough seas.   Richard and son actually travelled 11 miles out into the Channel before turning back - which, as he pointed out, the total time 'sailing' was sufficient to have got him to France.   The following day the weather was too mild with insufficient wind to get the team more than a few hundred yards out.   And what a lovely bloke with it.   His family were there including his wheelchair bound father.   A real pleasure to see him as a decent human being, finding time to talk to locals (including me - 'get out of the b......y way) and not acting in the way we see so many 'celebrities' doing.   Better luck next time - which we understand will be in a few months time.

Looks like tent city but in fact some of the many sails lined up on a becalmed second morning in readiness for the next crossing attempt!

And , not a lot to do with Dungeness but an 'advert' for Ulysses - a motorcycle club for the older generation.   Motto -  'Grow old disgracefully'.   A worldwide club started in Australia.   See the links for their web site.   Only mentioned this as, after nearly forty years out of the saddle have manged to get my leg across a 900 Triumph Trophy.   Old but in good nick - and the bike.

Out on dvd and currently showing on 'True Movie' channels the film 'Eichmann'   Based on the interrogation (from transcripts) of Eichmann following his 'removal' from South America to Israel.   Film script by Snoo Wilson, an owner and resident of Dungeness and starring the great German actor Thomas Kretschmann with Franke Potente, Troy Garrity, Stephen Fry and the then 8 year old Tilly from Dungeness!

Tilly also appeared in the 2008 Edinburgh Festival award winning 'Best Short Film' - 'The Other Man' with Anna Maxwell-Martin and Neil Barry.   Filmed on 'The Marsh' and beach at Dungie.

Tilly with Anna on the beach