Monday 10th May 2010

During the US election a couple of years back, The Daily Show called the process Indecision 2008. How else to describe what we, the British People, have gone through. The campaign was not as long for sure, but the result is still unclear, some three days after the final results were counted and released. Talks are ongoing, and stories, ever more bizarre grace the front pages of our daily newspapers, most of which choosing to ingnore the facts. But since when has that stopped a good story. The one I’m referring to is todays Sun which claims the PM is squatting in Downing Street , when the constitution states quite clearly he cannot leave until the next mug has been decided. And so the PM is not squatting or refusing to go, just doing his duty.

Good old The Sun, or should that be Rupert Murdoch, as he owns the bloody rag?

Anyway, enough of that, something will be sorted out in time. The football season finished. Or it hasn’t, depends on the definition of the football seasn and what constitutes finishing. The regular season games in the Premier and Football Leagues have certainly finished, but there are play off games in the three divisions of the Football League, the FA Cup Final, the Europa League Final, The Champions League Final, and there must be other games as well. And in a month or so the World Cup begins; more football. It all gets too much sometimes.

And as the weather was bad on Saturday, after our breakfast on Deal Pier and a bit of shopping, mainly for olive bread and stinky French cheese from our favourite shop, we came home and I sat down for another afternoon of football on TV and the radio. In the evening we watched a documentary on the raid on the Tirpitz by British sailors in mini submarines, and although it was a great show, and highlighted the bravery of those who took part, what shocked me is that the commanding officers were the only ones who were awarded VCs, yet all four crewmen doing the derring do. It’s the military way, I guess.

Sunday was at least dry, and there was a Flickrmeet at Dungeness; one part was due to begin in the dark just before dawn, meeting at four AM; we toyed with the idea of going, but ended up staying in bed and watching the morning light seep through our curtains from under the covers. So, at nine we headed out along the coast and along to the twin nuclear power station at Dungeness. They tower over the small village which is made of wooden huts and building apparently made from driftwood and the such, all built right on the shingle beach with gardens made from more flotsam and bright stones. It’s better than I paint if, for sure.



About half a dozen people had come down from Tunbridge Wells, and it was good to meet some new people, who if anything, we even more keen than I was, because two were there from before four in the morning, and still there when we left. Three hours was enough for us, but then we had been here before. We met in the station café, as the narrow gauge Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway terminates there, and so lots of tiny trains to photograph, and there was a Second World War weekend to coincide with the anniversary of VE Day.



I went to photograph the older of the two lighthouses, only for the door to open and a woman asked if I wanted to go up as it was about to open, all for the sum of £3. So, I took more pictures of curving spiral staircases, as it wound its way up the ever-narrowing tower and out onto the level of the light. Grand views over the marsh could be seen, and the steam train down below looked even more like a toy.



The rest of the morning was taken with wandering around the rusting remains of the fishing fleet, the equipment of which is slowly rusting, and boats are reduced to skeletons, with paint and varnish peeling off. You’ll have to take my word that it makes for good photography, but it does. At midday, into the pub, which was rapidly filling up for a quick drink, before heading off back home to prepare lunch; or dinner which it was to become.



And in the evening, after roast chicken, we settled down to watch The Time-Traveller’s Wife, which was much better than I thought, which dealt with the paradoxes by just ignoring them, so the time traveller could meet himself and interact. Made for a good story, though.

And with the end of the film, came the end of the weekend too. Over all too quickly. As usual.