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Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me! Yes
you've guessed it, we are officially one year old with this issue and isn't it exciting?
I'm almost as happy as all those back stabbing Tory leadership contender candidates who
waited in the wings for a Mr Duncan-Smith to "slip up". |
You know it's a sad fact of life that you know you're
getting old when the young fresh faced apprentice behind the deli greets you with not only
a pearly white, or in most cases a beautifully fashioned set of braces with enough shiny
hard stuff that it would be a liability in an airport metal detector machine, smile and
good morning but addresses you correctly with your gender as well. A trifle disconcerting
at first, but after a while it becomes somewhat of a respectful term of endearment. And so
to our first year-end.
I hope today, if that's all right, to tell you a bit about myself. I gather the much kept
secret of exactly who I am can never come out now. But I feel at this juncture you all
deserve a small titbit, as well as a huge thank you for all the supportive comments over
the year. Well it has been an interesting one to say the least! I thankfully have not lost
count of the times that I have had my naughty knuckles rapped by a few disgruntled
patrons. Deservedly or not? That's for you the readers to decide and judging by the raging
support for the "FOR" side of the column, it looks very much like, readers
comments permitting, that I'm hear to stay. I must admit when I first took on the job of
writing Hearsay. I was at a loss sometimes of what I could write about. But every time,
the lovely people of Sheringham and district came to my rescue. Most of my material is
collected mentally, unwittingly, when I speak to you the public, friends and colleagues
about the general goings on in and around the town. Most folks are all too pleased to
express their innermost feelings about what matters to them most especially when it's on a
local issue. Not forgetting that when, as often is the case, some folk in authority seem
not to be up to the job I, of course have to comment. Now it has been said that some of
you would like nothing better to see my premature demise from the publication. But then
where would that leave us? At least I feel I speak for the masses and that if my comments
are getting under some people's skin, then I must be getting quite near to the knuckle
don't you? After all if it's said that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit then satire must
be the wittiest form of sarcasm. So moving on. Some people I have said, orally and in
letter, why do I belittle Sheringham or make derogatory comments all the time? Well quite
frankly I haven't got a clue, it's just that with some people, it's so easy to wind them
up. I would say to any future readers of my column it's not what you read, it's very often
what you can read into the thing that's important. Many of my quips and asides are often
directed, not at the subject, but indirectly at the underlying cause or causes of the
subjective material in hand. And to that end, offence if it was taken or not, was never my
intended objective. I love our Town, and most of the people in it. What I can't stand is
the blatant lack of common sense that is often afforded to us by our officialdom and
community leaders. Those so called vastly intelligent extortionately paid executives, who
tactlessly seem powerless to do even the simplest of tasks efficiently. I have mentioned
many of these over the year and just once or twice with successful results. As I live in
town and frequent or know most shops and owners, all be it by sight, I am I think
qualified enough to pass judgement. Yes I do shop in Safeway's and Rainbow but also in
Norwich, but most importantly here in good old sunny Sheringham. I believe it is important
to experience the wider picture so as to get an objective view on what we are or are not
missing out on at home. I, as you know have been served by rude unintelligent Neanderthals
as well as by the most humble subservient. I have had to endure the trappings of disabled
access routes in and out of many shops, had to put up with good and bad quality goods,
been ignored and grunted at and smiled at so sweetly ones heart melts into jelly. I
have squeezed into seats in the theatre and then enjoyed the friendly tipple afterwards. |
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| All these things make up our town. I know many people
think that Sheringham is the bees knees, but to me, it's not perfect and isn't all that it
could be either by any stretch of the imagination. All I do know, is that the town is
brimming full of talented people, both working, retired and semi retired, and all willing
to share a bit of there expertise with you if you just let them. I don't mean just
shopkeepers and hairdressers. I mean the accountants, builders and designers and the
countless hundreds of school and home helpers, home carers, church workers and even
doctors and posties and certain cafe proprietors (still a sore point) but hey while I'm on
a roll why not give them a mention too. So we have a lot to be proud of. Not bad for, what
was a tiny fishing hamlet. We've grown and will I suspect always will. We have to. Just
think that if Sheringham Preservation Society had stepped in a hundred and fifty years ago
preserving everything as it was, you wouldn't be sitting there reading this article in
this multi-talented and cultural seaside resort we love and cherish today. Times are a
movin' they say, and moving on as they do so must I. So in my old time manner, I must
report that it was so refreshing to note that Sheringham moved out of the 21st century and
time leapt countless centuries ahead when the Star Wars Convention came to town. Along
with I might add, some original actors from the films. This I think was a stroke of genius
by the Carnival committee and let's have similar events please for the future. However
during the squash to view the stalls and actors for the signing of my 10 quid autograph I
couldn't help think that if there was in amongst the collectable memorabilia a model Dr.
Who Tardis, it would be the answer to all our prayers. So perhaps next time a larger venue
might be a sensible idea. It was all right for the Broadland Black Thunder girls in their
size 8 "spray ons", but for the rest of us we really needed a bit more midrif
room for comfort. Oh well now the clocks have changed back again and in so doing has the
weather, but it seems no amount of sleet and hail and cold winds deter our last half term
visitors. Many I suspect down to make secure their caravans for the winter. I guess we'll
see them again next year as long as their forty footers don't kite off the edge of the
cliff by then in the stiff northeasterly's we've been promised this winter. Anyway, I say
to them as indeed I say to the rest of you thanks again for reading and making this job as
enjoyable as it is. Take care out there and wrap up well. Yours truly Vic. |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY
FROM ANON |
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