SHERINGHAM DIARY No 78 - Passing Through The Ides Of March

The Ides of March can be a murderous time to be a retailer in a seaside town. Still not completely escaped the clutches of winter, and neither have you had a whiff of the first soft spring footsteps of the season beginning. At the best of times March can feel like one long tease, a cruel form of tortuous expectation. As though we are hanging off a ledge on increasingly strained fingertips. Constantly just letting go of those pesky expectations, imaginings and aspirations as being 'well premature'. Still feeling like its a long way up or down from here. 

 

The other day a retired couple came into our shop and stood looking around simply amazed. They kept pointing at stock we'd made, seemingly the ones using a fabric called Bergen in a Mustard colour way. She momentarily looked self conscious realising there might be a need to explain herself. 'It's just that's our fabric isn't it' looking towards her husband for confirmation and moral support. 'We have curtains made up in it' And she went twittering on and on about it, as they'd never expected to see their fabric anywhere else, as they both shuffled out the shop. With a last look over their shoulder just to check this wasn't a mirage, this astonishing revelation. What surprised me most was that a mass produced fabric, that is one of our best selling designs in anything we use it on, they still nonetheless thought of as 'being theirs'.

Interior Design Challenge has started its new series. Hurrah! The usual band of amateur hopefuls. So far, there isn't much sign of egotistical self deceit, of over claiming the extent of their talented genius, or simply unforgivably bad interior design or execution. Its already clear a couple of these contestants already have the chops to win. 

The ability of the professionals to come up with a memorable phrase continues. The word 'shonky' has long since entered the lexicon of our regular parlance to describe something that is not just badly designed, not just badly made, but has no rationale or reason to exist at all. The professional judge this week uttered a classic phrase with which to describe what was lacking one contestant's efforts - 'It's the playful punctuation I am missing'. Oh, so was I, so was I.

Sheringham Community Noticeboard is just one of out local Facebook pages. Enjoy Sheringham More, is another. Both are the regular haunts of the passive aggressive post and uninformed biased prejudgements about what is going on. Alongside the pleas for information regarding where the local Chinese takeaways are, or the best manicurist in town. It says something when so many posts begin by saying - I don't know whether this is allowed, but....

Yesterday it had this, from someone who, on further investigation, is quite a regular Nosey Parker about the goings on in their environs:-

'I'm sure lots of armchair commentators will take offence at my daring to question what is going on in my environs. But does anybody know why Holway Road and Common Lane are no go right now (8am Wednesday) Asking for a friend'

Holway Road was being resurfaced that day was the quick answer to that one. But.

There is, as that person indicated, no shortage of armchair experts who suddenly discover they have a lifetimes experience in the laying of tarmac on roads to draw on, and an abiding problem with authority formed in comprehensive school, now bordering on seething loathing of the local council and its perfidious liberal witchcraft.

'Unlike every other authority in the country that would close only one side of a major road at a time for resurfacing. North Norfolk wants to close both!'

To which another person who I'm sure sincerely wanted to use their comment to express a more positive aspect to the road being closed, nevertheless fell into the gaping hole of their own well worn particular beef at the end.

'And for those of us who live on Holway Road, its lovely not to have all those cars whizzing passed at 40+ mph!'

Ah, bless them all.

Snow, snow quick quick snow, sleet, snow, mizzle, drizzle, sleet, snow slip. Today it did all of these various manifestations of unpleasant weather to be out in, all day. Unsurprisingly, after a morning in the shop of the till not even coming near opening, we closed the shop and headed for home.

I had a letter from the Department of Works and Pensions this week asking me to - Get your State Pension. Never knew I had to fill out a form. I can do it online, pretty basic stuff they want to know. As usual I'm surprised they don't have all of this already on their records, somewhere. Anyway the moment I officially become pensionable draws ever closer.

All through the night and into this morning it has been blowing a full on gale. I arose this morning to a less than cosy front room. This cold snap is certainly determined to go out with a huge bag of wind. This maybe another day sans customers in the shop if ,as forecast, this keeps up till midday. The afternoon ran through rapid cycles of clear blue skies, followed by horizontal snow, swirling blizzard, rain sleet, blue skies turning to hail. Unstable weather front anyone? We closed early. One good customer made it through our door today. All hail the good customer!

Sue Ellen's policy to repel the boat people by creating an almighty stink, takes a tragic mess and gives it an even crueler consequence. One unlikely to solve the crisis because all the previous attempts to draw such a harsh line by this government have demonstrably failed. This has now caused Mr Nice Guy, Gary Lineker , the countries most decent warm hearted ex footballer, to make a Twitter comment on said policy. The BBC threw itself ,once again, on its own blunt sword. Creating a chaotic situation when it didn't, then did, decide to suspend him. One suspects they were leaned on to change their decision. And now all his Match of the Day colleagues pull out in support. 

The way the BBC's is using impartiality restrictions is partisan and arbitrary, its a bizarre form of self inflicted punishment. The rest of the right wing media never gets pulled to account for the lies, half truths and damned lies they perpetrate. Giving the BBC a kicking is a sport to them. Does the BBC and its impartiality have a future? Should it have a future? Would the BBC indeed be better off free of it and just be completely independent of political interference and control? A much valued channel for establishing and upholding whatever the truth is. And now even David Attenborough gets cancelled out of fear of a right wing backlash. What the f... is going on here? This is not good, not good at all.

Meanwhile the governments plans to torch thousands of EU laws without parliamentary oversight to check what they are, or planning what or if they will replace them with UK legislation.  This pursuit of legislation purified of EU taint, is entirely ideologically driven, not practical or considered governance. Its just a mindless wrecking ball. Much as I find the whole thing ludicrous and deeply concerning. There is a part of me thinks, just let them do it, because if any policy is going to come back and bite you severely further down the line, this one surely will.

Beginning to realise that I'm primarily drawn to the feminine in Catholic imagery. I'm not hugely interested in crucified male figures and the like. At present, besides Our Lady of Walsingham, I'm currently thrilled by the melodramatic iconography of Our Lady of the Sorrows.

When is a bus pass suitable to use as voter ID or not? If you are a pensioner your bus pass is fine, if you are a student your travel pass is not. There is no logic to this.  Other than which section of society our government wants to encourage to vote and the ones they don't. Who is more likely to vote for the Tory party and who isn't .

Don't allow this devious governments slight of hand to impede your ability to vote. Sort out what you need to do and do it now. If you haven't any of the photo ID required or can't afford it, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate, which can be used instead. But you'll need to get cracking as there is an application cut off date before the May Local Elections - 25th April.

For more info click on The Electoral Commission Site https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk or the governments own site https://www. gov.uk