East Cowes turns green…

… the paddling pool that is, down on the esplanade.  Wighteye suspects some form of algal bloom following the prolonged heat and sunshine that we’ve had.  When I took the photo the other day there were no notices visible to deter use of the pool;  one wonders whether the water may possibly be toxic?

Activity in the cool of the evening

With a run of hot sunny days, it’s not until the evening that the temperature has dropped enough to encourage activity.  A stroll along East Cowes sea front found youngsters swimming in the harbour, several guys fishing, people dog walking, a couple playing tennis (one in a full length dress!) and chavs climbing on the propellor monument.  On the water there were still leisure and merchant craft as the sun dropped below the Cowes skyline.

Come on Debbie!

With the County Press reporting on both the proposed closure of the Play Station nursery at the Isle of Wight College due to costs and the recession busting rise of £15,000 in Principal Debbie Lavin’s pay taking her salary to £105,000 per year, PLUS a £10,000 bonus, I’m surprised the two news items have not been linked.  So if nobody else has said it yet, COME ON DEBBIE!  forgo your bonus and your pay rise, you’re on an excessive wage already for an Isle of Wight resident, chuck it into the pot and retain the nursery. Where are morals and ethics nowadays?  I’m sure the 22 nursery employees and their families would welcome such action.

On two wheels to The Taverners

Continuing the transport theme, I thought I’d post a couple of photos related to a recent cycling trip from Newport to Godshill (and back) via the Shide-Sandown cycle path and the Sunshine Trail.  We’d originally planned to cycle all the way to Sandown, part of a get fit campaign.  Mrs Wighteye is ruled by her stomach and decided to divert to The Taverners to sample Roger Sarjent’s gastro menu.  The Sunshine Trail is delightful between Merstone and Godshill with lush meadows and free range pigs.  The latter feature on the menu!  The interaction between pigs and rooks in competition for food is an interesting one and a delight to watch.  Despite my expectation, the return trip seemed easier after a leisurely lunch.  A place to be recommended.

Transport options

Wighteye was amused to see a range of transport options over the weekend:

Or there is always the Reggie Perrin/John Stonehouse approach:

East Cowes gridlock

So, another Isle of Wight Festival has come to an end.  With five years or so experience, you’d have thought that the Council and Red Funnel would have found a better way to manage the traffic than the queues up York Avenue on Monday ; they were still there when I left East Cowes for work at 16:30!  Granted, there were some Council employees intervening and checking tickets (Isn’t that Red Funnel’s job?) part way up the hill from the town centre, but doesn’t there need to be more co-ordination here?  Of course, it was good news for the town’s cafes, but I felt so sorry for the festival goers stuck in the jams.  Will they want to return by car having experienced the frustration of the gridlock?   How about the locals and how this affects us? Isn’t it about time for some kind of co-ordinated ticket/transport sales structure for large events on the Island, with allocated times for travel?   Alternatively, why did the Police not intervene to keep traffic flowing and insist that Red Funnel just load up and sail on a first come first served basis?  Thinking about it, did anyone see the Police or were they stuck in the jam?

An evening of poetry and music …

What a delight last night!   Having searched the web for a ticket to see Patti Smith at Farringford, I found myself among a small audience privileged to experience her distinctive voice and phrasing.  She was clearly moved to be staying in the home of Tennyson and to have some of her photos on show at Dimbola Lodge, home of Julia Margaret Cameron.   Appearing solo on a tiny stage in the dining room, Patti read much poetry interspersed with song, with just her guitar for accompaniment.  I was interested to see that her guitar playing was quite rudimentary, setting up a rhythmic backdrop/drone over which her vocals weave their magic.  Patti’s poetry is high on the stream of consciousness approach and fabulous to hear; she interspersed her own writing with that of Tennyson, showing a sympathy for his work.  Highlights for me were hearing her read as the birds twittered outside, her rendition of ‘People Have the Power’ and an accapella ‘Because the Night’ as encore. ‘People Have the Power’ seemed a very apt song for the current political situation, a reminder of our ability to change things if we unite.  The song has similar overtones to the message given out by the MC5, for which her late husband, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith was guitarist.  Patti spent time in the bar after the gig and happily conversed with fans.  She announced that she has been booked to return next year. The gig was a real coup for Vaguely Sunny who had worked with Farringford, Brian Hinton and Dimbola Lodge to attract Patti here.  As she said, she certainly wasn’t here for the money!

Use your vote

It’s easy to be disillusioned with politicians, the country’s in a mess, the pigs are at the trough etc, but at least we still live in a society where there is general adherence to rules and care for each other.  We live in a consensual society where we may not agree with the views of others, but have a live and let live attitude to life.  Change is gradual and reflects general changes in society over time.  With the forthcoming European Election, it is important that we all exercise our vote as it is not run on the traditional ‘first past the post’ basis, but upon proportional representation.  This gives smaller parties a greater chance of success.  Nothing wrong with that, look at the great success that Caroline Lucas has made of her election as a Green Party MEP.  She is standing for re-election, but there is also a candidate from the fascist British National Party who are intent on building upon divisions within society and have exploited this in certain areas of Britain, fueling a breakdown in the consensual approach.  Wighteye has been reading election leaflets from each party as they’ve landed on the doormat and was amused but not surprised to find that the BNP have been misleading (lying to?) voters with their use of images.  Several newspapers have reported on this, I read it first at  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1186786/How-BNP-backers-really-foreign-actors-models.html though it’s not a paper of my usual political persuasion.

VOTE TO KEEP OUT THE BNP!

An embarassing wait

A cup of tea on the East Cowes seafront after work today allowed a good view of two yachts aground on the sandy shallows off of the Esplanade near Castle Point.  Lancelot and Jambo were likely to have to wait into the evening before there would be any chance to float off.  Jambo was leaning precipitously.  At least those on board had good weather, let’s hope they had plenty of patience and refreshments!

Funeral service for Nationwide Cowes

Well, with only a week to go for residents to register objections, Wighteye suggests you peruse the plans for the current Nationwide Building Society site, in Cowes High Street, just a few doors from the Red Jet.  Unable to renew their lease, the Nationwide will be closing and the premises becoming “Medina Funeral Service”.  Complete with a chapel of rest, it should be interesting to see how hearses and coffins are going to be gaining access to the premises which is in a pedestrianised area.  Does Cowes really wish to see a funeral parlour in such a prominent part of town, let alone the increase in traffic in an already congested area?  I feel sorry for the staff of the Nationwide and can’t help wondering why they were unable to renew their lease – who owns the property?  The application is in the name of C Field, reputedly a brother of ex-Island Tory MP Barry Field, although Wighteye has yet to confirm this.  If you’re interested you can see the application at  www.iwight.com/council/departments/appsdip/PlanAppSearch.aspx by entering the TCP number:  LBC/14694/T Comments are accepted until 28 May.