What will I do with all my time now?

WHERE do I start? What hasn’t happened in the past few weeks?

We’ve been so busy here at the View that we could have filled last week’s and this week’s papers three times over, which is why my column was missing last week - there just wasn’t enough room.

Apologies if you’ve been expecting to see something in the View that has yet to appear. If it hasn’t yet, it will soon - I’m slowly ticking things off the list!

After having a week off my column, it’s now more difficult to know what to write about, with so much having gone on both locally and nationally over the past fortnight.

I have to say I felt a little deflated on Sunday. Not only did Regatta and Carnival Week come to a close - the last of the annual summertime events - but, of course, the Olympics reached its spectacular finale too.

What will I do with all my time now?

I’m no sports fanatic so I wasn’t really expecting to get into the Olympics - perhaps I’d just watch the athletics, I thought. On the contrary, I was completely surprised by how much it engrossed me, my family and... well, everyone! In fact, I haven’t watched anything else on television for the past two weeks.

I was hooked from the Opening Ceremony (although I did watch the entire flag parade and then fell asleep before Team GB arrived!), spending whole afternoons glued to the screen, watching sports I  knew nothing about - judo, fencing, even handball, which I see has been taken up by children on the playing fields next to my house.

Most of the athletes have been around my age and dad asks: “Why can’t you do this?” Don’t think that’s going to happen - my legs practically stopped working after a week of chasing after the Wheeled Derby, torchlight procession and carnival!

The Games have taken over everything, with a distinct Olympic theme running through the whole of Regatta and Carnival. It’s boosted a nation blighted by recession, just as the past few weeks of summertime events here in Lyme has boosted the community after a difficult start to the season - I hope that good feeling will continue a little longer yet.

We even held our own version of the Games - the Lyme Lympics. I was unsure how this was going to be pulled off but it was, without a doubt, a resounding success - an afternoon of traditional seaside fun with all sections of the community joining in.

Congratulations to all the organisers and those involved. The Olympics may only come around every four years but I hope the Lympics will become an annual event.

Congratulations too to the Regatta and Carnival Committee who pulled off another week of family fun, culminating in Saturday’s Grand Carnival Procession and fireworks. 

An unusual twist to this year’s procession was the arrival of newlywed couple Sean and Kayligh Sinclair, from Guildford, who were married in Lyme’s Guildhall on Saturday and joined in the carnival in full wedding dress.

The annual summer events may be over but we still have the unique Candles on the Cobb weekend to look forward to - a spectacular event we are only treated to every few years.

Events will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend of August 24th to 26th, including live music, a torchlight procession and finishing with the lighting of 5,000 candles around the Cobb harbour. 

Now, there’s something to look forward to!

Pat waves a fond farewell!

LONG-SERVING secretary to the mayor and town clerk of Lyme Regis, Pat Stamp, was given a bit of a surprise at Saturday’s carnival - her very own float so the whole town could wave goodbye before her retirement this week.

Pat has served the town council for over 30 years, seeing many town clerks and mayors come and go, including my dad during the 1980s.

She’s now a close family friend - my dad was best man and my sister and I were bridesmaids at her Caribbean wedding to Mr Stamp 15 years ago. (I wasn’t very good at it, as I’d never been further than France and suffered horredous jet lag, meaning I’d collapsed by 6pm each night - including on Pat’s hen night - sorry for that!)

So we know that Pat would have been a little embarrassed having to ride down the town to “The Final Countdown” on Saturday, while her council colleagues sniggered behind! But, as usual, she took it all as good fun and, I’m sure, had a great time in the end.

Well down to the staff for organising such a great send off and congratulations Pat - you’ll be missed in the council offices!

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