Mendip goes home for Christmas!

[Mendip]

^ I was hoping to watch Bristol City on Boxing Day, but they're away to Charlton so it won't be happening. To be honest the way the weather is maybe that's a good thing.

Today my plan was to take it easy and watch 'Jingle All the Way' with my daughter, to get all Christmassy... but it didn't happen. We needed a big food shop for Christmas Day, my sister wasn't looking like helping and no way I'd let me 84 year-old mum do it. So, movie cancelled, it was off to Weston-Super-Mare to go to Tesco. I guess December 23rd probably isn't quite so bad as Christmas Eve for supermarket shopping, but it wasn't much fun. But at least the sun was out - first day since we arrived it wasn't raining!

The kindest thing I can really say about Weston-Super-Mare is that it's a complete shit hole. It had its hey day as a seaside resort back in Victorian times, but has gradually declined ever since. This decline has been exacerbated by government policy of opening drug rehab centres at seaside resorts to take addicts from inner city London, Birmingham, Manchester and the likes, to get them away from their comfort zone and wean them off the drugs. Unfortunately these centres have a 90% drop-out rate, and the drop-outs decide to stay in Weston rather than go back to the inner city. The upshot is a town full of alkies, druggies and beggars. Welcome to Weston!

However... on the upside, John Cleese came from Weston-Super-Mare! But this is more than outweighed by Weston also producing Jeffrey Archer.

Since I last visited, this piece of modern art has been installed. You have to wonder why they bother... unless you can drink it, smoke it or inject it, the locals really aren't interested.



Weston high street, busy with Christmas shoppers.



There is little more depressing than an aging seaside resort in the winter time... the slotties...



A rank of closed up summer tourist shops, bedsits above.



Hey, hang on... what was that shop on the right... bladdy hell... he gets everywhere!



And of course... the Grand Pier in all it's glory!



Around 40 years ago, me and a few mates would get the bus into Weston-Super-Mare for a summer's day out. We used to wait until the tide was out and wade about in the mud under the pier looking for coins that had dropped down between the floorboards above. A good day could bring in 20p to 30p which would cover the bus fare and maybe get a fish and chips to boot!



Not many punters on the pier today, just a couple of jackdaws. Luckily the family didn't fancy going out on the pier.