Big Deal Has Its Chips

Given all the hoo-ha about Margate's GB Pizza setting up shop in that London, it's about time to point out that Ramsgate is also doing its bit to export good grub to the rest of the nation!

The Bulgarian owner of Sunrise Fish and Chips here in the Millionaires' Playground tells me he's about to open another outlet down the road in Deal. That pretty much makes him a net exporter, given that anything beyond the Wantsum is viewed by most locals as suspiciously foreign.

Sunrise takes the accolade for best fish and chips in Ramsgate, in my humble proverbial. Lovely, freshly cooked food, humungous portions, and all served up with a smile and a small bill. What more could a Thanetian wish for!!??!

I dunno. They come over here, cooking good food, opening up successful businesses, employing people, contributing to the local economy. Tell Farage to put that in his Woodbine and smoke it!!

Eggsellent News!

I see our super-duperized, out of this world bandstand here on Ramsgate's magnificent East Cliff will be hosting an eggciting eggvent on Sunday and Monday! The Easter Eggstravanza kicks off at 1pm on both days and will feature a drum workshop, Easter bonnet parade, karaoke and magic. Plus if you're not already jaded after the Thanet GuzzleFest, there'll be a licensed bar where you can get sauced in the sun. With the weather forecast looking good, it might be just the ticket!

A toddle over to the bandstand's new website elicits the news that there's a whole raft of events planned this summer. No mention of the Wantsum Jazz Festival, though, which as I exclusively revealed a while back has been poached by the Spencer Square mob. Except I'm now told that the sniffy Westcliffians have rejected the plan due to fears of massed chavery and crushed Stella tins spoiling their Berkeley Square reverie.

No worries about that here on the east side. A few extra cans and crisp packets ain't gonna make a whole heap of difference to the mountains we already wade through each day, not to mention the half gallon or so of human diarrhoea that some kind soul saw fit to deposit in the street outside the old cliff top mansion last night. So bring it on!

PS: If you're one of the thousands of off-islanders visiting this blog over the holiday weekend looking for something to do, or somewhere to eat and drink in Thanet, why not take a look down the sidebar on the right? You'll find what's on listings, and a whole heap of recommended Thanet nosheries. And unlike points west, the beaches are sandy and the sun's shining! Magic!

Jazz Festival Goes West

Cripes! Those rotters over on the West Cliff have nicked our jazz festival! The swinging sensation has been held at our very own super-duper, out of this world East Cliff bandstand here in the Millionaires' Playground for the past two years. This year, though, it'll be held in Spencer Square, which as we all know is a den of iniquity inhabited only by a few seedy barrister, journo and City slicker types. Kuh!

Mind you, I must say that, given the icy force 10 blasts that blow across our once-crumbling cliff here in the east, the most appropriate kind of wind instrument is not so much a clarinet as an anemometer. And considering that the biggest part of last year's audience was probably one man and his poodle 70 miles away in Belgium, you can't really blame them, can you?

Going For Bronze

The Ile's Olympics dividend currently stands at exactly 0 as far as I can make out, with today's announcement of 11 potential training sites for the Paralympics, none of them here in the tip of Kent. Those that do get a guernsey include Dartford, Gillingham, Sevenoaks, Ashford and Canterbury.

I suppose there's still a glimmer of hope as Margate beach and the Marlowe Academy have been listed, along with 630 other sites across the UK, as possible training sites for the main Olympics. But still, it's hardly a gold rush. Which is no doubt how we'll be describing the UK's performance come 2012.

Click here for full story on BBC website
Click here for possible Olympic sites in Kent in yourfannitinnit

Do You Wantsum Jazz?

With the weather set fair for the Bank Holiday, the BBC is reporting that seaside resorts are top of the list for a weekend getaway. It was certainly rammed in Waitrose earlier, with both local and DFL millionaires practically garotting each other to get at the last of the free range, organic pork bangers.

So it should be a good turn-out for the Wantsum Jazz Festival on Sunday, here at our very own super-duper, out of this world East Cliff bandstand. Acts include Omar, the John Altman Quartet, the Electric 'Arkestra' Experience, and the Harbour Jazz Orchestra.

It all kicks off at 2pm, so be there or be square, man! And don't forget the wild Alaskan smoked salmon!

Update: If you don't fancy BYO, there'll be a food stall and, of course, the Gaddfather of Ale's beer tent (yippee!).

Noah End To The Rain?

Well it hasn't stopped tipping it down here in the Millionaires' Playground all afternoon. Still, we must be grateful that we're nowhere near as badly off as those poor blighters in the Midlands.

Sitting here in the comfort of my cliff top mansion, well above sea level, I began to wonder what would happen should the Wantsum flood. Would Kent County Council build us a bridge? Or would they be content to leave us to our own devices and float off into the North Sea?

Hmmm. On that note, I'm off to start constructing an ark!