Sunday, September 10, 2006

Golly Good Old Fashioned Family Fun, What

It's that time of year again....The annual gathering of hordes of villager folk at the seashore to observe a bunch of, ever so slightly, unhinged individuals throwing themselves off the town pier to the waves below, whilst dressed in a varying range of fancy dress. Usually accompanied by some type of craft (sea, air....And in one instance an inflatable pirate ship complete with palm tree). All in the name of charity. I speak, of course, of The Bognor Birdman Rally!!

Personally I haven't observed one of these for many a year...Possibly not since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Mainly because at this time of year (the event has to be organised at a time of extreme high tide...Because the pier is falling into the sea faster than Posh Spice buys new shoes) it's cold, wet and happening at a stupid o'clock in the morning. Today it was happily none of these things, as the summer has had a final burst of energy, and so I trundled on down for the entertainment.

It's certainly grown as an event since the last time I had a look. It's not just the people jumping off the pier anymore; with a fair, various entertainers on the street, live bands, open air bars, a BBQ and a big screen TV on the seafront for the many hundreds on onlookers....There was even an Ariel display from a stunt plane. You'd think it was Brighton or Bournemouth, not little 'ol Bognor, with the way they were all carrying on...Still that's progress I spose.

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