Swanage! And other news...

Hello again, readers! Earlier this week, I was at YHA Swanage in Dorset: which is an excellent county, and I urge you to go there at once. For one thing, Swanage has a steam railway that runs to the delightful village of Corfe Castle; for another, it has a pier and some lovely beaches; but mostly, you should pay it a visit because it is a town that is just about the right size. And if that wasn't enough, the Red Lion pub appears to have a very generous quiz machine: we won four pounds on a pub quiz game that never really threatened to become difficult.

Also in this week's update:

1. I didn't get the Cambridge job. Bah. Apparently they decided to go with someone who lived locally, which does make a lot of sense from their point of view: and I would have had difficulty finding somewhere to live in Cambridge.

2. I am moving from YHA Salcombe in Devon to YHA Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire. Yay! This puts me within about an hour's reach of Stroud, and only 100 minutes from London; which is nowhere near as long as it takes to get from Salcombe to ANYWHERE.

3. I will therefore be leaving Salcombe behind on Monday, sniff. I will almost certainly miss the place, though being in a remote location without a car has had me yearning for somewhere closer to home.

4. I may be starting an internship with the Lib Dem MP Andrew George (St Ives) in the not-too-distant future. I shall keep you posted!

Thanks for reading, and do not under any circumstances burn the Koran. I recommend burning your old school books instead: much more satisfying, I would imagine.

The Evening Stanners

East Devon + Dorset = AWESOME

What ho!

I have just got back from a couple of days off work in Salcombe, which I used to visit Exeter (where I met up with Captain Mak Forsyth), Colyton, Seaton (via amazingly retro tram), Beer, and Lyme Regis.

Tiring stuff, no? I think Lyme Regis was probably my favourite out of the five, but they're all good places to visit. Exeter has lost the novelty factor of course - it is my Uni, after all - Colyton was delightful but small; Seaton goes downhill a bit after the tram; and Beer lacks internet access. Otherwise, I think Beer would narrowly win.

The best bit about the trip, though, was being able to stand at the top of a hill in Devon and see half of Dorset: as far as Weymouth and Portland, I believe. Crazy times!

Anyhoo, I am now in the process of trying to get work experience with the local MP in Totnes, Sarah Wollaston. To be continued, chaps (and chappesses)!

The Evening Stanners

I appear to be stuck in Devon

Dear Sir,

I feel I must express my annoyance at being stuck in Salcombe for the majority of my summer without a permanent internet connection and poor telephone signal. People seem to have lost their pride in being part of the digital phenomenon.

If only more people would feel inclined to write letters these days, possibly to the following address:

Chris Stanley,
Salcombe YHA
Sharpitor
Salcombe
Devon
TQ8 8LW

Then I might be able to send them a letter back, which might just be what Britain needs to get us out of this current economic crisis.

Yours etc etc,

Chris Stanley

PS Postcards would also be acceptable. Send your addresses to christopherjulianstanley@gmail.com

The Evening Stanners