Month: June 2006

Eastbourne

Went to Eastbourne yesterday to sit on the beach and catch some rays. Scorching day. Slapped on loads of sun cream and joined the crowds on the seafront.

I’d always thought Eastbourne to be a retirement backwater, full of ageing retirees and faded guest houses. Far from it, I quite liked the place. More genteel than Brighton and less packed. Nice pier with all the usual suspects – glitzy arcade, dodgy nightclub, candy floss, greasy food stalls, coconut shy and tat market.

Sun bathed on the beach and walked the length of the seafront commenting on the grockles. Wandered around on the beach and found a strange spherical ‘rock’ which I think might be an old cannonball. Needless to say, I brought it back to add it to my growing strange stone collection !

Reading the weekend papers two

Reading the weekend papers two startling facts jumped off the page:

“As house prices have soared, so have estate agent fees. Countrywide, Britain’s biggest estate agency group, said a few weeks ago that the average commission paid by a seller had risen by £338 in a year to £3,156.” (Guardian).

3 grand ! What for ? For putting a few ads online and showing people round ? I’ve long thought estate agents ripe to be wiped out by innovation, especially in the age of the internet. Their aggressive, over-priced, poor service reputation does them no favours and their hold over the housing market should be challenged. Their only interest is their own commission and they are frequently caught over-pricing or under selling properties to suit their own ends. Start the revolution by by-passing those nasty commission agents.

“…in 2004, 56,000 babies were born to teenage girls“. (Guardian). Whoa!