Visit to Eastern Parts

An incredibly busy and long day today. As it was also Holocaust Memorial Day we raised the Union Flag as is convention. However, this morning there was not a breath of wind and the flag hung limply on the pole. Having visited Auschwitz several years ago on a trip to Poland, the effects of the Holocaust left a real and vivid impression on me for ever. I had disturbing dreams for three consecutive nights after that visit and felt it important to commemorate the day and remember all those who died and suffered.
The weather this morning was very foggy as I left for the office in Salisbury. I spent a couple of hours in the office dealing with matters left over from yesterday and reading papers for my trip to the Isle of Man tomorrow. I then met up with a colleague from our claims department for a trip to Broadstairs in Kent to attend the Coroner's Inquest into the death of one of our policyholders. My sat. nav. showed that the distance to Broadstairs was 168 miles! In fact, it is the most easterly point in Kent and would be in England if it was not for the coastal towns of Suffolk around Lowestoft. I was amazed at the distance - not far short of a trip to Manchester from Salisbury. Fortunately the Inquest was not scheduled to start until 3.15 p.m. Arriving at Broadstairs at around 1.30 p.m. we went into Margate for an inexpensive fish and chip lunch on the seafront before returning to Broadstairs for the Inquest where the Coroner brought in a verdict of death by his own hand. The Isle of Thanet (as the conurbation of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate is called) was extremely dreary with most places near the seafront shut or boarded up. There is nothing quite so dreary as British seaside towns in the winter. Returning in the dark with a defective nearside headlamp was no fun but we arrived back in Salisbury by 8 p.m. It was then home to start packing for my Manx trip, a sandwich supper and write this blog. An early start tomorrow with a trip to the Mercedes garage to fix the lamp.