Sunday, March 18, 2012
A very full day in the March sunshine.
Sorry, dear readers......a delightful day has caused me that well known Sunday evening malady - complete exhaustion.
I was asleep even before The Antiques Roadshow started.
I woke with a start, sometime after it finished.
There should be photographs to accompany the day, but I think they can wait until tomorrow.
We were up at 6 o'clock.
The sun soon lifted the attractive mist that lay across the lowlands of Sussex, with the South Downs rising above it.
Brighton and the sea looked glorious.
I bought a few bits at the boot sale at Brighton Marina. People collect novelty tea pots and I bought 2 to satisfy that niche, and some books.
Also bought some home made chutneys having a good tasting session first.
The apple, pear and pecan is delicious.
Then we had an enjoyable hour, just watching The Marina wake up. We sat by the window in The West Quay (Wetherspoons). I had toasted tea cakes and butter and jam with 2 large mugs of tea. watching the sails unfurling and yachts gliding out to the sparkling sea.
Then what to do?
Peacehaven is close by and I sold stuff about Peacehaven recently....perhaps we should look. But look at what? Motley 20th century bungalows!
We drove on and went to Newhaven.
If there was one place that meant seaside to me as a child, it was Newhaven.
We would go there often from camp. Camp was on Beddingham Hill and we cycled the 6 miles - up and down hill - until we arrived at the beach. We would push our bikes as far as we could and then walk along the pebbles just about as far as is possible to set up a base for the day.
There were few people that far away from the harbour.
I do remember one man - suntanned and as brown as a berry. Why do we say that? Berries are not brown. He sat under the cliffs with his books as naked as the day that he was born.
When the tide was out a broad expanse of rock pools was left uncovered. I explored and aged 10, I was planning to be a marine biologist.
Here is a quick view to be getting on with.
The tide was going out - but few rock pools could be seen at that stage.
It occurred to me that my visit could satisfy some of the demands of Mother's Day.
My mother had not wished to take part in what was regarded, even in the 1950s as a money making commercial enterprise.
I thought she was odd - my friends were all saving pennies for little cards and gifts.
But I grew up to agree with her. I would have felt a little insulted had my boys thought it necessary to spend money as dictated by the commercial enterprises. I prefer love to come with a little spontaneity. Well that was my radical left wing way of looking at it.
But today as my feet trod where her feet had trod, at a place and time when I feel she had been particularly happy, seemed to be a bond between us.
Back at the breakwater and river estuary we noted the changes and those things that had stayed much the same.
We felt lucky that one of the big ferry boats which cross to Dieppe in France left the harbour. That was always a highlight of our childhood days.
A thought passed through my mind that we might stop at The Hope Inn.There was extra interest today. A jack-up ferry was installed just this week, working on prototype plans for the proposed wind farm which is planned for some miles off the coast. It was huge and fascinating.
I had thought, as a child, that the people who had sat there on the balcony overlooking the river were so sophisticated. I planned to be one of them one day.
That plan remains on the back burner. We had already eaten and drunk whilst out.
We drove home, taking old familiar routes.
Often we would cycle back to Beddingham Hill on the west side of the river - through the 3 villages with their round towered churches.
I have been in all of them.
Today we couldn't go into Piddinghoe Church - it is kept locked, sadly.
But we walked a little in the village.
Once home, it was time to rest. And continue to rest, until that sleep came upon me.
Must go to bed now.
I will have to get up early in the morning. I have 4 books to wrap for posting and things to get ready for the shop.
I was asleep even before The Antiques Roadshow started.
I woke with a start, sometime after it finished.
There should be photographs to accompany the day, but I think they can wait until tomorrow.
We were up at 6 o'clock.
The sun soon lifted the attractive mist that lay across the lowlands of Sussex, with the South Downs rising above it.
Brighton and the sea looked glorious.
I bought a few bits at the boot sale at Brighton Marina. People collect novelty tea pots and I bought 2 to satisfy that niche, and some books.
Also bought some home made chutneys having a good tasting session first.
The apple, pear and pecan is delicious.
Then we had an enjoyable hour, just watching The Marina wake up. We sat by the window in The West Quay (Wetherspoons). I had toasted tea cakes and butter and jam with 2 large mugs of tea. watching the sails unfurling and yachts gliding out to the sparkling sea.
Then what to do?
Peacehaven is close by and I sold stuff about Peacehaven recently....perhaps we should look. But look at what? Motley 20th century bungalows!
We drove on and went to Newhaven.
If there was one place that meant seaside to me as a child, it was Newhaven.
We would go there often from camp. Camp was on Beddingham Hill and we cycled the 6 miles - up and down hill - until we arrived at the beach. We would push our bikes as far as we could and then walk along the pebbles just about as far as is possible to set up a base for the day.
There were few people that far away from the harbour.
I do remember one man - suntanned and as brown as a berry. Why do we say that? Berries are not brown. He sat under the cliffs with his books as naked as the day that he was born.
When the tide was out a broad expanse of rock pools was left uncovered. I explored and aged 10, I was planning to be a marine biologist.
Here is a quick view to be getting on with.
It occurred to me that my visit could satisfy some of the demands of Mother's Day.
My mother had not wished to take part in what was regarded, even in the 1950s as a money making commercial enterprise.
I thought she was odd - my friends were all saving pennies for little cards and gifts.
But I grew up to agree with her. I would have felt a little insulted had my boys thought it necessary to spend money as dictated by the commercial enterprises. I prefer love to come with a little spontaneity. Well that was my radical left wing way of looking at it.
But today as my feet trod where her feet had trod, at a place and time when I feel she had been particularly happy, seemed to be a bond between us.
Back at the breakwater and river estuary we noted the changes and those things that had stayed much the same.
We felt lucky that one of the big ferry boats which cross to Dieppe in France left the harbour. That was always a highlight of our childhood days.
A thought passed through my mind that we might stop at The Hope Inn.There was extra interest today. A jack-up ferry was installed just this week, working on prototype plans for the proposed wind farm which is planned for some miles off the coast. It was huge and fascinating.
I had thought, as a child, that the people who had sat there on the balcony overlooking the river were so sophisticated. I planned to be one of them one day.
That plan remains on the back burner. We had already eaten and drunk whilst out.
We drove home, taking old familiar routes.
Often we would cycle back to Beddingham Hill on the west side of the river - through the 3 villages with their round towered churches.
I have been in all of them.
Today we couldn't go into Piddinghoe Church - it is kept locked, sadly.
But we walked a little in the village.
Once home, it was time to rest. And continue to rest, until that sleep came upon me.
Must go to bed now.
I will have to get up early in the morning. I have 4 books to wrap for posting and things to get ready for the shop.
