Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wet Wednesday trip to town.
It's even wetter today than it was yesterday.
But that's OK - we needed a day of rest.
Yesterday, on a wet and bleak Wednesday afternoon we went into the town centre. It is not a thing we do very often - only when necessity dictates it. But yesterday we decided to do it for fun! It's what lots of people do isn't it?
Well, actually not that many people on a wet Wednesday.
Here is the story of our trip in pictures.
The bus arrives at our Downland Drive bus stop.
Ashley gets down to study the books in a charity shop.
More book browsing.
I bought 2 books in this shop - another Catherine Alliott and a book by Clemency Burton Hill, which might be rubbish! She is a presenter on Radio 3 and on TV music programmes, who Ashley quite admires.
Now, how bleak is that?
We scurried to the bandstand.
Queen's Square looks wet and miserable. The Wednesday market stall holders looked cold and windswept and were attracting no customers.
We got chatting to a man who we discovered was a member of a "faith" church.
I guess he assumed that members of other churches had no faith - though Ashley insisted that his was a church of faith.
There are some attempts at increasing the visual amenities of the town.
The birds on this metal sculpture flutter in the breeze......or howling gale.
Nobody wants to stop at the greengrocery stall.
County mall is getting ready to celebrate its 20th birthday.
It is not a place we go to very often.
I don't find it attractive or interesting.
Many Malls are much better than this one - in my opinion.
But then I am not a great shopper.
There are far too many empty shops these days.
Not much in there to drag people away from warm homes.
Ashley steered to us to part of the mall that we have never visited before.
The food hall has the usual range of fast food joints.
There is a Costa Coffee, which is good quality, even if it does Costa Lotta.
But it was not by the window.
We spent a while just gazing down on the people walking in The Marlets.
I took pictures.
I prefer the big white china cups in Costa Coffee.
No comment! No judgements!
Except we could start a debate about whether she is stuffing her mouth with anything resembling food!
Reflections in The Martlets.
Lamps along The Martlets.
It was not really raining when we ventured out from the mall.
So, we decided to walk home.
This took us over the old pedestrian footbridge.
Lots of people on the platform to head south to Ifield, Horsham and all stations south to Ford, Barnham and Bognor Regis.
Our route took us along Malthouse Road - one of the older streets of the town - built circa 1900-1910.
One of my great aunts lived there in the 1930s.
A clematis gone wild.
Probably a Nellie Moser.
Malthouse Road, being older, still has cables on poles strung along the length of the road.
The Southgate allotments.
Not gardening weather.
The ground is extremely soggy.
Bill is getting worried about the our lawns - just so long and straggly now.
Home at last!
Today I have been sorting out athletics affairs.
For a while it seemed like there might just be Bill and I to timekeep on Sunday.
I now know of one other; and there are a couple of others who will certainly help and another who could well turn up too.
All will be well.
And tomorrow all will be well too, for our trip to London.
But that's OK - we needed a day of rest.
Yesterday, on a wet and bleak Wednesday afternoon we went into the town centre. It is not a thing we do very often - only when necessity dictates it. But yesterday we decided to do it for fun! It's what lots of people do isn't it?
Well, actually not that many people on a wet Wednesday.
Here is the story of our trip in pictures.
Ashley gets down to study the books in a charity shop.
More book browsing.
I bought 2 books in this shop - another Catherine Alliott and a book by Clemency Burton Hill, which might be rubbish! She is a presenter on Radio 3 and on TV music programmes, who Ashley quite admires.
Now, how bleak is that?
Queen's Square looks wet and miserable. The Wednesday market stall holders looked cold and windswept and were attracting no customers.
We got chatting to a man who we discovered was a member of a "faith" church.
I guess he assumed that members of other churches had no faith - though Ashley insisted that his was a church of faith.
There are some attempts at increasing the visual amenities of the town.
The birds on this metal sculpture flutter in the breeze......or howling gale.
Nobody wants to stop at the greengrocery stall.
County mall is getting ready to celebrate its 20th birthday.
It is not a place we go to very often.
I don't find it attractive or interesting.
Many Malls are much better than this one - in my opinion.
But then I am not a great shopper.
There are far too many empty shops these days.
Not much in there to drag people away from warm homes.
Ashley steered to us to part of the mall that we have never visited before.
The food hall has the usual range of fast food joints.
There is a Costa Coffee, which is good quality, even if it does Costa Lotta.
But it was not by the window.
We spent a while just gazing down on the people walking in The Marlets.
I took pictures.
I prefer the big white china cups in Costa Coffee.
No comment! No judgements!
Except we could start a debate about whether she is stuffing her mouth with anything resembling food!
Reflections in The Martlets.
Lamps along The Martlets.
It was not really raining when we ventured out from the mall.
So, we decided to walk home.
This took us over the old pedestrian footbridge.
Lots of people on the platform to head south to Ifield, Horsham and all stations south to Ford, Barnham and Bognor Regis.
Our route took us along Malthouse Road - one of the older streets of the town - built circa 1900-1910.
One of my great aunts lived there in the 1930s.
A clematis gone wild.
Probably a Nellie Moser.
Malthouse Road, being older, still has cables on poles strung along the length of the road.
Not gardening weather.
The ground is extremely soggy.
Bill is getting worried about the our lawns - just so long and straggly now.
Today I have been sorting out athletics affairs.
For a while it seemed like there might just be Bill and I to timekeep on Sunday.
I now know of one other; and there are a couple of others who will certainly help and another who could well turn up too.
All will be well.
And tomorrow all will be well too, for our trip to London.
