We’re Brighton-bound, baby!

We went to bed at about 2 AM last night and then I woke up at about 6:30 when Biggie jumped on me because he wanted food. I fed him and then nipped to Morrison’s for salt and pepper bread and made toast for breakfast and sandwiches for the journey. Once Shay was up and ready, we left.

That involved taking an Uber to the coach exchange and then a (far too hot) coach to Heathrow, which is where we are now, drinking Costa Coffee while we wait for our coach to Brighton.

 

 

Airport Coffee

I hate airports,

see them as a necessary evil,

hate them even more

if I’m not flying.

 

I love coffee,

could drink it every day,

and in fact I used to,

then became a coffee snob

and learned to live

without it,

only the best will do.

 

I don’t mind bringing them

together,

I’m ambivalent,

I could take it

or leave it,

but I’d prefer to take it.

 

So now I’m drinking coffee

at the airport,

watching men holding signs

with people’s names on;

my girl is happy

because she’s drinking bubble tea

in disguise,

though it’s not quite a tub,

1.6 kilograms.

 

Later,

the beach,

and maybe a nap,

maybe Arthur C. Clarke

or Waterloo Road.

 

For now,

people-watching

and a stomach ache

as I watch the dancing

fountains.

 

 

The coach journey wasn’t too bad and I made a good dent in my Arthur C. Clarke book (The White Hart), which was pretty good. We ate our sandwiches too and then fell asleep for the last half hour or so. The coach dropped us off right by the sea front.

We went to check in at the hotel, which is cheap but reasonably cheerful, with a little en-suite bathroom inside what looks like a walk-in wardrobe. Then we went for a stroll along the pier and played some arcade games (The Walking Dead, Time Crisis IV, a claw machine and air hocket). Shay met Hello Kitty, too.

After a nap at the hotel, we went for a sunset walk along the seafront before heading into town. We had a drink at The Cricketers while a guy played some live music, and as an added little bonus, it turned out to be the oldest pub in Brighton and to have a room named after Graham Greene, one of my favourite writers.

Then we went for cocktails at Twisted Lemon and we were going to move on to Revolutions so Shay could get a bubblegum daiquiri, but they wouldn’t let us in because I didn’t have ID. I’m nearly 34.

So instead, we went to Belgian Chipsfor some Belgian-style fries, and Shay tried mozzarella sticks for the first time, which she enjoyed just as much as you’d imagine. Then it was back to the hotel for Waterloo Road!

 

 

Don’t Be Sad

Don’t be sad,

it’s just the chemicals

firing in your brain,

but the serotonin sunshine

will find your smile.

 

 

We slept okay and woke up early-ish the following morning, packed our stuff and then checked out of the hotel.

Shay wanted some bubble tea and I needed a coffee, so we went for a little wander along the beach. The place we’d seen advertising bubble tea was closed, but we did stop by Sarah and Topsy, which had a bunch of Hello Kitty stuff, and so Shay was happy. I got some new stickers for my guitar and she got some keyrings, an adorable bunny and a popsocket for her phone, which she now can’t live without.

From there, we went for a wander into the city centre so we could check out the open market, stopping off for a few photo opportunities and charity shops along the way, The market was great to browse through, though we didn’t buy much. I got some wax melts that I’m sharing with my mum, and we also stopped for coffee and vegan hot chocolate at The Flying Saucer Cafe.

Next up, we walked back in the direction we came so that we could go to No Catch for vegan fish and chips. I’d had it before at Vegan Campout, and it was part of the reason why I picked Brighton as a destination. It was Shay’s first time though, and she loved it. We tried their Oreo bites too, yum yum.

After lunch, we strolled back along the beach and picked up a few souvenirs, and we also stopped off at the Brighton Fishing Museum, which was free and which had been recommended by my mum. It was pretty good for what it was!

While we were there, we also dropped into a little art gallery called Gallery 242. The proprietor had a cute dog, and when we got chatting, she talked to Shay about pottery and offered to display some of her goods.

We were going to play crazy golf after that, but the course closed and so we went back to Revolution so that Shay could try their bubblegum daiquiri. This time, we weren’t asked for ID going in and because it was happy hour, Shay could get two for £10. And so of course, she got four for £20.

And that was pretty much the end of the adventure. We had to take a couple of coaches to get back, and I felt travel sick for most of the way, but a stop at Costa helped. We got home at about 10:30 PM and watched Waterloo Road. Result.

 

 

Biggie Biggie Biggie

We missed the cat,

of course we did,

our cat is a cutie

in Wycombe or Brighton,

he wouldn’t like the sand

or walking the stones,

but he might like the fish

and the seagulls.

 

Now we’ve made it back home

and he’s lying on the sofa,

he’s lying on the bed

and giving us the eyeball,

swallowing up Dreamies

like Tasty Sticks.

 

He thinks the dot

from the laser pointer

is a sniper rifle;

we think

his claws

need trimming.

 

My feline friend,

it’s good to be

home.