Day tripping to Brighton and The St Jude Storm


Everybody knows how much us Brits love to talk about the weather, and last week we certainly got a perfect opportunity to grumble, worry and avidly watch every television report. The St Jude Storm (named after the Patron Saint of Lost Causes - so claimed every newspaper headline) hit last Sunday evening, and it so happened I was in Brighton at the time, a stones throw from the beach too! Now I openly admit I am notorious for worrying about such things, but I had a super 24hour trip regardless, and actually saw a great deal of sunshine! I was staying with my absolute best friend, and we chose to sensibly wait out the storm with a bottle of red, chocolate mini eggs and a stash of DVD's including Juno, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Black Books and Miranda - not a bad effort eh? Despite sounding like we were in the middle of a hurricane, not even the wheelie bins got blown over, only a few plant pots suffered in the end, thank goodness! But it was the first morning in Brighton I haven't been woken up by the seagull noise - those chaps had fled elsewhere!


The next morning, as the coast was clear (both literally and metaphorically!) we headed for a promenade, well wrapped up against the elements! We couldn't resist heading to the beach, and I have never seen the sea so choppy in my life, I'm sure this is tame compared to some peoples experience, but for me, I was mightily impressed! The wind was terribly strong too, but we both found this walk quite exhilarating, many others had also chosen to take a stroll, and the mood was cheerful all round, everyone probably pleased it was nowhere near as bad as they had expected!






We were thrilled to see our favourite lunch spot was open despite the elements! Jack&Linda Mills smokehouse is always worth a visit, and on this occasion, the hot kipper rolls tasted better than ever. With salty lips and tangled hair, we sat on a disused fisherman's boat and ate them quickly before they were whipped out of our hands, such a lovely afternoon! We took a quick walk to the pier, but you couldn't even walk up it alone, the breeze pushed you back to where you'd started! A few people were getting far too near the walls of the marina, but I can assure you we were being very sensible :)



We can never resist the allure of the fantastic second hand shops in town, so headed to Snoopers Paradise for a rest, we were absolutely shattered by that sea air and had to have a large hot chocolate to recover (Red Roaster as usual!) We found these oddities which seemed appropriate for the approaching Halloween festivities, Claire is the Queen of curiosities, no Asian artefacts can hide from her expert gaze, and she even found me an amazing 1970's macrame owl to bring home, because everyone needs one in their lives!


It was also great to see many places were gearing up for the Day Of The Dead festivities too, like the amazing shop below, which sums up my trip nicely! Brighton I love you, see you soon please!
Thanks for reading, I hope St Jude didn't cause you any worry!

Katie

4 comments :

Alice Moore said...

I`m from Glasgow but I had a trip to Brighton in the summer when it was very busy. Enjoyed your post and the reminder of Brighton and glad you enjoyed the breeze.

LandGirl1980 said...

I would have been off down the beach too! I nearly headed up to Epsom Downs just to feel the force!

Fab photos - and loving your new header too :)

sweetpea family said...

Fab photos x

Unknown said...

My only real complaint? It. Is. Always. Freezing. Inside. This. Building. When it's 85 degrees outside and I would rather be out there getting sunburned than be inside in what feels like the middle of Antarctica, that's not good! Taxi Brighton to Heathrow Airport