Mods and Nurses

Up and running about tidying as Lorraine baked some courgette bread. Last night she announced that her nursing pals were coming around this morning: Chris, Anne, Chris and her partner Gary. We sat in the garden and I gave them drinks and so on. They made off to Beachy Head to sightsee. Lorraine and I went into  town, a huge swarm of scooters driven by aging mods heading in the same direction, probably inspired by the Quadrophenia film. There was a huge gathering of them in Brighton for the weekend, also marking nostalgia for the days of the Battle of Brighton.

Lorraine off to see Pat and Maureen. Maureen had been upset this morning, so Lorraine wanted to spend some time with them. I popped in to see the Seaford Art Club's exhibition. Eileen and Palo on duty, so it was nice to see them both. I then went off on a longish walk.

Late afternoon Lorraine and I bussed into Brighton. Along the route an outbreak little St George's Crosses attached to lampposts. Much about this in local websites and so on. The extreme rightwing Reform party have created this as a provocation. A small roundabout in Seaford has been painted with a Red Cross too. It is directed against illegal immigration, and though numbers are declining, it has been whipped up into a toxic issue, provoking the sorts of people who carry placards with 'Save are kids' (sic) on them. It is mischief. Anyone that objects to having this cheap Chinese made plastic flags strewn about the place, then obviously hates the country. There is a lot of simmering racism and nationalism just under the surface once you get too far out of Brighton.

 to meet the nurses again, this time with Clive too. Brighton buzzing. We met them at the Old Ship Hotel. Lorraine loving being with her old pals again. Outside lots of noisy revellers drinking in the sunshine. We then went to Shelter Hall, now rebuilt and repurposed, a big place, with lots of tables and two floors, and a dozen different food outlets, Mexican, Pizza, Burgers, Indian, Japanese, Hot wings, Chinese. I had a decent Diavola pizza, Lorraine had Japanese food. We were right at the front on a long table, I sat opposite a DJ, who was rather good and doing lots of fancy mixes on the spot.

I then took us to The Bath Arms, as we could get seats in there, still rather noisy but fun. Chatting with Gary, he had been in the RAF as a radar engineer, worked after he left as a chef for want of a complete change. He had Chris had met each other less than a year ago, and are living together and seem very happy. I enjoyed talking to Clive, who is now an academic two travels lots. He had recently been in Hawaii, and was wearing an Hawaiian shirt. The other Chris lives in Australia, but comes over every year to see family. Anne was leading the morning sea swimming, and is very active.

Home by bus. Sitting on the top deck of a 12, talking to a couple. Elderly mods singing "we are the mods, we are the mods" etc. Then gratefully home. 

Below front row, Chris, Chris, Lorraine, back row Anne and Clive, from The London's set 465 in the Shelter Hall; the DJ taking his work very seriously; and a parked scooter.