under another sun

Up and breakfast with everyone. Spoke to Toby this morning, in a luxurious Japanese Ryokan, already night there. Good to talk to him.Mum and I walked down to Brighton Pier where we met Lorraine, Mason, Pat and Maureen for a stroll along the blustery pier, and we went to Horatio's bar for a cup of coffee. As soon as we'd arrived the TV was turned on and blasting out the Stoke versus Manchester Utd game. This would have been pretty annoying, except that Stoke scored two goals. Lorraine Mum and I walked to the end of the pier past the ghastly The Booster fairground ride at the end, 150 foot high of existential horror and looked out to sea. Having collected Mason from Horatio's where he had fallen into conversation with some people ordered french fries etc. everyone else drove home, but Mum and I walked back again. Felt good to walk after eating for England and to have a chance to chat with mum. A certain amount of eating and drinking, rounded off the day and in the...

Boxing day, and Lorraine and I tore ourselves from bed reluctantly. Beth up and off on the London leg of her festivities. We had a bit of a slow day, but in the afternoon we drove off with Claudia, Pat and Maureen to Shoreham to a shop called Dunelm Mills where we looked at curtains, and curtain hooks and so on. Outside it was very grey and soon began raining in icy drops. Felt a bit sorry for Claudia as this probably wasn't the most intensely exciting way to spend a boxing day for a twenty year old. Home to eat cold turkey, pickles and bubble and squeak, which was tremendously nice -- and a cheery evening slumped before the TV eating things in best British festive spirit. Below whilst browsing around in the shop, I also amused myself by trying to take photos of Maureen being menaced by a giant squid. A photo I later forwarded on to Betty.

Boxing day Awake at a ghastly 5am thanks to my kitten. Balefully waiting for dawn, and once the sun rose, it was a beautiful clear day. Off to see Janet and Ken for a brunch of eggs benedict and bucks fizz. Both on good form, and awaiting the family descending on them at some point tomorrow. They gave me decorative little picture made of petals, which was very thoughtful. Then I lurched off to the shops to pick at the bones of the doomed retail economy and returned with three cushions. Slept heavily on my sofa with the kitten squeezing into the crook if my arm like some kind of hot waterbottle. Got up and walked to Lorraine's place and had cold turkey and bubble and squeak and home made pickled onions, which Pat had made, which was all rather nice and watched The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe on TV, which I enjoyed more than when I saw it first. Then Lorraine and I went to the Eddy to meet Anton and Brian, where we had a large festive drink enjoying the Eddy's faintly disrep...