Sunny Sundays, English Fetes, Old Friends and Brighton Childhoods

Hello From Arundel

Yesterday I walked to Lyminster,

a little village,

just over the hill from Arundel,

with my very lovely, chum Stella, 

and another friend.

Stella now lives in the US,

 but when she returns,

 loves to go to all the

very English events like 

Summer Fetes.

Lyminster has been a tradition of ours for years.

We walked up over the hills to take a short cut,

which ended up to be a rather long route, as we were all

a tad put off by the bull,

staring menacingly at us from one 

of the fields.

All up for an adventure anyway,

we ended up clambering and trespassing,

but we arrived eventually and made sure of 

cadging a lift back to Arundel.LOL 

going up the footpath by the side of the A27

Lyminster Church Fete.

We had tea and cakes and I returned clutching my bargain purchases that amounted to;

1 body shaper...you know those things you roll around on the floor with that has wheels on it.

I MIGHT have to put blinds at all my windows,

don't want to give the neighbours a fright

1 book...... a huge tome ...1001 songs to hear before you die.

( we thought one may get depressed by the 999, thinking one might be on yer way out.

Oh! and to accompany the body shaper a rather nice looking cake....FAT FREE  yes it is....

but I am sure, otherwise, totally sinful...ah well, the  thought was there LOL

Next Saturday,

if you are around the Arundel vicinity,

there is a great Church Fete down at Bury.

The most beautiful village on the outskirts of Arundel.

I'll take some pictures.

It's totally picturesque. 

Anyway, if you are around in this area, do go..It's well worth it.

Clothes and books, bric a brac and fabulous teas.

.....and "No", I am not on the Bury Tourist board either. ha ha 

old friends and Brighton childhoods

A few months ago I met 

up with one of my oldest,

and dearest friends.

 We laughed until the

 tears poured down our faces.

Old friends...nothing quite
 like them,
is there?


All friends are precious.
 Otherwise, how did Facebook become
 such a phenomenon?


But those friends you 
have known forever,
that you don't meet with
very often,
and even after many years apart,
you just pick up those old threads?
Heavenly.

Yesterday was a rather big
Wedding Anniversary.
Congratulations 
Sue and Dick.

When Sue and I met up,

 we were transported
 back and were17 again
and reliving all
those daft moments we shared.

yes there we are young and fragile...3rd and 4th from the right

Oh to be 17 again..but with a bit more savvy!
Me staring out of the 5th floor window at the Post Office Building

We met at our 
first job after leaving school.

The drawing office, 
on the 5th floor, 
at the Post Office building

 that was at the bottom 
of North Road, Brighton.

How did I find myself there?
Bit of a saga, really.

 I had been the almost perfect child, probably not really, 

but that's how I remembered it. Ha Ha

Convent girl, studied hard, rarely went out.
 The Blessed Sacrament Convent
in
Eastern Road Brighton

must have been one of my first days at the convent

 Going to the Top Rank Suite on a Sunday night
was as wild as it got.

Then....

I completely went off the rails when I was 16.

Went out with a boy/man who was on the
 wrong side of the law most of the time.

Hmmm ....and my lovely dad was a policeman.

Not the best plan.

But there you are.

I don't know that you do plan at
 16 and 17 do you?

It just kind of happens.

Anyway, its a long story and suffice it to
say the family almost fell apart.......

A job for me, having just left school, was the answer.
My Mum, bless her, virtually dragged me to that interview.
Sat outside to make sure I went.
Quelle Horreur!
What embarassment........



Once I was there though,
 it opened up new doors,
 and I can remember
  as vividly, as if it were yesterday.

Oh! the nostaglia...

Friday lunch times at the
King and Queen pub
along the road from the office.

real old hippy ha ha

The pub was within spitting distance..well, nearly.....
where they cooked the most wonderful curries.....
I can almost smell them.......

Losing a whole weeks wages, still in it's packet, when I
dashed into a phone box to call someone quickly, after work on a Friday afternoon.

( Secretly, I might add,
someone I shouldn't have been.
Instant Karma,
certainly got me)

Took the coppers ( change) out of the envelope, made the call
 then dashed out again leaving all my hard earned wages behind.
An entire weeks ages.
I was just on my way to that wonderful new shop
"Chelsea Girl"
in Western Road, Brighton to buy an outfit for the weekend

http://cdni.condenast.co.uk/426x284/a_c/chelsea%20girl%203.jpg



Sue and I together,
 met a Persian language student,
 whom I then went out with.

Actually, the three of us used to go clubbing together.
Not that it was called clubbing, back in the day..
We went to discos.

Who out there remembers
Sloopy's?
Montpeliar Blues?
The Birds Nest?
The Art College Friday Night CLub?
The Cottage ( that real hippy cafe down Middle Street?)


Anyway,I then went to Persia, as it was then called.
I was amazed my parents let me go.
What an experience at 17,when I had only ever been out
of the country on a day trip to Dieppe.

Sue met her husband at the Post Office.

She talked about that first meeting, when we met up.
We laughed until the tears poured down our cheeks.

We were so hippy, her and I.
She met her future husband at the door and whilst she wore,
Blue bell bottoms, a blue paisley shirt,
and the famous blue suede
waistcoat.

(We bought the waistcoats together.
 I treasured mine for years.
It had loads of suede fringing,
real 70's job.
I lent it to someone, years later
 for a 70's night
 and never had it returned.)
Sob...


The husband to be arrived for the first date wearing a bri-nylon shirt and slacks.

Sue opened the door, looked him up and down,
 calmly said;
"Just wait a minute would you?"
Closed the door
turned around and screamed at her Mum,
" OMG I'm going out with Marty Feldman!"

Calmly, re-opened the door,
stepped outside
and unknowingly, embarked on the
biggest adventure of her life.


As it turned out they fell in love,
 married and went to live in  in Oz
very soon after.
Still there to this day
and still happily married.

She did tell me recently he was dating 3 people
 at the office at the same time,
clearly they were not put of
 by the bri nylon shirts either.

Ha Ha
Way to go Dick
you ol Casanova you.

Love you both

Sunny Sundays...at last

At last a day that actually feels like Summer.

A little wander round the garden during a break.

I am working on a Victorian Bamboo order in the sun,
with my trusty assistant Bella.
She was 19 years old on Tuesday,
so she doesn't do a great deal.
Just offers a bit of mature advice, occasionally. ha ha

Before heading off for a kip in the glorious sunshine.

All my vintage goodies  from Ardingly Antiques fair waiting to be painted and decoupaged

Have a great day
and hope you are blessed
 with a few great chums.




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