I went to bed late last night with a smile on my face, remembering the glorious day that had just ended, completely knackered, and, quite pleasingly, totally sober. It was the first day Lyn and I went outside the M25 in ages, and that alone felt good. We took a day-trip too Brighton: last week, as I got back from Kilburn, Lyn informed me that we were going to Brighton for a day, and that was it: I am seldom one to turn down an adventure. So, yesterday morning we set off: I went first, taking the bus to the o2 then the jubilee line to London Bridge. There I waited for Lyn to catch up, as we have to take separate busses. We also met Laura there, and Dominick’s friend Dominica, who were coming with us, and we caught the train together.

The journey down was a bit crampt, and felt somewhat slow, but I enjoyed catching sight of the fields through the window. I rather miss the sight of rolling green landscapes, so yesterday’s journey made me happy. When we got to Brighton, however, I was immediately taken by it: this place certainly made a change to London. It has amazing Victorian architecture, windy little streets and some cool little shops which sold almost anything, it seemed. I’d been told about these, however, and had my eye out for some funky clothing. It has been ages since I bought anything particularly special, like my cat outfit or big pink tutu, so I was after something awesome. I soon realised, however, that everything is expensive in Brighton, so quickly gave up the task. Besides, by then I needed something to eat.

Dominica had bumped into a few friends of hers, it seemed, and we all ate outside a vegetarian caf in a small street among the shops. The food was delicious, and I felt much better for it. Along the street, I thought I caught sight of a friend of a friend who I’d seen on facebook, which reminded me: I have friends in Brighton too. I asked Laura to text charlotte to ask her for Holly’s number. When the reply came back, though, it turned out holly was busy. I really must learn to plan things ahead of time.

After our rather late lunch, my mind turned to the beach. I had not seen the sea in years, and it was time to put that right. We headed off, by then quite a large group, through the winding little streets, looking at all the funkily-dressed people. There’s sort of an oppressive vibe to London which one gets used to, but which is not there in places like Brighton, so you notice its absence with a relief. It felt good to breathe fresher air, and once again smell the sea. When we got to the beach, my heart filled with joy: the English channel was pure blue, and the sky was just speckled with light cloud. I had expected a seafront like Blackpool’s, to be honest, but what I found was decidedly less crass and much more pleasant. It was made up of basket ball courts and skate parks; we found a grassy area where we could sit and watch the sea. The guys had bought some drums and other percussion instruments so they could have a jam, so, with Lyn using her Ipad, they drummed as the sun set to the west.

I don’t know how long we were there, but it was getting cold, #and about half eight we decided to head home. The train back was much more quiet, and, buying a cheese sandwich each for tea in London Bridge, we got home just before twelve. It had been a wonderful day, and I think we need to take many mire such trips. Usually such things end up involving alcohol at some stage, but this one didn’t, and I think it was all the better for it. Best of all, however, is the fact I went with Lyn: I’ve been out and about quite a bit recently, either alone or with chopper or Charlie, a fact which I was beginning to feel guilty about, so it felt very good to be able to share such an awesome trip with her.

As we were walking back to the train station, I turned and noticed a billboard: ”Brighton Rocks!” it read. ”You know,” I thought, ”That would make a great title for a blog entry.”