The last few days have been crazy: crazier than Paris, crazier than Newquay, crazier than ever. Lyn and I seem to be going through a particularly hectic period, with almost every day filled with something new, some new great adventure. I can honestly say I have never felt so alive, and the best part is there is no sign of it stopping.
As I reported yesterday, on Monday we went to Brighton. That, mind you, was after we had come back from a friend’s house the night before, where we had been since Saturday afternoon. Basically – and this is worthy of a blog entry in itself – Lyn and I went to a house party in Blackheath and decided to stay the night. I woke up Sunday morning wondering where the devil I was. We did not get home till about ten, and then in the morning we set off for Brighton.
What a place Brighton is! I had been there before, but I had not had chance to see it properly in the rain. Within minutes of getting off the train on Monday, I was contemplating moving there. I fell in love with the windy little streets, so different to those of London. Our principal aim in going there was to buy a didgeridoo (what else?!) John needed to buy one for Dominic to replace the one he broke, and us two crips just went along for the ride. That aim was soon completed, and we set off to explore. As soon as we found a fancy dress shop which sold zentai suits, I knew I was going to like it there. Dom said it was best not to buy one though, as we would probably find somewhere cheaper.
We wound our way down through the streets to the beach. My first sight of the sea in what felt like an age took my breath away: clear blue water under a cloudless blue sky, it was simply beautiful. We walked along the seafront, taking it all in, watching at one point as john and dom took a swim. Trying to account for everything that happened thereafter seems pretty pointless, as it would simply form a list of events. However, at about eleven we decided not to go home, except for Jikki, Dominic’s mate, who needed to return to London to see his girlfriend. Little did I know we had began the longest, coolest night of my recent life.
We bought some supplies and walked on. The plan was to stay up for a bit then find a hostel to sleep. We shortly came to the park outside the famous pavilion, where we found a group of Spaniards. They were students I think, probably here for the Olympics. Lyn, john and Dominic played them some music, and they took an interest in Dom’s Didgeridoo. So it was that I came to see one of the most random events of my life: a polish guy teaching a Spanish guy to play the didgeridoo outside Brighton pavilion at about three on a Tuesday morning.
Some time later we walked on. By then it was about four in the morning, and the sun was rising. We needed somewhere to sleep. We looked around a bit, at one point asking a man who professed to be a Jedi, but by then the hostels were all shut. I was tired and irritable. We eventually went down onto Brighton’s stony beach, and, using wheelchair cushions for pillows, slept there.
I woke up some time later, the sun beating down and the beach filing with people in swimwear. Lyn lay next to me asleep. I was sore, hungry, and needed a poo, and yet happy: I had just spent my first night under the stars. Had I been in a bed, I would have slept on, but given how busy the beach was getting, I felt it wise to wake everyone up. It turned out it was about ten, and, after a poo and a coffee on the pier, I felt surprisingly refreshed. We then spent the day drinking pimms on the pier, in no real hurry to head home. At about four, we headed back into town, eating at the Bath arms, a pub serving excellent food where we had eaten the night before. Then, stopping only for me to a last buy my suit (a red one this time), we made ur way back to the station and then home.
I cannot describe how alive I feel. The past two days, and indeed the past few weeks, have been packed with so much fun. I feel utterly exhilarated. I never thought it possible for me to live this type of life – me, a VOCA using spazz. Yet now, the adventure seems never ending. Mind you, I suppose it hasn’t actually stopped since my first day at university. This summer has been packed with great times, and now that the sun has come out, a if some deity had just realised she had forgotten it was july and finally flipped the switch marked ‘summer’, it seems they have only just began.