It was back to the shops this morning to take back everything that didn't fit properly that we bought yesterday. For all my French readers, yes, the shops are open on Sundays and for all my Keep Sunday Special readers, no, it doesn't stop me going to church. I know I didn't mention it yesterday, but did you really think that Jan could be on English soil without hitting Marks & Spencer and seeing what goodies they had to offer? Incidentally, the other English pleasure is to buy the Sunday Times with all the bits. The ST is available in France, printed in Marseille, on the day, but it is a compressed version, containing the essence but not quite with the same feel. A treat.
The other thing that we had to buy was another suitcase. We'd forgotten that there were still Christmas presents to exchange, and as this tends to involve books, we were going to be seriously overweight if we didn't take precautions and check some extra bags.
The sea front at Brighton was 'bracing'. For bracing read 'a bloody strong cold wind blowing from the west.' We joined Becs, Trev and the kids for a walk along the front and, frankly, froze in the process. The highlight, however, was a really good hot chocolate from a' small cafe near the children's playground at the West Pier, which helped restore the blood flow to my head. The West Pier burnt down a few years ago and is a tangle of nothing but twisted black metal poking out of the grey sea. It stretches the usage of the word pier to the absolute limit. But there you go.
James and Pauline arrived back from Grenoble this afternoon, so Jan cooked one of my favourite pastas. Roast vegetables and melted mozzarella mixed into hot pasta and drizzled with olive oil. With dinner we drank, amongst others, a Marques de Costal 2002, (Cab/Merlot) from M&S. As James said, it's very Spanish, and totally different to the same blend grown in our village. Excellent.
The other thing that we had to buy was another suitcase. We'd forgotten that there were still Christmas presents to exchange, and as this tends to involve books, we were going to be seriously overweight if we didn't take precautions and check some extra bags.
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The sea front at Brighton was 'bracing'. For bracing read 'a bloody strong cold wind blowing from the west.' We joined Becs, Trev and the kids for a walk along the front and, frankly, froze in the process. The highlight, however, was a really good hot chocolate from a' small cafe near the children's playground at the West Pier, which helped restore the blood flow to my head. The West Pier burnt down a few years ago and is a tangle of nothing but twisted black metal poking out of the grey sea. It stretches the usage of the word pier to the absolute limit. But there you go.
***
James and Pauline arrived back from Grenoble this afternoon, so Jan cooked one of my favourite pastas. Roast vegetables and melted mozzarella mixed into hot pasta and drizzled with olive oil. With dinner we drank, amongst others, a Marques de Costal 2002, (Cab/Merlot) from M&S. As James said, it's very Spanish, and totally different to the same blend grown in our village. Excellent.
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