13.08.26 - Brighton!

 Ok so it's taken me over a week to do this but at least this time I know where to start with my pictures. 

Last weekend I went down to Brighton for pride. 

Weekend calmly enough until our train paused by a fairground camel graveyard. 

Now I didn't have a seat booked and had just plonked myself down anywhere, expecting to have to move. At the next station from where I got on, there was some confusion/discussion about seats with some people wanting to sit together but not having seats together, and in all the swapping it pretty much got forgotten that I hadn't booked my seat (hopefully at least one person hadn't shown up for the train at all).

Anyway, I ended up sat at a table with three women who had swapped seats to sit next to each other (and nicely promised help me keep my seat if needed). Now I saw at least one cowboy hat among the luggage, and so despite the lack of hot pink or squealing, I thought hen group. This impression was not dismissed when one of them brought out a bottle of prosecco and three towel-wrapped champagne flutes.

However it turned out they were actually off to London to see Luke Combs. 😆

Anyway, they were nice. I played cards with them.

So Friday evening, arrived in a Brighton. Chatted and caught up with my old SFX magazine penpal who I was staying with (we think we might actually have started off writing LETTERS instead of emails. Can you imagine?). Ordered curry and watched Red Dwarf

Look it's a MUSHROOM CLOUD

Some nice clouds

Saturday was the pride march,  and honestly the pictures and words will get a bit jumbled here. 

Actually, wait I already wrote a bit. I should try not to repeat myself. 

https://substack.com/@jellyferret/note/p-210199244?r=4vlcuq

So this blog will have more pictures and possibly things that I missed out of the more public post.

Passed this on my walk down to the start of the walk

There were so many dogs! This is Billy! It was his birthday!

As Dan pointed out, not a train

ANOTHER DOG. i stopped mid-march to take this photo. 

It was lovely to see people before the march, although I did have a bit of an emotional moment when I saw the Brighton Gay Mens Choir, which reminded me of Simon and how much he would have loved this, and then that got me thinking of other things, but I think if I'd let the tears come they would have been almost happy ones.

Brighton is also COVERED in street art

Some of these buildings I passed once on the march, then passed again later in my wanderings.

The march was, overall, a really uplifting experience. The sheer amount of people and enthusiasm. It is a bit weird when you're marching and everyone is cheering at 'you' (like, I knew not me specifically, but for what the parade participants represented). Having little kids reaching out for high fives. Compliments on outfits being exchanged equally between the marchers and the spectators. 

Little bit odd (and eventually frustrating) to be marching behind a supermarket-sponsored bus that kept playing the same 3 or 4 dance tracks, but what can you do. Maybe next time I'll have to attend as a spectator.

Obviously i didn't find this name at all amusing

After the parade finished just outside Preston Park,  where I think I could have used my 'parade participate' wristband for entry, I instead walked 40 more minutes across Brighton to get to Saunders Park (everything in Brighton seems to be 30-40 mins walk away, and the buses were just too confusing on the Saturday. 

Picked up some snacks on the way and made my way to the 'DIY Pride' picnic in the park. (Despite what one colleague thought, this meant it was non-corporate, not that we'd be doing lots of crafts 😄)

Didn't take any pictures at the picnic,  so here's more street art

Despite only knowing one person, and knowing them through the indelicates discord, I had quite a wonderful time (apart from the bit of friction with some people in another part of the park). We did a short foraging walk. We did a quiz about mythology and mushrooms. I made new friends and we showed each other SO MANY pet photos 😄.  I got many compliments on all parts of my outfit. 

At one point I even made a joke that I would not have made if I hadn't been comfortable. One person was talking about people saying they were 'a calming presence' and other people found this very amusing. I chipped in with "well you know, some people watch horror films to relax". Luckily that one was received well 😆

When I finally made it back to Dan's (Brighton/sfx penpal Dan that is - don't want to confuse anyone) the pedometer on my phone said I'd walked nearly twelve miles that day??

Spotted this from the parade then managed to spot it again later - was not expecting to find a mackem this far south!

Of course, lots more street sights on the way back. 

As I approached Preston Park again (near where I was staying) I could overhear the sounds from the park itself. And spotted this cat who seemed to have a good seat for the show. 

Then outside Sainsburys by attention was caught by a very noisy, yappy dog. I looked over and saw THREE dogs and decided to go over and ask if any of them were safe to say hi to.

"Oh, they're all safe. He's just noisy"

Baby Jones - blur of rage

Nova - Black Staffy 

I asked about all the dog names and they were THE BEST

This is POPPET WOOWOO

Standing on his back legs like a little Rory Calhoun.

So that was one of the highlights of the day, clearly. 

Got back to the flat and had a good chat about the day, was absolutely exhausted but my mind was whirling and it still took me ages to get to sleep. The general heat didn't help, and also the 4am wake up call from the seagulls outside wasn't greatly appreciated either. 

So Sunday, second full day in Brighton!

I woke up and realised i perhaps should have reapplied my sunscreen the day before. 

Taking pictures of the pride outfit before changing out of it.  (I slept in the dress like a nightie. I wasn't going to just sleep naked in someone else's living room. Ahem).

The dress is awesome and really comfy

Oh and...

The gnome of number 5

Oh. I also ummed and ahhed a bit about my outfit for day two. After representing work the day before, and also seeing some of the outfits in the crowd, I wanted to go a bit sexier today. I wasn't entirely sure about walking around in just by bra in public, but I figured if you can't get away with it in Brighton, in summer, at Pride then when can you?

I also thought this was the gayest I could possibly look

Plus the shirt was my dads

Anyway, no plans for the day so me and Dan went for a wander around. Walked round the lanes. Walked along the seafront. Got a free mango lassi. Saw some wild drag cabaret (not that it was in any way shocking, wild in that it was free in the street). Had some pasta. Saw more dogs.

These were the only ones i took photos of

It was lovely but I was also still very tired so by midafternoon we were back at the flat watching YouTube videos, which is a perfectly valid way to spend time in a place you've traveled 300 miles to visit. It is in the Brighton heat anyway. 

In the evening we set off to sit on the grass outside Preston Park loaded up with snacks (with the heat I existed more in picky bits and liquid than proper meals) to try to listen to Diana Ross. 

As we walked past the more crowded areas where people were sat on banks trying to see over the fence, we eventually (just as i was about to ask 'how far are we walking' because I was still tired) we got to a fairly empty spot. The only other people on the grass were a small group with more dogs than people. 

"Ah," I said,  "we're going to sit near more dogs?"

Then we got closer and...

Baby Jones,  Nova

"Oh my god it's Nova and Baby Jones! And..."

POPPET WOOWOO

I think the people were slightly suprised to see that we knew the dogs names (sorry I still never got the people names 😄)

Anyway, had a very nice evening lying on the grass (what was left of it anyway), looking at the trees upside down as 'upside down' played and generally discussing life, the universe and everything. 

I also decided that the heat and tiredness and walking had all been a bit much so I was going to need one more day to recover before the journey home. 

This decision was further enforced when I was kept awake by a screeching fox, and then woken later by more seagulls.

So Monday morning. Determined to relax, but not wanting to just sit in the flat all day (plus Dan was back to work) I thought 'sod it', went on discord and asked Julia Indelicate if she was doing anything. 

As it turned out she was off round the Brighton shops so I  joined her and the kids for a nice hour strolling around North Laine.

I may have had a very nice time disconnecting and being more in the real world, but 'random' Internet friends absolutely made this weekend for me. 

At least by now I sort of had the hang of the buses and didn't walk so much. Still hot though. 

The bus paused outside off this place and I remembered i still hadn't taken a photo

Brief stop by a fountain on the way because it was hot. 

As I walked away I deliberately went through the spray of the fountain, and some guys laughted and gestured at me (good-naturedly).

So I walked over and confirmed to them yes, that was deliberate, it's too hot not to. Wished them a good day and they wished me Namaste.

More street art

Julia showed me Snoopers Paradise in North Laine and we spent an hour looking through all the stuff. I could have spent all day there, but damn it was hot. I didn't even check the upstairs. 

As I post this, i realise the upstairs must not cover the whole place.  But I swear i saw stairs.

Then we took a quick selfie for the discord and went off our separate ways. 

My way led me towards a cold drink and some gyoza

Butterfly Flower Lemonade - yes i went for it because it's purple 

A little more street art:

I then had one thing left to check off my list - ice cream by the beach. Yes it took until Monday for me to get an ice cream. 

On Brighton seafront you don't need clever slogans

I didn't get a 99 though

And thought I may as well get a picture of the pavilion too 

And one quick look in a couple of charity shops

Weird melting butter dog thing

On the way back to the flat I got off a stop early as I noticed the Rock Gardens, which had been covered in people the night before. 

There were lots of dragonflies whizzing about but those buggers are impossible to photograph. 

The view of the park that everyone wanted

So then back to the flat again to unload the treasures I bought.

This one pretty much jumped out at me, being at the front of a box as i turned into a corner of Snoopers Paradise, so I had to get it for my charming host.

Things with lots of legs(?)

Postcards

What a PERFECT little bit of Brighton history to take back from this weekend

And can we all admire how restrained I was with my book buying

Oh and I also found my own personal Jesus when i stopped for a rest on a patch of dirt that used to be a lawn. 

From then it was a quite night of pizza and Little Shop of Horrors (god I've missed having someone to watch musicals with - or in fact having relaxing TV time instead of 'what else do I have to do' Time). And the best nights sleep of the whole time I spent in Brighton (phew).

And on Tuesday before I had to go for my train, I got to meet the BEST DOGGO IN BRIGHTON- Rory

Look at that face

Apparently he's still pining for me

And there we are. An amaing weekend. Thank you Brighton. Thank you internet friends. 

Uneventful journey home but here's a big pointy thing I saw from the thameslink train, and selfie taken when changing at Kings Cross

This has taken me ages and I haven't got the energy to proofread so you'll just have to deal with any mistakes