The local blackbirds were doing a vocal warm up prior to kicking off the actual Dawn Chorus early on Saturday morning. They hadn’t had their breakfast or cleaned their teeth so they looked surprised to see us stumble out of the house with suitcases and coffees, before piling into the family jalopy and heading south.
We left early to avoid any traffic as we had 360 miles to go before we arrived at Eastbourne, chosen destination for the 2021 family holiday.
Somewhere over the border into Derbyshire, I changed into someone else. I became the sort of person who goes to McDonalds. I know it’s not big or clever, but I always resist putting money in their pockets. But I was hungry and there weren’t any alternatives.
So I ended up eating some kind of meat in a bun, and having a very nice coffee while the boys eagerly debated the merits of lane correction systems on the Toyota Yaris. I’m hoping this holiday will get more exciting as the days go by. If nothing else, it would keep you reading.
Eastbourne is where I was born and as I live so far away now and don’t have many relatives there nowadays, I don’t get back very often. So I’m looking forward to spending a few days there and revisiting my early adult years. It will be interesting to see how many of the pubs that I spent my Saturday nights in during the 1970s are still there. My youth and vitality may have disappeared a while ago but I can still enjoy a pint of Harvey’s when it’s on offer. (Harvey’s of Lewes do a Sussex Bitter, aka Best beer In The World).
I was still dreaming of my first pint of Harvey’s when we got to the M25 car park. But some determined driving from the boys saw us get to Eastbourne after only nine and a half hours, and before we went into our accommodation we had a look around the seafront.
We ended up in a cafe near the Winter Gardens, where I regaled the assembled family members with my story of seeing 10cc there in 1976. To their credit, they didn’t glaze over, and nodded at all the right places. It might be a very long week for them if I point out my early experiences everywhere we go. But I’m going to do it anyway, because I’m evil.
In the evening we went to The Ship and at last, my first pint of Sussex Bitter. It didn’t disappoint. So it may not be my last this week, and it’s only Day one…
Steve's Journal 