My recent visit to the Royal Pavilion gardens reminded me of my previous visit many years ago. On that occasion I had intended to visit the Pavilion but there was a long queue so I opted for a quiet lunch in the gardens. I chose the perfect bench but what followed was anything but quiet and relaxing. On my recent visit I sought out the bench only to find it is no more.
What follows is the tale from my previous visit in 2010:
On the half day that I had free between the two conferences I decided to visit the Royal Pavilion. To save time I asked for directions at the hotel reception and found my way there quite easily although it was further than I thought. The pavilion looked rather packed so I decided just to enjoy the garden which was free. It was lunch time so before looking round the garden I nipped to the nearest baker and bought a blueberry muffin, which looked a lot more appetising than the rather gooey looking sandwiches. I then made my way back to the garden and sat on a bench to eat it The bag the muffin had been in made a bid for freedom and whilst I was trying to rescue it a small piece of blueberry muffin dropped on the floor next to my feet.
A few minutes later I was assailed by a rather large seagull who was weighing up the options of doing a duck and dive at the crumb. I had visions of my feet being skewered by his beak and he refused to be shooed away! Then I saw a squirrel running towards me, but luckily he had something else on his mind and he carried on past me without stopping. Eventually I moved to the other end of the bench so I could finish eating in peace. And yes the seagull did then dive for the crumb.
Just as I was finishing eating a youth with a beer can plonked himself next to me on the bench. Thankfully he was dragged away by his friends who told him ‘don’t annoy the lady’. There was a bit of back chat but he followed them anyway. Just when I thought I was going to get some peace and quiet at long last, I was approached by a Jehovah’s Witness…
Gardens in Brighton are not at all what I am used to!
It was more relaxing along the seafront (despite the traffic) when I took my sunset photos later in the day.
Gosh you certainly had an amazing set of events happen to you on that bench – great idea for a post
Thank you
Time and bench wait for no one.
And I shall name the missing bench, Benji.
But what is the Seaguls name…
His name is Guy Seely, of course.
LOL
LOL! What a day, right? Perhaps the bench was actually bad luck and it’s a good thing “Benji” is gone?
I don’t know which is worse, being accosted by seagulls or Jehovah Witnesses. I think I’d prefer the seagulls lol.
I’m always nice to Jehovah Witnesses, both because they’re always very nice (just approach you at the exact wrong times), plus I realize they believe their good works get them into the new millennial heaven-on-earth, and I want them to get their erm … heaven-on-earth points? lol
Because who says I’M right, maybe they’re right, so I always try to listen with an open mind, but they never convince me. I also ask them questions I know they can’t answer, for my own amusement, or politely debate them until they’re exhausted and say their polite goodbyes. Ain’t I a stinker?
When the Jehovahs Witnesses start talking about the 144000 that will be saved you just know that has to be a faulty premise. Even though it plucks a number from the Bible it doesn’t fit with any Biblical teachings.
The number 144 with or without 000’s added has some interesting results.