We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.

Michelham Priory House and Gardens in Upper Dicker East Sussex is situatated on a picturesque  moated island.

Founded by Augustinian canons in 1229, the site is steeped in history. During Tudor times the site suffered destruction caused by the dissolution of the monasteries, and in World War Two it was home to evacuees and the Canadian Army.

There are fascinating displays of furniture and artefacts, set in rooms reflecting different periods of Michelham’s rich history. These include an historic kitchen and the World War Two evacuees’ bedroom. Children will enjoy the hands-on activities and outfits to try on.

Outdoors there are seven acres of beautiful grounds and buildings to explore including: a great barn; medieval gatehouse; and the kitchen, physic and medieval herb gardens.

From Wiki:

Lewes Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. Originally called Bray Castle, it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cliffe. It stands on a man-made mount just to the north of the high street in Lewes, and is constructed from local limestone and flint blocks.

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.

Following our walk from Brighton pier to Marine Parade we planned to return to the pier on the Volks Electric Railway, however accessing the station proved problematic. All walkways to the station platform were blocked off due to regeneration of the area. Rather than walk a very long way round we decided to follow the example of a local jogger and scramble down a grassy bank.

From Wiki:

Volk’s Electric Railway (VER) is a narrow gauge heritage railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton. It was built by Magnus Volk, the first section being completed in August 1883, and is the oldest operational electric railway in the world, though it was not the first electric railway to be built. It was preceded by electrification of Miller’s line in 1875, Werner von Siemens‘ 1879 demonstration line in Berlin and by the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway of 1881, although none of these remain in operation.

Today the line runs between terminal stations at Aquarium (a short distance from the Palace Pier) and Black Rock (at Black Rock, not far from Brighton Marina), with an intermediate station and depot at Halfway.

The line has a 2 ft 8+1⁄2 in (825 mm) narrow gauge, is electrified at 110 V DC using a third rail, and is one mile (1.6 km) long.

St John the Baptist’s Church was the first Catholic Church in Brighton. The building of the church was funded by Maria Fitzherbert a wealthy widow from Shropshire who became the secret first wife of George, Prince of Wales who later became King George IV. The marriage was kept secret because at that time it was illegal for a Royal heir to marry a Catholic

Henry Van Dyke