I came down to Sealanes, just below Lou’s flat. My last evening in Brighton this time and the cat was asleep. It’s absolutely terrible here but there are seats and they cooked me a sausage. Right now we are being subjected to No One (Will Love You Like I Do) by Flakes and yes it really is as bad as it sounds. It’s a constant diet of this stuff that I think you can describe as Atlantic Funk?
Here by the pebbly beach they have Volks Electric Railway carrying baffled citizens through the sun. They have this brand new outdoor freshwater pool competing with the sea. And they have this complex of custom built woodenish huts.
You find a seat and nobody talks to you. As soon as a glass is emptied or a plate is cleaned someone takes it away. But you mostly are expected to order everything by QR Code. This is one of the downsides of that lovely summer two years ago when we were all supposed to be terrified of each other. Now everyone is meant to be able to order and pay for things without human contact, and enough people worked out how to do it that this place runs pretty well. There IS still a window where you can go and ask nicely for the sausage please. But they don’t want you to do it that way. It’ll go eventually. If they could bus glasses with robots they would. Maybe it’s just a matter of time.
So why am I here? Bad music, digital ordering…? I’m here because my body got tired of lying on the stones and I wanted some of that tasty merguez. I’m here because, to put it in Lou’s words, ‘you love the people”. I’m here because the sunset looks gorgeous from here. I’m here because how many more days do we have like this before February? I’m here because it is funny waving like a child at all the people coming by on the electric railway and getting them to wave back.
I’m here because I might have a beer later and I am not gonna have more than one. We don’t need a repeat of yesterday evening.
Meanwhile van hire madness in London. I have to be in town tomorrow I don’t have to be in town tomorrow everyone needs to give me driving licence nobody needs to give me aaargh. I like being immediate and responsive as it is my happy place and where I am best located, but if everyone is like that then things only get done last minute if at all.
I’m about to start another little run of work. I’ll look back on this version of myself waving at the railway people and I’ll miss him.
Now shall I have a beer or a coke with this sausage?
AlBarclay 