Bye bye Brighton

We exchanged contracts on our flat and new house in the middle of last week. I'm still not massively comfortable about sharing too much about the move; I won't truly believe it has happened until I have a new set of keys in my hand. Nevertheless, we are having to be practical: clearing out the loft, arranging new utilities, booking removals and saying goodbyes.

I'm massively excited about the move as I really think it will change our lives for the better - more on how, when (if?) it actually happens. However, it is with a heavy heart that I will be bidding farewell to my beloved Brighton (albeit to move somewhere literally a thirty minute drive away).

I first moved to Brighton as a very unworldly eighteen year old to study at Sussex University. I turn thirty five in May, so Brighton is the place I have lived the longest in my life and definitely somewhere I see as my home.

Today, despite the Arctic temperatures, we went for a stroll. The husband was under strict instructions to capture our town on film. It's testament to the freezing conditions, that we didn't get anywhere near the beach and the sea, so they aren't documented in the nostalgia-fest above. Instead, we cut our tour short in favour of a warming drink in a large and very 'un-Brighton' chain bar/restaurant.

To accompany the photos, I thought I'd write a list of things that I will miss about 'Sussex-by-the-Sea', and those things I'll be more than glad to leave behind...

I'll miss:

- Brighton's unique spirit, youthful vibe, bohemian atmosphere and sense of fun. In this town: anything goes!

- Being by the sea. Even though we don't go down to the beach that often at all really, it's nice just having it there; there's a real sense of freedom.

- There is always something to do in Brighton and it's very family friendly.

- Brighton friends, because it's never just a place you leave behind when you move.

- My own personal history here: I've laughed, loved, played, cried, learnt and lived here. And of course, I met my husband and gave birth to my boy here.



Before I short-circuit the computer keyboard with my tears, a reminder to myself of what I won't miss:

- Not being able to park a car anywhere, least of all, outside my own home.

- The constant noise: sirens, seagulls, revellers: there's always someone shouting in this town.

- Shoddy service. Brighton has  got a lot better on this front in the time I've lived here, but still, in a town where slackers reign supreme, the customer isn't always right/served/noticed/spoken to.

- The scuzziness. I am aware I am sounding increasingly like a middle-aged snob, but come on, there's bits of this town that could do with a good old clean.

- The beach in summer. Millions of people packing out the pebbles on the only scorching day we ever have in August, usually makes it in photographic form to the front of The Guardian. It may look jolly, but it's generally hideous and stinky!

Perhaps my lists say more about me changing as I get older. It's true indeed that I was a very different person when I arrived in Brighton back in 1996. Brighton itself isn't going to change - and I don't want it to - but at this moment in time, change is what my little family and I need. Besides, I'll always have my memories...

Ten reasons why I love Pinterest

1. I'm a total addict when it comes to interiors: most of my pins feature rooms I like.

2. I'm a very visual person; the aesthetic is important to me - there are gazillions of pictures on there.

3. I used to spend a fortune on glossy fashion and interiors magazines to only really look at the pictures. Pinterest equals no need for actual paper.

4. It's quite a 'happy' place - the lighter side of social networking. Fellow 'pinners' are similarly dreamy and aspirational: there's a lack of cynicism and seriousness. 

5. Once you get the hang of it, it's really uncomplicated and quite low-tech.

6. There are seemingly no limitations to what goes up on there. I have no desire to research a potentially darker side to this, but I do appreciate the pictures of animals in clothes and toddlers dressed as old ladies.

7. As I've mentioned before, I was a Blue Peter kind of girl when I was growing up; it's a scrapbook for grown-ups!

8. Like Twitter, Pinterest changes constantly, particularly if you follow lots of boards, so it's perfect for those with the attention span of a gnat - err, that will be me then.

9. There are loads of professional design people on there, so if you follow their boards, you can 'borrow' lots of their ideas. Paying for their design service and experience would actually cost heaps.

10. An evening spent pinning is as relaxing as reading a good book/watching a great film. In this crazy world we live in, relaxation is key.

To see what I'm wittering about, follow me on Pinterest.

Liebster Award

 

My blog addiction means I make regular use of the 'Bloglovin' app on my phone. It enables you to follow blogs and get automatic updates of new posts.

 

The last week of term has been characteristically bonkers. Combine that with an imminent house move, and my self-indulgent blog-reading (and writing) habit has been in a state of neglect recently.

 

However, I was thrilled to be notified of a new post by Alexis at 'Something I Made': thrilled because I like her blog, and even more thrilled because she's bestowed upon me a 'Liebster Award'.

 

I've seen a few of these on the many blogs I follow, and from what I understand, it's a sort of virtual (and non-weirdy) chain letter whereby bloggers get asked a series of questions and have to pass their own set of questions on to some other fellow bloggers. Usually, I delete those annoying chain emails/text messages and am always particularly bothered by those with a vaguely threatening tone. This is different though, and it made my day to be invited in further to the blogging community by someone whose blog I love reading - check it out; she's a talented lady!

 

So, here goes...

 

1. Which is your favourite post on your own blog?

 

This is a tricky one as 'Five on the Door' is certainly work in progress and I'm barely managing to stick to my minimum of five posts per month. I guess I like my 'Mulling over mothering' post as it was a heartfelt post that I needed to write at that particular time. My favourite post from my first blog 'Brighton Ramblings', has to be 'A Letter to Dexter'; it received a lot of love and really summed up my reasons for starting blogging. It also marked the successful completion of my 366 blog posts in one year challenge.

 

2. Do your 'real' friends know about/care about/read your blog?

 

Yes! I always post links on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and usually receive some sort of feedback from friends. Some of my colleagues comment on posts they've read and my parents and in-laws particularly like posts about Dexter.

 

3. Is there anything you regret NOT doing in your life (so far)?

 

Nope, I'm a looking forward kinda' girl. Life's too short to dwell on the what might have beens... Okay, if I had to pick something, I sort of wish I'd got in the birthing pool when it was offered to me during labour. I would have loved for Dexter to have been born in the water, but I was pretty insistent at the time that I was going to stay put on all fours on the bed. Perhaps that's something I'll be able to rectify one day...

 

4. Camping or boutique hotel?

 

Easy: the latter EVERY TIME! I hate camping; I love luxury. We honeymooned at Babington House (arguably, the original boutique hotel) in one of their walled garden rooms: I was in heaven.

 

5. Best way to get from A to B?

 

Horse, hands (hooves) down!

 

6. It's 8pm on a Friday night: what are you doing (in your ideal world)?

 

Tricky. On a summer's evening, riding through the countryside. In less clement weather, I'm in a robe at Brighton's Treatment Rooms experiencing some luxury spa treatments.

 

What I'm actually doing is inevitably falling asleep in a pool of my own drool on the sofa after half a glass of wine and an episode of Corrie. I can but dream...

 

7. Done any good projects recently?

 

Err, as much as I would love to give the Allsop a run for her money on the whole crafty front, I have no time and no skills. The closest I've come is filling my Pinterest boards with stuff I like, particularly with ideas for our new house.

 

8. Best thing to do within a few minutes of your home?

 

There are a couple of really nice parks, some great pubs and a train station to get you to the centre of Brighton in seconds!

 

9. If you could learn a new skill, what would you choose?

 

I would really love to be able to play the piano.

 

10. ...and your superpower, if you had one?

 

To be able to condense a huge number of hours of sleep into about three.

 

11. Finally, why did you decide to start a blog?

 

I like to write and I like to share!

 

 

 

Now I get to come up with my own questions!

 

And I'm asking them to:

 

Just Pirouette and Carry On

 

Ar-Blog

 

Chloe Witters

 

Little E and Bean

 

 

1. What would your dream gig be?

 

2. Who is your favourite literary character and why?

 

3. What has been the best year of your life so far?

 

4. Who is your secret crush?

 

5. Guilty pleasure?

 

6. Tastiest snack?

 

7. Who would play you in the film of your life?

 

8.Which one of your senses could you least live without?

 

9. Favourite cocktail?

 

10. Who would be your dream prime minister?

 

11. Finally, if you were a vegetable, what would you be?

 

 

 

 

Boys on film

I've been a bit slack on the old blogging front of late. Work, trying to move house and the fact that human beings need to, you know, sleep occasionally in order to function, have all just got in the way.

Despite my best intentions that this blog would not just document Dexter's life (oh how I long to be a 'lifestyle' blogger), I'm also a little low on inspiration.

I've been contemplating incorporating some video into a post for a while, but I'm trying to keep it simple. Smart phones make the possibility of capturing anything on film pretty straightforward. The husband has always been good at filming Dexter since he was a tiny baby: me, less so.

I thought I'd share some recent attempts. They are of pretty poor quality and not particularly interesting, but I have a quiet chuckle to myself that in the clip above, Dexter has clearly inherited his mother's snoring habit. and that he seems to resemble the lovechild of a camel (check out those eyelashes) and Elmer Fudd (check out those cheeks).

Below demonstrates his sheer, unadulterated toddler delight at a (rapidly deflating) helium balloon.

So there you have it. Not sure it will have Sofia Coppola quaking in her Louboutins...

Mulling over mothering

'Mothers have the ability to liberate by love or, by neglect, to imprison. They're our first teachers; they are our first loves.'

Maya Angelou

I'm currently teaching a collection of Dr Angelou's poetry to my A Level class. As today sees the annual celebration of motherhood in the form of Mother's Day, I knew she'd have the right words to best express how I feel about this motherin' malarkey.

I phoned my mum this morning to wish her a good day; my 9am phone call woke her. Dexter awoke this morning at an uncharacteristic 6am and spent the next hour and a half in his parents' bed, repeatedly kicking me in the head: a powerful metaphor for parenting perhaps?

Regardless, my identity as a mother is an important part of my identity as a woman. However, I do not believe that you are only a 'complete' woman if you're a mother: not at all. Caitlin Moran (goddess that she is), gets it spot-on in her brilliant How to Be a Woman when she says:

'If you want to know what's in motherhood for you, as a woman, then - in truth - it's nothing you couldn't get from, say, reading the 100 greatest books in human history; learning a foreign language well enough to argue in it; climbing hills; loving recklessly; sitting quietly, alone, in the dawn; drinking whisky with revolutionaries; learning to do close-hand magic; swimming in a river in winter; growing foxgloves, peas and roses; calling your mum; singing while you walk; being polite; and always, always helping strangers. No one has ever claimed for a moment that childless men have missed out on a vital aspect of their existence, and were the poorer, and crippled by it.'

She's also on the money in my opinion, when she suggests that:

 '...there is the sheer emotional, intellectual, physical, chemical pleasure of your children. The honest truth is that the world holds no greater gratification than lying in bed with your children, putting your leg on top of them in a semi-crushing manner, while saying sternly, "You are a poo."'

It was International Women's Day on Friday: a celebration of gender and a reminder that our 'sisters' all over the world are still subject to subjugation, oppression and inequality. Sexism in any guise leaves me feeling saddened that some people forget they were (to quote the Bard himself), 'born of woman'  and that prejudice along gender lines is still very much a part of the every-day.

My mum's amazing. She's funny, strong, warm, opinionated and a total constant in my life. My mother-in-law is a gem too. As a mother, I feel totally inadequate in their shadow, but I'm doing my best. Dexter loves his Daddy all the way to the moon and back, and I know he loves me too, but, as is so often a mother's want, I'm good cop and bad cop all rolled into one. It made my Mother's Day today that during a lazy, pyjama-wearing morning, he climbed onto the sofa with his Mummy, simply for a snuggle. And my motherin' will definitely be a success if he grows into a man who just treats all people with courtesy, decency and kindness - as human.