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...