The England Trip - Brighton

[przed]

I know it's weeks late, but I thought I'd put up a few pics from our trip to London. And I figured I'd start with our day trip to Brighton, because it was ridiculous and fun.

I'd never been to Brighton before, but one of Ros' best friends went last year, so she wanted to give it a go. The day we picked to go was a brilliantly sunny day. Brighton itself is sort of charmingly tatty, with everything sort of fraying around the edges, like the decaying pier you can see in the background of this pic.


We couldn't resist this ridiculous photo op. Ros took the picture.


All Ros really wanted to do was ride the Dodge 'ems on the pier all afternoon, and that's pretty much what she did. She was just a bit too small to have a car by herself, so she had to go with either the Sweetie or me.


The other thing she ended up doing a lot was this trampoline activity. Clearly, she is made of rubber.


Ros, the kid who won't try any new food, is always on the lookout for new and unusual candy to try. Flying Saucers aren't something we'd ever seen here, so she couldn't resist. It turned out, though, that I was the only one who liked them. (For those of you who've never tried these things, they're really bland wafers--"communion wafer bland," according to the Sweetie--surrounding a sour/sweet powder that all melts together in your mouth.)


We also popped into a little beachside shop in search of Brighton rock. (True story: the Sweetie thought Brighton rock was... a real rock. I will never let him live that down.) Whilst Ros decided what flavour of rock she wanted, I was desperately hoping she didn't notice the penis shaped lollipops on the shelf above. Brighton's rep as a gay party town is not exaggerated.

Whilst we were taking a little break sitting on the pier, this scene was right in front of us, and it seemed so quintessentially English seaside that I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Comments

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Flying saucers! The powder in the middle is sherbet. You can also get sherbet dip dabs where the powder comes in a cardboard cylinder looking for all the world like a miniature firework, with a licorice stick to dip in and bring out coated with powder (once you've licked it to make it sticky...).

My daughter went to University of Sussex which is one of Brighton's two universities, so we know the town quite well.

My grandson adores trampolining which is great because it's meant to be a really good activity for autistic kids - something about biofeedback produced by the bouncing. We can all enjoy it but it helps them develop a sense of their own bodies.

I'm glad you had such a good time - Brighton is a typical Brit seaside resort and is much loved!! (Note glancing references in my Big Bang fic, South Coast.)

[przed.livejournal.com]

I shall keep my eye out for dip dabs when I'm back over. Sounds like it might be more up Ros' alley. She kept breaking open the saucers and eating the powder by itself.

Ros totally loved the trampolining, though since she has absolutely zero body fat she ended up with some truly alarming bruises that night. She swore they didn't hurt, though. Groovy that your grandson adores it. I only tried it once in Brighton. I found it made me just a bit queasy.

Shall have to revisit South Coast for the Brighton location!

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Well, Brighton is just a passing reference - the railway station and someone's night out. The main action is Eastbourne!

I'm sure Ros would like the dip dabs. Some brands call them sherbet fountains and you can eat the stuff with a spoon if you're that way inclined...

Jamie is also thin as a whippet and gets bruises and doesn't care. We're glad he loves the trampoline. We bought him one for his birthday because they are meant to be extra good for autistic kids - calming and something to do with perception of self/body image, as well as fun and good exercise.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm sure she'd like the dip dabs. We've got something similar called Lik-a-stix, which was always a favourite of mine when I was a kid.

I'm sure Ros would love a trampoline of her own, but our yard is so tiny we'd have nowhere to put it.

[norfolkdumpling.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous pictures! I love Brighton (and flying saucers *g*). That last picture of the deck chairs is really fab.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I'd have chosen Brighton without an eight-year-old to drag me there, but it ended up being a lot of fun. And I really did like the flying saucers!

I couldn't believe when we settled in to have some crepes and I saw those deck chairs in front of me. I couldn't get out my camera fast enough. *g*

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

Beautiful weather and the English seaside - what more could anyone want? *g* I'm glad you all got to try the seaside attractions and our weird sweets - flying saucers are, in the opinion of five year old me, a mean trick. I did like dib dabs though (as described above) and I loved candy cigarettes, which are understandably banned now but were a rather nice fondant sweet! And the rock (yeah, not actual rock... that's hilarious *g*)

[przed.livejournal.com]

We really did get a perfect day for visiting Brighton. I think Ros shares the opinion of five year old you with regards to flying saucers.

We still have candy cigarettes here, but they've been rebranded as candy sticks.

I definitely had a giggle at the Sweetie's expense about the rock thing. *g*

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

Do you have cinder toffee (which is where, IIRC, they add baking soda to boiling sugar to make a sort of hard sponge consistency)? That's one of my favourites.

Ooh, and Kendall Mint Cake. Solid very strong peppermint sugar, used at one point by mountain climbers as a glucose supplement.

[przed.livejournal.com]

The interwebz tell me that cinder toffee is what we call sponge toffee. I love that stuff! One of my faves as well.

Kendall Mint Cake looks like our peppermint patties. Used to love those, too, but the no chocolate thing has scuppered me having them.

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

There are several 'working' Victorian town museums in the UK, and most of them make cinder toffee with huge uproar of excited children in their sweetshops - that's the most fun way to get it *g*

As for Kendal Mint Cake - no! not with chocolate! that is sacrilege! I googled and the wikipedia illustration is basically lying. Or at least, that's a sub-type you don't usually get. The stuff you see around usually is a bar that looks rather like a slab of marble, white sugar mint goodness *g*

[przed.livejournal.com]

The working town museums sound fun. Something to plan for the next time. (Ros had a great time, so there will definitely be a next time. Yay!)

Ooooh, if there's no chocolate, I may keep my eyes peeled for that next time. I do rather miss peppermint patties.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I can't think of any other place quite like Brighton in the UK, a 'real blast' as a friend of mine once described it. So pleased you could have a taste of it and thanks for the pictures.

[przed.livejournal.com]

We've got a few beach-side towns here, but they're nothing like Brighton. It was definitely a fun outing.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Deck chairs on the pier is something that is inextricably bound up with England in my mind. And I love Flying Saucers - they used to be widely available here when I was growing up, but now I have to go to a British sweet shop to find them.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Those deck chairs do positively scream England, don't they?

I'm with you on liking the Flying Saucers, but I'm alone in my family on that one. More for me!

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Ooh, photos! Thank you for those and for the descriptions! I've never been to Brighton, but I can just see and feel how it is. Perfect weather for it, too. (Although I've learnt from EOS that if I go to any beach place, a 99 is required. *g*) That is a fantastic photo of Ros on the trampoline. Wow.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Brighton is probably best for kids who want to do the pier and twentysomethings who want to drink copious amounts of alcohol and go to beach discos, but it was fun to take in the atmosphere. And Ros definitely loved that trampoline.

We didn't get a 99, but we did get banana crepes, which is possibly even more awesome.

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

London kid here so Brighton was a frequent day trip in the summers of my childhood. :D

When you went looking for the Brighton rock did you also run across the sweets made to look like the pebbles on Brighton beach?

Flying saucers were one of my favourites when I was a kid, along with the Sherbet Dab.

[dawnebeth.livejournal.com]

I've seen those pebbles in other sweet shops, even in the US. I never ate any--I know they're not really rocks, but they look like they are...

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

My London granddad insisted they were first invented in Brighton in Victorian times to look like the beach there (you can see the pebble beach clearly in Zed's first picture) but I've never bothered to verify it.

[przed.livejournal.com]

That sounds plausible. That pebble beach is certainly striking.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I can see it being a brilliant day trip when you're a kid. We've got a little amusement park on Toronto Island in our harbour, and it's a big fave with Ros. She loved Brighton, too.

Ooh, didn't see the pebble sweets.

I quite liked the flying saucers. Ros was less impressed. :-/

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

It was a glorious escape from the Smoke if only for a few hours.

Flying saucers were penny sweets so very popular with kids who wanted a large volume of sweets for their pocket money. See also fruit salad, gold rush, Black Jacks, sherbet dab...

[dawnebeth.livejournal.com]

Wonderful photos! Especially the sunchairs on the deck and the Elvis marriage piccie.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm a bit proud of the deck chairs pic. *g*

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

We have something similar to Flying Saucers here. Satellite wafers, but they have little beads in them like Nerds only smaller. And you're right they taste like communion wafers. I loved them as a kid but I haven't had one in a long time!

[przed.livejournal.com]

We have nothing like them here, so it was a total novelty for us.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

You can buy a huge box on Amazon. :)

[przed.livejournal.com]

Since I was the only one who liked them, and I don't do much candy, I suspect that would be overkill. But it's nice to know the option's there if I ever feel the need. *g*

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Great pics! I love the one of Ros on the trampoline!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I didn't realize quite how flexible Ros was looking on the trampoline until I downloaded that pic. Yikes!

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

Ha! There's a coincidence, I'm in Brighton at this very moment and have been for the past ten days or so! We've been spending some time down here getting a feel of the place in preparation to maybe renting an apartment here for a few months next year.

The verdict is that we absolutely love it. If we can find somewhere decent to rent I shall be a temporary resident this time next year! *g*

[przed.livejournal.com]

That sounds brilliant! I can definitely see how it would be a lovely place to spend a bit of time.

[soundofthesurf.livejournal.com]

Awww, georgeous!! And the pics aren't too bad either! *G* Seriously, those are awesome pictures, just wonderful! ♡♥♡

[przed.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks! I was definitely pleased with the deck chairs pic. And the ones of Ros, of course. *g*

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

Lovely pics and I am so glad you had a good time. As I said all the pics are great but the in action trampoline one is especially fab.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I find the action trampoline one just a bit frightening. I knew Ros was stupid flexible, but not *that* flexible.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Looks like you all had a great time!

To be perfectly honest, I've never been to Brighton but I grew up in a seaside tourist trap and have visited quite a few more, so many of the experiences are very much universal for the UK.

Did the rock shop still have those ones made to look like a plate of breakfast (eggs & bacon etc.)? I think we were probably about 20 years too early for anything pornographic.

As for the deckchairs, hours of entertainment watching tourists with those. As for other entertainment, no Punch & Judy? Ah, I see from the website (http://www.punch-and-judy.com/) they only do Sundays during school term time.

[przed.livejournal.com]

We had a fantastic time. I'm sad we only got to spend a week in England. The original plan was to do two weeks and spend more time on the south coast, but Take That would schedule their tour during the school year and we didn't want to pull Ros for two weeks. (Given that their last show was on the last day of school, I suspect the tour schedule was built around them spending the summer with their own kids.)

Didn't see the bacon & eggs candies.

Since we were there on a Monday and during the school term, they didn't have every attraction going on the pier. Fortunately, it was mostly the big scary rides that Ros wouldn't go on anyway that were closed.

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

Love the pics - especially your super flexible girl (wow!) and the deckchairs. My grandmother lived in Brighton for a few years - although she was right at the west end and always insisted she lived in Hove, which in her mind was much posher :) I remember it mostly as not sunny - sitting in the car looking at the beach and gray, wind-tossed sea, eating sandwiches and drinking tea out of a vacuum flask :D

[przed.livejournal.com]

I can see it being a nifty place to have a grandparent, whether in the posh part or not. *g*

Looking at a gray, wind-tossed sea sounds kinda fun, in an atmospheric sort of way. (I grew up spending a lot of time on the shored of a gray, wind-tossed Georgian Bay, so I'm a bit nutty that way. *g*)