Friday 29th March 2024

Got up and cooked a big brunch, in a bid to empty the fridge. Caught a bus to Finsbury Park, then took the tube to Charing Cross. Not too busy. Got there a bit early, and hung around on the station concourse...bought some Easter eggs for Tony from Hotel Chocolat. Katrina turned up at around 1100. We bagged a seat on the concourse, then I popped over The Strand to buy coffees for us all. Caught the 1138 train to Hastings. Takes an hour-and-a-half, but it was a pleasant enough journey...chatted and caught up with Katrina. Shared out the last of the chocolate Guinness cake at the shared table. Got into Hastings a little after 1300. Walked to the sea front, and ambled along the Esplanade looking for somewhere to lunch. Ended up on The Stade, and wandered into The Jerwood, paying to see the exhibition, which was intriguing. 

Broke for lunch in the cafe...really good...had beetroot cured salmon with cream cheese on a bagel, and a very fresh and wholesome side salad. Sat out on the balcony for a bit afterward, being dive-bombed by herring gulls, then went downstairs to look at the Quentin Blake stuff...not very inspiring...a hundred ballpoint sketches of heads which were on sale at rather steep prices, intended to raise funds for the Jerwood. There was a corner of the gallery room given over to drawing materials, and a couple of kids having a go at drawing a portrait, so Aki did one of me, and we hung it on the wall. 

Tony phoned and got me to nip over the road to pick up a kilo of mussels he'd ordered from Sonny Elliott's fish counter, then we walked down George Street and took the funicular up to the top of the West Hill, and from thence to Tony's at No.12A St Mary's Terrace. Piper, his labrador, greeted us with the usual growling and barking, until she'd gotten used to our sudden presence. Tony had cooked a fish pie for dinner, with mussels in a creamy garlic sauce for starters...very tasty. There was chocolate brownie with ice cream and a raspberry coulis for afters. Repaired to the living-room upstairs for a catch up before bed...