Last Night in Brighton, July 2024

Tomorrow morning I return to Bristol after a two-day trip to Brighton, my shortest ever. The purpose of this trip was to see my aunt and cousin before leaving for the US. Brighton, it turns out, was where I landed when I first moved to the UK in November 2016. Since the move had come quite soon after my first wobble, my dad had decided that I should acclimatize with my aunt in Brighton before moving on to Bristol. Since then, Brighton has been the place where I come to for some "taking care of"--a break from cooking and cleaning, and a break from Bristol. Initially, I would think that my visits are a burden on my aunt, since we don't have much to talk about. But, the difference between friends and family is that ties ae not dependent on each company finding the other scintiallting company. And, this might seem self-serving, but I do get the impression that she enjoys taking care of people. In the early years, my trips were longer and more frequent. I spent three very pleasant weeks here during my first Christmas in the UK, which helped to put the shock of having been evicted from my rented room within two weeks out of my mind. A big atraction of Brighton is the sea front. As one walks downhill from my aunt's home to the sea front along The Drive, at one point the sea suddenly leaps into view, with its different shades of blue and white stacked on top of one another like a multi-layered cake. And, then one reaches the sea-front, which is as pleasant as a pebbly beach could be. I have used many a walk along the Brighton sea front as a balm for my mind.