Ballin' in Bognor

Yesterday I made plans to meet up with my friend at Clapham Junction station. It should have been easy - get a ticket, ride a few stops, get off, meet friend. When I got to the station near where I'm staying in Mostpur Park, I learned that the southwest trains were all backed up due to a trespasser on the lines. Though the trespasser was taken care of, all the lines in and out of Waterloo station were crazy off schedule. One of the things I love about British transport is that they are always telling riders the status of things and apologizing "Very sorry, there was a trespasser on the lines earlier, and though it was dealt with, it has caused some congestion on the tracks, so we will be on our way shortly." Always so polite.

Well, once I got to Clapham Junction, I wasn't sure if my friend had arrived earlier than me, or if she was delayed as well, or where she had been delayed at that. I hadn't yet gotten a burner phone, so we weren't able to contact one another either. I also went out the wrong exit, so I walked around the block to the more active exit, but when I didn't see her, I just assumed she was late and popped into Sainsbury's to grab a bite to eat. The pizza onion rolls are heavenly. I hung around the exit stalls for a bit and was happy to see she was late as well, and managed to meet up with her smoothly from there. She took me to this bar, "The Sugar Cane" which is Caribbean themed, to join her for drinks at a going away party for one of her church friends. That was pretty fun. 

After, she and I went back to Motspur Park, grabbed some fish'n'chips and caught a ride down to Bognor Regis with her boyfriend (who is super nice).

Today was spent in Bognor, which is just lovely. Woke up and watched the last half of a Tinker Bell movie and then Frozen, with the Boyfriend's niece (such a cutie), and ate a delicious breakfast of crescents with jam, strawberry yogurt with granola and fruit, and orange juice. After that we headed to the beach. Personally, when I think of beaches, I think of sandy shores, dunes, and fresh water. I know that the English Channel is salt water, but somehow it still surprised me a little when I licked my lips and tasted the brine coating them. Though the Channel was not as cold as Lake Superior, it definitely felt like Lake Michigan before it really warms up. Still, after the initial chill, the water was absolutely gorgeous, and we swam around for awhile. The beach was composed of rocks and seashells. I found several cuttlefish bones, which was pretty nifty. I really like cuttlefish. I think they are awesome creatures. They taste terrible, though. 

After swimming, we took showers, had a light lunch, and headed into town. Bognor Regis is adorable. It's got a very pedestrian friendly center, lots of shops - charity shops, kitschy shops, clothing stuff, sweets, you name it - and feels kind of like an old school beach side faire. We wandered around, grabbed some ice cream (I had honey ginger because it sounded interesting, and it was amazing), and then my friend and I got mani-pedis. It'd been so long since I'd had either, and it just felt so nice to be pampered like that.  Now I've got classy looking nails:

For dinner we headed to this family owned Thai place, "Tuptim Siam" which was just brilliant. I love Thai food. I love food. And this was delicious food.

Tomorrow it's back to Motspur Park to finish my web 2.0 project, but I do believe we're taking a morning walk down to the Channel one last time. I'll be sure to remember my camera this time!

JOKE OF THE DAY:

How do pirates know that they are pirates?

They think, therefore they ARRRR!