Friday, April 08, 2011

Burgess Hill and Beyond

Filey is full of visitors today. How can I tell?
Well here the normally very quiet new Tescos is full , well at least busy, with people buying ready meals and pizzas, Packs of Stella and bottles and bottles of fizzy water and Chardonnay.
On the way to Tescos, municipalia in excelsis
We locals know when the shoppers do not live here, but have caravans  and holiday homes here  because in the winter it is just us. I grew up in a large village, and Filey always feels the same to me. My mother used to say when she sent us to the shops   'Don't tell the village your business!' 
So , walking home from the trip to my local small Tesco store I was so pleased to see the Season is now well and truly STARTED. A sunny, and warm day, (19degrees  in the garden today) and Filey is the ideal seaside town for a  weekend. 
I love seeing people relaxing, walking on the Brigg and beach, having a coffee sitting outside Frothies or the Corner Cafe, and  browsing in our small shops or eating fish and chips from the box in the Crescent Gardens looking out at the sea . I always want the weather to be glorious for all of them, from Rotherham,  and  Hull, and the Yorkshire ex pats from London. A seaside town is a great leveller. 
We too will soon be on our way to Burgess Hill to stay with our daughter , her husband and our 2  grand-daughters. 
Burgess Hill is not a village but a large town, five times larger than Filey. 
It has small shops too, our favourite is the secondhand Bookshop called the 'Bookden' which is run by the Lions. We never have to take a book to Sussex to read. 
WE have a dilemma always about finding a Church. The last 2 we tried seemed very Dull, so this time we are trying one where our grandchildren have some friends. Spouse has been a singer all his life,  and for the first 20yrs of our time together I always had to sit alone in church whilst C was in the choir. St Martins Dorking had a wonderful choir. All the children learned to sing , and worked for their RSCM medals. Here in Filey I don't thank God , have to iron any surplices. So In Burgess Hill we would like some beautiful Music OR a full on Holy Spirit Service. Both together would be fantastic. 
Nymans

The South Downs have just achieved National Park Status. Burgess Hill is just out of the Park, but we see the hills a few miles  from the town, and know some beautiful places and villages around. 
Brighton, London by the sea  is only a OAPs bus ride from BH. I love it. It is my favourite place in the whole country for shopping . 
TAJ, my favourite shop in Brighton


And so I wander around Burgess Hill as the visitors amble around Filey, spending money in interesting shops, devouring the leaflets in Tourist Information outlets, trying cafes and remembering for next time (bacon sandwiches in the Burgess Hill indoor market), enjoying looking at the provisions in Waitrose (and longing for one nearer than Willerby), sitting on town centre benches, and going back to temporary home and wondering what's for dinner, and thanking God I didn't have to get it ready, and daughter has a dishwasher. 

4 comments:

  1. Did you ever think of writing a tour guide Margaret? You make both Yorkshire and Sussex sound so attractive you could do wonders for the tourist trade.
    You've certainly sold both places to me.
    Love the pictures too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ooooh which church are you trying? our church is in Burgess Hill (as I think we've discussed before!). It is CofE but very mod/spirit led. we have a great band too but not sure that's what kind of music you were thinking.. when are you coming down? theres a fab service on Easter Sunday eve for all the local churches too... anyway happy to help & welcome you if you fancy it :)
    redx

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are in Sussex now, and went to the Kings Church in the Martlets Hall with our grandchildren yesterday. This fitted in with the plans for the day . It made a change from our sedate Anglican prayer /hymn sandwich type service. The music was a good band, and the preaching excellent. Next time we are going to try The POINT as our daughter has friends there as well, but they were on holiday yesterday.
    My husband and I like Classical Music, but find that rarely do anthems By Samuel Wesley etc with sung Liturgy go with the sort of Spirituality we like .Its all about personal taste.
    Anyway I learned 2 new Worship Songs which will put me ahead of the game in Filey where they have only just sung 'These are the days of Elijah'. Love to Red and Ray

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am gutted -Taj has GONE from Brighton

    ReplyDelete