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I had the opportunity to get to Brighton for free on day 18 of 30 Days Wild – and I never turn down an opportunity for a free Brighton trip if I can possibly avoid it. I lived there for a decade and still pine for its wonderful mix of art, environmentalism, people being themselves, people hiding themselves with glitter and feeling all the better for it, and its general air of, ‘anything could happen’.
Better yet, I’d arranged to meet up with one of my Forest of Thoughts collaborators, to talk nature, art and utopia.
As with so many creative types, she works all hours so I had her flat to myself for the afternoon. As I was tired and had work to do, I decided my ‘wilding’ would be tending her plants (she’s green-fingered but has been working too hard to keep the ever-spawning spider plants under control).
Making Plants Happy
Fast forward a few hours and I’d moved plants into the places they’d be happiest (I used to live with her and know the boundaries it’s OK to step over). They were watered and happy-green looking.
On her return, she produced a box with a flourish. “Look what I’ve found.”
It contained the peg dolls that were made at Latitude Festival by festival-goers visiting our crafting installation, Garden of Desires.
Obviously, these will now become fairies in the Garden of Love – and who knows, maybe they’ll get to see their creators again.
Day 17: 30 Days Wild
Day 17 was the day I had been looking forward to – a wild date with my partner (and where could be wilder than Brighton?) However, I was opting for a natural date rather than an excuse to take advantage of Brighton’s more open-minded establishments.
We started by walking through Pavilion Gardens, one of my favourite bits of Brighton. I watched the seagulls – Brighton’s mascot – and then continued my journey to the beach. My plan was to buy my partner lunch at the fish shack on the beach but that was dashed when it was closed.
However, we did get to do some nature watching along the way, and were rewarded with the discovery of mushrooms growing along the board-walk, along with a tenacious dandelion.
By now, the weather was getting more boisterous. The rain decided it was time to move onto ‘constant’ mode and I felt as if I was being showered by nature, clothes clinging to me and hair wrapped in tendrils around my face. When I saw a cafe, I grabbed my partner’s hand and asked if he was happy to take a gamble.
Feeling Lucky
At the time, I didn’t notice the sign, ‘Lucky Brighton’, but it certainly lived up to its name. As soon as we walked in, I noticed the upcycled furniture – no rarity in Brighton – but it lacked the upcycled price tags that often accompany hipster style.
The menu explained the ethos of Lucky Brighton, which is basically, “All the green things at an affordable price.” This made me happy.
I opted for a crab and avocado bruscetta, and was overwhelmed by how beautifully presented it was, particularly when teamed with a passion fruit drink so delicious but light that I couldn’t help telling my partner, “This is what fairies drink. Taste it.”
He didn’t disagree with my assessment.
Save the Mermaids
After lunch, we ambled back along the beach, where I found him a pebble memento, then went for a coffee at the best coffee shop in Brighton, Marwoods.
It’s not just the coffee that appeals: Marwoods’ décor has to be seen to be believed, and is a constantly evolving upcycled artwork.
It also had a sign up for March of the Mermaids – a fantastic fundraiser arranged by a friend of mine, to help keep the seas clean and raise money for nature charities. The fourth annual March of the Mermaids will take place on Saturday 23 July 2016, joining forces with WhaleFest,to raise funds and support for the World Cetacean Alliance
If you want to protect the whale while dressed as a mermaid, make sure you go to March of the Mermaids: it’s quite a spectacular to behold.
My wild date left me feeling happy, connected to my partner and more than a little loved up (on no more than coffee and fairy-juice). He had other people to see while we were down south so we parted ways and I had the afternoon to myself, to work in my friend’s flat – and hang out with one of my favourite cats, Mr Snooks (with his wonderful heart-shaped nose, to match his lovely temperament).
Moonlight on Brighton Beach
That evening, my friend arrived home late and told me she wanted us to go to the beach and watch the sea and stars, because there were interesting planetary things going on. We’d had so little quality time, and the idea was so enchanting that I had to say yes.
The experience was too blissful to capture in words, but these pictures gives a taster…
Day 18: 30 Days Wild
I returned home on day 18, and was pleased to see my plants again. I also did some more crafting for Latitude Festival. The garden-themed installation is growing at speed, just as I had hoped it would.
I was even more pleased to meet up with the lovely Rose from The Crop Club, to talk about working together in the future. She has created wonderful sustainable growing kits to get kids (and adults) into gardening and there’s a lot we’ll be doing in the future. However, this post is quite long enough already, so I’ll save the details for a future post…
30 Days Wild: The Story So Far…
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Find a bird family.
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Collect feathers.
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Explore urban wildlife.
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Do some nature themed crafting.
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Introduce a friend to #30DaysWild.
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Go on a nature walk.
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Take a closer look at the garden.
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Learn more about a plant.
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Turn the office green.
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Feed the ducks.
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Make a natural collage.
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Craft a flower.
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Make micro-gardens.
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Find out about nature volunteering.
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Visit an open garden.
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Get involved with a community garden project.
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Admire nature-inspired art.
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Write a poem.
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Get grounded.
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Encourage a friend to do gardening.
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Create (OK, find) flower peg dolls.
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Tend plants.
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Eat foraged food.
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Take a closer look at the beach.
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Stargaze.
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Admire the moon.
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Promote a marine life charity.
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Bring the outdoors indoors.
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Talk about growth.
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