Ring-apalooza!

After a leisurely start to our day, we took the 10:30am train to Brighton. Brighton is on the southern coast of England facing the English Channel. For those that have read Pride and Prejudice, you might remember Lydia went to Brighton. I didn't see her there. :)

We met Liz's cousin Jo and her husband and her two daughters. They are familiar with the area as they live only half an hour from Brighton. There is a pavillion...something significant to a queen or king or something as is all of England. We had a lovely time at the water. Instead of a sandy beach, it is all rocks. Quite beautiful! The kids, including Ben, skipped rocks in the fairly calm waters. The sun was shining, a rare thing here, so it was perfect.




Then came the shopping. I found a Paperchase ( a paper/stationary store that I love...only exists in the UK). Aubrey is now a fan too. I limited my purchases but still had lots of fun. It's like candy for the eyes here. Mom would love it.

This whole trip Liz has been looking for a vintage ring for her sister. The problem is that many vintage rings are sized for smaller fingers whereas Sarai, Liz's sister, doesn't have such dainty fingers. So long story short, Liz, Aubrey, and I all have new rings and Sarai still does not. :) Ben picked out a handsome set of cufflinks also.

Once we shopped all our money away, we headed back to the pier area for a final stroll. We had a final traditional English meal of fish and chips. Delightful. By this time it was dark, cold, and windy. We had an entertaining walk back to the train station. Jo's younger daughter, Isabel, talks nonstop. By nonstop, I mean she might take a 30 second break in between thoughts. She essentially narrates her life. She is 6 years old so there is only so much she can talk about but still she doesn't stop. Funny for a 20 minute walk but glad I don't live with that 24/7.

So now we must pack. It will be difficult as we have accumulated many things. Our flight is around 11:30am. Ben checked and there does not appear to be any delays for us. If anything changes, I'll try to let everyone know. Once I am back home and my brain is functioning, as our return to the states is miserably long, I'll write a final post. Perhaps we can even get Ben to contribute a few thoughts.

Pictures taken today: 199