Dan Mills

A couple of weeks ago I went to Eastbourne. It is on the other side of the water from where I live and there is a tiny ferry boat that goes courageously from one side to the other. So out of curiosity I took the car (I could not find the ferry time table and had only one day left of my weekend) and drove all the way round the water front. It was a lovely drive, once off the motor way it was like driving in the country side, actually it brought back some memories from a road trip along the Mediterranean to Nice, not quite the same but something was familiar. Anyway, once I reached Eastbourne I parked my car and walked around, through the main street (which was perhaps 100 meters long), onto the pier (looking towards my house which was just a dot in now where) and along the beach which was deserted. By the way, the main street had perhaps a handful of occupants, just to give you a sense on how metropolitan this community is. When I got off the beach I found myself on a walk way along some lovely houses which led me to a little sports ground and a community centre. And there I found this large but beautiful mural that was painted by Dan Mills. For a change I had a piece of paper and a pen on me so that I could scribble his name down. It is only now a couple of weeks later that I find that piece of paper again. Anyway, hope you enjoy those visuals as much as I do.

Going back from Eastbourne to my home on the other side of the water one passes through Petone which is a slightly bigger community and has also more small businesses. Two of which have attracted my attention. One is the Dutch Shop where I can buy 'hagelslag' and 'oude leidse kaas' (and where I can practise my Dutch), the other shop is called "On Trays' which I think is a terrific name since it is a delicatesse store with lots of delicious food on offer. So one of my weekend routines has become a quick trip to Petone to keep me going for the rest of the week. And then (to round this off) I found a lovely walk way in that same area which reminds me very much of my home country. It is along a river with a dyke on either side on it. And it is just the birds that you hear and the water that runs along. The best part is that this walk way leads to a two track railway bridge with a narrow foot path next to it. So you can wait at the midway point for the local train to pass by. The other charming part is that because the foot path is so narrow people say 'excuse me' and 'thank you' when one direction is squeezing past the opposite direction. Anyway, next time I go there I will take my camera so that you have a better idea of what I am talking about.