Mildew and Fish and Chips

We had a lot of work to do today and it was a beautiful day and we wanted to be outside, so we alternated fun and work. The big tasks of the day were to continue the mildew cleanup. Fortunately, our new Ikea couch has removable, washable covers. Unfortunately, you have to take the sofa apart - remove the arms and legs - in order to get the covers off. Then, we washed them in the new washer/dryer, which is wonderful except.... it takes 3 to 5 hours to do a load (this is true, not an exaggeration). And then, they come out so wrinkled you can't actually use them, so we have already learned to set the 'dry' for the lowest setting - 'iron ready', which is damp.

After some work, we strolled along the waterfront today to the other side of Kemptown. The light reflected from the sea was wonderful. The temperature was in the 40's and sunny. We got tickets for the train to London tomorrow and went home to work some more.

Tomorrow, we are going to see Keira Knightly and Damien Lewis on stage in The Misanthrope. Also Tara Fiutzgerald and... maybe Dominic Cooper. At home, we put another load in the washer and then walked along the seafront in the other direction, and down to the Brighton Marina which is a ghost town. Badly hit by the recession.

Then, home again for more work. While the COG painted the anti-mildew stuff on the walls, I finished hemming all the curtains. And then we put the covers back on the sofa, which is still in pieces because we want everything to dry out as much as possible before we go.

Dinner was fish and chips, bought from the local chippy, on the floor of the living room, since we couldn't sit in the back room. And to make it all more fun we had artisanal beers. The COG drank Banana Bread Beer, which, yes, since you wondered, was actually made with bananas and tasted of bananas. It was.... interesting. It might be fantastic with a curry or some Thai food. I had 'Dreckly' which is a bitter ale from an old Cornish recipe. I liked it. We also had mushy peas and we did not have a pickled onion, even though I had ordered one. But it was good and kind of festive.

Now we are in our local pub using the internet and drinking more beer. It's a funny pub, there's never more than a couple of people here - mostly they are always pretty much the worse for wear (as Georgette Heyer might have said.)


We are anxiously awaiting results of the Massachusetts election. It just doesn't bear thinking about.