Down in the park...

...the deckchairs are dancing round the fountain in the garden of Stanmer House.

Meanwhile, up on the Downs

Yesterday, the last bank holiday before Christmas, was fine but with a cool north or north-west breeze. Visibility was excellent and for the third afternoon running I was able to see the isle of Wight quite clearly as I walked across the field beside the Upper Lodges. Being quite small and 50+ miles away, the island doesn't show up very well in photographs but I have enlarged one and fiddled with the brilliance and contrast - nothing else, I promise - to show it better. It actually looks better if you click to enlarge the picture.

Fancy a boat trip?

Both these two boats are equipped to provide an hour and a half mackerel fishing...

... or this one will give a ride to view the piers.

A meander round the marina

Feeling hungry? We could eat at the floating Chinese restaurant...

...or there are plenty of others where we could soak up the sun as we eat.

Brighton Marina

Brighton Marina is entirely man-made, from the harbour arms to the in-filling of the sea to provide land on which to build blocks of flats, shops (Including a supermarket), a health club, a casino,a bowling alley and a hotel - not to mention a multi-storey car park (from which this picture was taken). When it was built it was claimed to be the largest man-made marina in Europe, although that title was later taken by Sovereign Harbour just along the coast at Eastbourne. The picture shows the main entrance to the marina with the chalk cliffs behind. On the top of the cliffs centre picture is Roedean, possibly the most expensive girls' boarding school in the country.

Roof tops of Patcham

Old tiles and new aerials in the Old London Road, Patcham.

Plumpton Plain

That part of the South Downs consisting of a patchwork of fields behind Falmer and looking towards Mount Harry and Blackcap is known as Plumpton Plain, Plumpton being a village on the other side of the Downs.