A Bit Of Nostalgia Goes A Long Way

A bit of nostalgia goes a long way is a series of reflections on a recent trip to the UK and some visits to some past haunts!

Visiting The Past

My first bit of nostalgia came about when I took a detour to Upper Beeding in Sussex, where I used to live (many, many years ago now). It was a spectacularly cold day! I was accompanied by my Mum so we were able to reminisce a bit about some old times (you see, a bit of nostalgia).

Ummm We Found The Pub

We actually struggled to find my old house as the village has undergone some major changes since I lived there. A new road system is in place (the village now has a bypass) and new houses have gone up. It was easier to find the pub (public house) that we used to frequent (funny that).

Almost An Anniversary

I remember the day when my first cat HG had been let out for the first time (he was a rescue) and had not come home. All the way to the pub I cried and I sat in in the pub in tears. Later that evening, I was standing at the cooker cooking pancakes as it was Pancake Day (and crying). All of a sudden the little burger casually walked in the back door carrying a live mouse as a present. He didn’t quite get the welcome he expected as I stood telling him off and let the mouse go. The anniversary of that is just coming up later in February.

Memories of Bath Tubs

Anyway, one of our favourite annual events was the Bath Tub Race that goes from the Beeding and Bramber Bridge to Shoreham on the coast. We would stake our place on the grass below the bridge on the River Adur where the race starts. The bridge connects Upper Beeding and Bramber. We would join in with the fun. This included throwing flour and eggs at the participants in the bath tubs! If you like Whacky Races you would love this. All manor of crafts made out of bath tubs, typical British nutters in costume and having a wonderful time – I loved it!

The road that connects Upper Beeding to Bramber and goes over the bridge is called ‘The Street’. What a fabulous name!

I took quite a few images in Upper Beeding and Bramber and they will be the focus for one of my future blogs (and you will get to see the pub!).

A Bit Of Old Sussex Dialect

Another bit of nostalgia was triggered by my finding a street sign in Lewes (near Brighton) that said ‘Church Twitten’.

What is a Twitten?

Twitten is old Sussex dialect (South Sussex actually) for a narrow passageway or alleyway that goes between buildings.  In this case the passageway leads from Lewes High street to a church, hence the name Church Twitten.

Now, my old Nanna used to use the word twitten. I remember being out with her and she would say ‘let’s take the short cut through the twitten’. Gosh, talk about a bit of nostalgia, that is going back more than 50 years! (eek, careful Dorothy, giving away your age).

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

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Thank you for reading!