CHANGES AT HOME

I returned to my hometown of Shoreham-by-sea farther along the coast and walked over a modern footbridge made of steel and glass, a replacement for the covered stone bridge that had once stood there. More major changes greeted me on the other side: What once had been sand with tufts of grasses here and there had been transformed into a mini town with houses, a block of apartments, a shopping centre and paved roads in either direction. Thankfully, the wonderful beach that my brother and I, along with our friends and parents, had enjoyed for many years was exactly the same. I stood on the pebbly beach, gazing at the English Channel, watching all the boats and bigger ships sailing back and forth, and memories flooded back. The tide was high, so there wasn’t any sand showing, but the pebbles were so smooth and multi-coloured I just had to pick out a few to bring back to Canada.

Another day, we drove to a special village along the coast in the other direction, called Rottingdean. Our family often went there to enjoy a ride on the “open-topped bus,” with the ocean on our right, and hills and interesting spots on the left. The village is full of character and has so many places to visit and explore. Close by is the beach and its magnificent chalk-cliff shoreline, standing sentinel as far as one can see. Spectacular! My brother and I would swim here at high tide. During low tide we would examine the tidal pools uncovered by the departing waters— they were full of treasures! Sometimes we would have ice cream, but we would always have afternoon tea at a tiny cottage teahouse, offering home-baked goodies with a pot of tea. It was still there!

What a memorable visit we had. We even spent a “historical” day in London, visiting the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Embankment, Trafalgar Square and the National Art Gallery, where we looked at an exhibition of flowers by Dutch artists— the paintings were between 300 and 400 years old. Of course, there were many more places I would have loved to have seen again, but on this visit, there were not enough hours in the day.

Since leaving England as a young adult, I have lived in Australia and then Canada, where I met my husband-to-be, Austin. When I first came to Canada, a friend and I travelled across this vast land; the more I saw, the more I knew that I wanted to stay. When Austin proposed to me, I accepted and we have lived in this wonderful country ever since. Sussex and England, however, will always be dear to my heart, and I hope that there will not be a wait of 11 years before my next visit! ■