It’s hot to be a Granny, says Hastings Battleaxe

No, not that sort of hot Granny thing – just hot temperature-wise. It is absolutely boiling here in Hastings, and the town is heaving. We’ve had Grand-Daughter staying since Friday, while my daughter and her partner walked the South Downs Way.  Battleaxe readers will know that GD is a bit different…  We’ve been out and about, trying to do such things that are available without getting barged into by Covid-infested hordes of heedless day-trippers, but it hasn’t always been easy…

Are there more people down here because they aren’t in Benidorm?  Is it because it is so hot? Is it because not so many can go into pubs etc? Or is it because we have been stuck here all the time without our usual holidays. I don’t know, but the sea-front is impossibly crowded, and we don’t feel comfortable there.  Instead, we went for long walks in the Country Park, and round Winchelsea. Very peaceful.

Our big day out was supposed to be Beachy Head, which GD always likes. Walk followed by lunch at the Beachy Head pub. I booked a table ages ago, before I realised it was the first day of the Rishi meal-deal…

Well, the walk was absolutely beautiful – the sky was a mixture of sunny blue and patterns of cloud, which threw amazing shadows on the ground. Very photogenic.

So, by the time came to arrive at the pub we were all in good spirits. Not for long… A boy with limited English and no customer care skills was on the meet and greet – he shunted us off to a holding pen table because we were a little early, and said we could have drinks. Well, turns out there was only one person behind the bar, we got no drinks and had to watch as streams of people poured into the pub and got tables, some not having even booked! A big table became vacant near us, and the boy attempted to seat an un-booked party on it. When we remonstrated with him he just looked confused. Given that we were all very hungry, GD was getting loud and restive, the pub was now full and there was no sign of anyone getting any food, we all lost our tempers and stormed out.  We drove to Waitrose in search of sandwiches…. oh no, a queue outside…

We have had varied experiences with that pub before… had to wait ages for our food. Despite its superb position and views, Battleaxe does not recommend.

Another day we had arranged to borrow our friend Jan’s beach hut – thought it would be a jolly good fun experience for GD. However, she came over all Wrong Time of the Monthy… ‘Can I have a sanitary towel?’ she asks Granny, who hasn’t even seen such a thing for the last 20 years…. The beach hut is a fine thing, but unfortunately as well as hot sun there was a Force 9 gale whipping past the doors….

Then don’t even get me started on the De La Warr Pavilion and its car park.

Well, it actually wasn’t bad at all. GD is very keen on art, and in our house we have many art books. She spent much time closeted in her room doing catalogues of artists.

It is my birthday on Saturday. I have decided to stop getting any older, so will say no more about it…