Today we were permitted to sleep in a bit and meet up around ten. Of course, I slept for every last possible second and scrambled to get ready to go. I managed to escape with everything I needed and stepped out into the rainy, London day. My straight hair was instantly a mess but my Emily Gravett books were safely folded up inside of a towel in my backpack (I’m a bit of a nerd). My throat was still chocked up and I sound a bit like a squeaky frog, but I’m not in too much pain or feeling really ill. I did break down and buy some cough syrup today, so hopefully I will be cured soon!Once we stepped off the train in Brighton the weather had turned and it was beautiful!
We ended up dragging our umbrellas, scarves, and coats around all day, but it’s a fair price to pay for beautiful weather! The fair weather may have made me partial, but the city was adorable. There were several busy streets for shopping and eating that didn't have any traffic on them, other than pedestrians. I went to a place called Darcy’s café with Amber and Amanda which had white umbrellas out front, teapots displayed in the windows, and menus written in chalk on blackboards. We ordered a meal and crème tea which was, of course delicious. I realized later that the two hadn't picked it for it's food, but rather the name, as they are both English majors and huge Jane Austen fans! You must get sick of hearing me talk about food on this blog, so I’ll move on to something more exciting… Emily Gravett!
We met up after lunch at the gardens of the Royal Pavillion. We spotted a gorgeous bride and party just outside of the building as they were getting ready to go in, which was kind of fun to see. It wasn’t long before a woman approached us looking for Joann; our group is kind of hard to miss! We then strolled across and found a spot on the grass to sit around and talk. We asked her all kinds of questions about her work, her favorites, how she came into the profession, etc. It was so fun to talk to her and she is very modest about it all. Since she is still pretty new on the stage (3 years ago was her first published book), I think her global popularity still surprises her a bit. We eventually got around to book signing and picture taking, but not before she shared with us the two books she is currently working on, Spells and Dogs, both which were very creative and fun. It was probably one of the highlights of my trip so far! She was very approachable and great to talk with. For those that might not know much about Emily Gravett, she is a wonderful children's book author and illustator. I own four of her books (all signed now!), Monkey and Me, Meercat Mail, Odd Egg, and Little Mouse's Big book of Fears. My favorites are the last two, which are new and only out in England at the moment. To check out her work, she has a lovely website and she comes highly recommended by me! http://www.emilygravett.com/
Afterwards, I went with Ellie, Laura, Sarah, and Peggy to the seaside and then walked around on the pier and into some shops. Something I thought was quite odd is that there were little stones everywhere instead of sand. Laura and Sarah got there shoes all wet when they went down to touch the water. It was a beautiful afternoon to spend at the seaside and then we hopped on a train back to London, where Laura and Sarah aired out their shoes. =)
We went to Picadilly and found a great place to eat before heading back to the hotel and crashing. Tomorrow is a big day, as we are taking a coach tour. It’s nearly a 12 hour day, but I can’t wait because that means we don’t have to use public transportation! Maybe I won’t be too exhausted to tell you about it tomorrow!.. but I make no promises. ;o)
With love from this side of the ocean,
Bethany
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