The West Pier

Those of you familiar with Brighton will recognise this sad silhouette. In 2001, when I was about 12, there was still hope of restoring the pier to its former glory. There were tours along the walkways with hard hats which I was too young for (health and safety reasons). My parents told me never mind, you will get a chance when you're older. Sadly in the years following this the poor pier burned down not once, but twice. This structure is pretty much all that remains now and it is no longer linked to the beach. It is a very popular roosting sight for various types of birds. I saw some cormorants stretching out their wings to dry in between fishing trips.

Even in mid November, on a clear sunny day, Brighton is lovely. I went to see a friend who has moved away but was there for the weekend. I had to get a replacement bus from Haywards Heath to Brighton and back which was a pain, but bearable to get to see the sea and my friend.

In other news, I haven't posted for a while because I've been busy. A temporary vacancy with an immediate start came up in my old team at my previous job. It's been strange being back there and answering everyone's questions about why I'm back. People have generally been quite understanding though and I'm settling back in alright. I know it's not really where I want to spend the rest of my life but my employers know that and I know the people I'm working with so it is more friendly. When I left I gave some honest feedback which wasn't all positive about my reasons for leaving. It seems this has sparked some discussions and attempts by management to engage more with what people are unhappy about. There is still some way to go but it is positive progress. A few things have already been changed which should prevent me being under the kind of pressure I was under earlier this year. Even after 4 months away, I can remember how to do pretty much everything that the job requires.

I'm feeling more positive and other people have said I look more relaxed now. I haven't got it all figured out about what to do in the long run but I am no longer sitting at home on my own worrying about how to pay the rent. I will need to move fairly soon as I can't afford to pay central London rent and commute out to the suburbs, but I should break even which is preferable to draining my savings. I'm hoping I'll continue to feel calm and ok.