There’s much excitement here at SE HQ as we head towards the Spring Equinox (when the days and nights are more or less the same length) and the changing of the clocks. We may lose an hour of sleep but it does mean, at long last, the worst of the winter is behind us and we can look forward to long, balmy evenings, the smell of cut grass, and some human company again.
Earlier this month, the schools finally went back and I’m sure if you listened carefully, you could hear a collective “Huzzah” from parents across the county followed by a re-stocking of cupboards! Of course, that was accompanied by large-scale groaning as Sussex teenagers tried to get their heads around the concept of getting up and getting dressed before midday and us parents wrestled for the return of our laptops. What this parental liberation from homeschooling does mean though, is that hand in hand with the easing of lockdown restrictions we can all start to plan a little “me” time at last.
In West Sussex, if you’re a craft beer lover, you won’t go badly wrong if you decide to treat yourself with a trip to Firebird Brewery in Rudgwick for some time out. They’ve got dozens of different brews and a chilled and funky bar area to help you unwind from the stress of the last year. All going well, they plan to reopen on the 12th April! If that’s up your street, or if you happen to love the purr of a motorbike engine, you may also be interested in an epic Sussex event that starts at the same venue, The Ride of the Ruperts! Based roughly around the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride but made accessible for all, every year, 250 or so classic motorbikes go in convoy from Rudgwick to just outside Hastings to raise money for charity. Fingers crossed that the Ruperts will ride again this September and if you can’t take part, it’s well worth turning out to support them!
As the great outdoors gradually dries out after a soggy winter, you may also be thinking about how to get active outside, in which case, do have a look at our Taking to the Trails feature, all about trail running on the South Downs with Run with KARIBU. And the good news is that they’re allowed to start group running again soon too! It’s a great way to get right off the beaten track and go somewhere new, while not straying too far from home.
On the whole, I think our Sussex life and countryside has weathered the Covid storm quite well. Everything is gradually bursting back into life but if you want to do more to help take care of our community and county, we’ve got lots of helpful recycling tips in our Pulling the Plug on Plastic feature, or you might fancy taking on a challenge to raise money for a great local cause, St Catherine’s Hospice! Yours truly has signed up to walk across the Sahara and before lockdown, I put my then 13-year old daughter through some intense training!
That’s it for now. Don’t forget to put your clocks forward and have a great weekend.
