After 5 years of the slow and often stressful commute, my office finally moves from Burgess Hill to Brighton this weekend.¹.

So, it’s Goodbye Burgess Hill!

• Goodbye to the 07:57 Southern Service to London Victoria — and goodbye to the crowded 08:18 when I missed it!
• Goodbye to “the delayed 18:09 service” home, and the confusing service to Seaford, Eastbourne, and Ore²
• Goodbye “customers for Glynde, Berwick, Cooksbridge, or Plumpton”, who weren’t always travelling in the correct part of the train.
• Goodbye to Wivelsfield station, and the steep walk into town.
• Goodbye to the young families of Noel Rise, who greeted me each morning — and who grew up before my eyes!
• Goodbye to the headless eagle, the milk depot, and the dewy spider-webs on the fence — but goodbye too to the constant digging of the road!
• Goodbye to the Martletts, and Market Place
• Goodbye to the sandwich shops, the greengrocer’s stall, and the 50p bookshop
• Goodbye to the Post Office, and churchyard
• Goodbye to the park, with its abstract modern sculpture, its muddy fields, and its basketball hoop
• Goodbye to the Railway, the Jacob’s, & the Potter’s
• Goodbye Disco Carpets, and hairdressers downstairs
• Goodbye to you all – maybe I’ll come and visit someday. But then again, maybe not. ;)

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Footnotes

1. In fact, what with POETS day and me being on holiday, this is a bit late – but 17:30 on the Friday seems an appropriate moment to say goodbye [↩]
2. “Eastbourne and/or what?” [↩]