come with me while the moon is on the sea (Hastings day 2)

Sunday was our second day in Hastings, and was a somewhat calmer day than Saturday (which was a manic must do everything now kind of day). I woke up early of course, and was a little surprised to find our 'bed and breakfast' didn't actually serve any breakfast, and so really I suppose was more of just a bed. It was lovely though, and actually it worked out for the best as it got me out and into the Old Town before the shops were opening on the hunt for something to eat. It also gave me the opportunity to find more cute cafes, which is a favourite pastime of mine, especially in seaside towns.

I wore my new tights and shirt from Pop Boutique in Covent Garden, with shorts and shoes from Rokit, belt from Beyond Retro, socks from Topshop, satchel from The London Satchel Company and glasses from Camden Market. They were originally cheap sunglasses, but I popped the lenses out so I could just wear the frames...I think I might get my actual prescription lenses put in them eventually though. My jumper was £5 and from a dusty old shop I found on Saturday. It's so big and cosy and reminds me of a typical fisherman's jumper, which I felt was quite apt considering Hastings is a fishing town.

I'm really into my glasses at the moment. I didn't have them over the LFW period as they were getting new lenses put in, but my pink ones are finally home...and I seem to have developed an insatiable thirst for bigger, crazier pairs. I oh-so-nearly bought the most amazing pair of bright red cat-eyes from my opticians...the arms were shaped like legs with high-heels on and everything. Unfortunately they may or may not have been over £300, so I had to go without. I still dream about them. (sighs).

The slight lacking of breakfast from our bed and breakfast hotel definitely paid off, as I was able to stumble across the gorgeous cafe 'Petit Fi', just as it was opening up for the day. I'm very fussy with breakfast usually...I'm a strictly oats kind of person, preferring plain weetabix, shredded wheat or porridge to anything else. However, upon finding this gem of a cafe and not wanting to go elsewhere, I opted for their scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with chilli tomato sauce. At first glance, I thought the menu was a little limited, only really offering eggs...however when they turned up, I realised that quality definitely wins over quantity...and when a place serves eggs this good, why would you ever want or need anything else? The chilli tomato sauce was a lovely replacement for ketchup, and complimented the creamy eggs and toast perfectly. Even the salad was delicious. The cafe itself was lovely too...the waitress was really friendly, and the bright and airy decor felt very 40s. I loved the mismatched china and cute teacups.

We ended up walking to the tops of the cliffs on either side of Hastings. The views were amazing, and it was fascinating how gaining just that little bit of height completely cut out the noise of the busy seafront and arcades, leaving you in the complete peace of nature. It was so relaxing, and the perfect way to get away from London and work before going back to school again.

We may or may not have gone back to our favourite 'Hanushka Coffee House' for lunch, and I may or may not have had the exact same thing (how could I not?!)

The rest of the day passed in a sunny, dreamy haze. I got to work my way back through all of the gorgeous shops, finding treasures like Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall for £1 in one shop, and finding a copy of Dickens' Bleak House from 1948 for £2 in another.
I then ended up noticing this group of ladies and men, all dressed completely head to toe in 40s clothes. The men wore shirts, waistcoats, jackets and overcoats, carried briefcases, and one even had round tortoiseshell glasses perched on the end of his nose. The women wore fur and skirt suits with jackets and long coats, midi heels and tan tights, cat-eye sunglasses, hats and red lipstick. Their hair was glossy and pinned perfectly in place, and watching them I genuinely thought that I had fallen through some kind of time portal. (Picture above of two members of the party outside an antique store). I overheard them speaking with a shop owner, who asked them if they were dressed up for a vintage event. The man with the glasses said that they were in fact just dressed up for fun - it was a hobby of theirs, and they met up in their outfits to go antique shopping every once in a while. This fascinated me, and I absolutely love the idea that people can express themselves so freely as a hobby, and that they were almost like human canvases...works of art, if you will. I also wondered what they did for a living...did they have ordinary jobs? Did anyone else know about their 40s alter ego?
After thinking about this as I strolled through the pretty seaside streets, I watched a fishing boat be unpacked from the pier, walked up and down the coastline several times, nosed in the windows of a few houses (I thought they were shops...the poor people sitting inside didn't seem too amused) and then settled down in the car looking out to sea with the most delicious fish and chips. You have to have fish and chips by the sea, it's like an unspoken rule or something.
Writing this, I wish I was still by the sea. hugs,

ellie xo