Bunburying*

*To be fair, we weren't really Bunburying, as we have no pressing social engagements to avoid, none-the-less, the label added a much needed air of intrigue to the occasion. 

Feeling awestruck at the thought of visiting a place that had inspired Oscar Wilde's greatest play, The Importance of Being Earnest, I spent hours gushing to Adam about the wondrous place that is Worthing. So with the sounds of seventh-form-English-teacher Mr Quigley's "A handbag?!" ringing in my ears, I programmed the GPS and we set off for the seaside.

Hmm. It turns out that Worthing is a giant shithole not that great. We tried to take a picture of me next to a sign saying 'WORTHING' and we couldn't find one. Except on a rubbish bin. That's how dire things were. Our next best option was to take a picture of me next to a seemingly abandoned handbag in a railway station. But there wasn't one.

Abandoning the hunt for an Earnest-tribute picture, we decided to walk along the pier. In large letters, the pier proclaimed itself as "Pier of the Year 2006". We weren't quite sure what had happened in the intervening 5 years, but by October 29th 2011, the pier looked terrible. It was rusty, unkempt and badly in need of a paint. Perhaps there weren't many entries in the pier competition?!

By now feeling rather cheated, we decided to cut our losses and head for Eastbourne. The following day, we made it to Brighton and, at last, a sign pointing to Worthing.

(And by the way, if you haven't seen the Hollywood version of the play, go out and hire the DVD tonight. The scene where the Ernests, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett, sing 'Lady, Come Down' is absolutely gorgeous.)