By Royal Appointment, outdoor girl, looking up

The regency building in the Pantiles used to be the Royal Victoria and Sussex Hotel. The young Princess Victoria stayed there with her mother before she came to the throne. A massive royal coat of arms stands above the door. The building now incorpororates an indian restaurant. Sitting opposite in this morning's sunshine, I notice, not for the first time, and with a sneaking admiration, that the name of the restaurant, Masala, is majestically inscribed just beneath the coat of arms, which gives the restaurant a surprisingly elevated status, as though it is by royal appointment. Perhaps, the spirit of the former Empress of India presides.

Outside a cafe in the High Street this afternoon sits a woman with a woollen hat, a thick scarf and a heavy overcoat. She is dealing with a cup of coffee, but doesn't seem to be enjoying it, for the wind is getting up and the sun has gone.

I stand close under under a huge oak and look up as though I were a camera searching for an unusual angle, and the branches spread out from the thick, towering trunk in all directions, and take over the sky.