One Thing or a Mother: There’s nowhere else I’d rather watch the sun set than Worthing

She even asked if we could have a picnic in the park. I had to veto that on account of coronavirus restrictions and it still only being 12 degrees, but I did really appreciate her optimism.

Because that’s exactly what a bit of sunshine after a long spell of gloom and rain brings, right? Optimism.

Feeling some warmth on my face and realising it won’t be long until I can start drying my washing on the line outside again (now, more than ever, it’s the little things that get me excited!), made me feel really hopeful.

Hopeful that last week’s roadmap (anyone else cringe when they say that? Sounds like a really bad travel documentary about UK motorways) may actually provide a way out of a life dictated by a virus.

And if it does, I can almost taste the Aperol spritz I’ll be enjoying in the Beach House already!

And it’s not just that I’m excited about. I can’t wait to eat out in restaurants. I’ve been dreaming about the halloumi hen with fat beans and super wheats at the Fat Greek in Worthing or a cosy Sunday lunch at The World’s End in Patching.

I’m desperate to see a movie at the beautiful Dome cinema on Worthing seafront. and let my feral children loose in the soft play at Out of Bounds in Angmering.

I want to ride the rides at Harbour Park in Littlehampton and have a coffee and cake at Establo Lounge in Rustington.

I want to go on a walk with my friends and end up having a late breakfast at The Perch in Lancing.

Online shopping has been great in the interim, but I can’t wait to be able to browse the little independent shops in Arundel.

And how I’ve missed my lovely hairdresser Helen, at the Beachcomber in Shoreham – and how my hair has, too.

There is so much to look forward to, not least just getting out of the house more so I don’t have to pretend to be a ‘mummy triceratops who has lost its baby’ on a regular basis.

In the spirit of getting out the house, we found ourselves down on the beach by Worthing Pier late on Saturday afternoon.

The tide was out, the sky was blue, the air was calm and the sun was setting, turning the sky from blue to brilliant orange. I don’t know whether it was because I have hardly been anywhere for ages or the sudden change in weather, but it felt almost magical.

My children, and my husband and I, too, had such fun walking really far out on the sand and pebbles, and walking right underneath the pier (even though it did give me the creeps a bit – just me?!).

And it was even warm enough for an ice cream, which meant my two year old was not only soaked from the feet up to the knees, thanks to his naughty mummy’s poor chooice of footwear, but also covered in delicious dairy treat from the face down.

Good job we’re not allowed to see anybody at the moment, really, as he was grubtastic (bit of artistic licence on the word there, but I think it conveys the mess perfectly).

You might have seen our stories about Worthing being voted one of the top 25 places in the world to watch the sunset, and on this warm, late winter evening, it was easy to see why. Worthing may sit alongside tourism giants like Bolivia’s salt flats and the Serengeti National Park on that list, but on this amazing afternoon, there was nowhere else I’d rather have watched the sun set than here.