WHISPERING SMITH: Within a walk to the sea. . .

I looked to the south and out over the green fields to the sparkling sea, then northward to yet more green fields and woodland. To the east, Worthing and Brighton and to the west to LA. I could clearly see the green gasworks and the ugly grey hunk that is Kingmere,

I thought about it for a moment, but knew the answer right off – LA is OK! It has two fine and very different beaches, the lovely river with its fishing boats, several good pubs with live music – the only kind – and decent restaurants, and on the whole, is populated with good people.

It is a bowshot from Arundel, and only a short march to Worthing, Brighton or Chichester and their entertainment centres. It is surrounded by villages and a countryside which, try as they might, developers will not destroy, although they may wound it from time to time if we let them.

It is a pretty ideal situation and proof of this is in the number of folk who return here after living in cities or travelling the world.

Couple all of these with the fact that, on that very afternoon, I saw and heard chiff chaffs, skylarks, watched a grey heron on the hunt, a kestrel hawk swoop on its prey, a woodpecker, blackcaps and just possibly a trio of rough-legged buzzards – although a sceptical jury is still out on that one!

Yes, I thought, LA is not a bad place to live, any and all problems are resolvable and with goodwill and common sense from local councillors and our MP, the place will continue to thrive. After all, much to my surprise, we did get the ferry back thanks to the staunch efforts of a few.

But maybe the Sussex poet Hilaire Belloc said it best: “I will hold my house in the high wood within a walk to the sea and the men that were boys when I was a boy shall sit and drink with me.”

Joan Baez... Went to See Joan Baez at the Brighton Dome a couple of weeks back and she was great. At 72, she stood for nearly two hours, playing her guitar and singing the oh-so-well-remembered songs from a seemingly long time ago, her devoted audience joining in some of the choruses.

It was the end of a 25-gig tour and her voice was a little tired, but she still hit those tear-jerking high notes from time to time. Joanie was not as I remembered her from seeing her way back in the day but, had she looked down and seen me sitting there, she might well have thought the same thing!

Waitrose Speak... I note that Waitrose has changed its opening times with the aim of, so its leaflet claims, “making it more convenient for you to shop when you want”.

Uhmm, problem here is the new opening hours mean they now open a half-hour later in the morning and close an hour earlier in the evening thus, according to my maths which can be a bit dodgy, they are open 90 minutes fewer each day!

It is not overly important to the majority of shoppers, but it is a good example of just how carefully one should read such notices. Please explain that one to me, pardner!