Brighton Life, Pickleball, Sport, The Arts

Joy + Play = Pickleball

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Pickleball? Heard of it? Done it? Do it? Ceri Barnes Thompson goes for a dink… 

About 18 months ago the American podcaster, author, social worker and researcher Brene Brown posted a photo of herself on Instagram (right) that really caught my eye. She was wearing aviator shades, a headband and was holding a little racket and holey ball the like of which I’d never seen. She was also, importantly, wearing the most enormous smile. 

She wrote underneath this sunshine of a photo “For me, joy + play = pickleball. The court might be the only place in the world where I’m fully in the now. Not thinking ahead, worrying, wondering—just keeping my eye on the ball and my head in the game.”

What is this “pickleball”? Surely she meant “paddleball” or “raquet ball”? I asked myself, keen to achieve anything close to the level of happiness in that photo. I swiftly googled ‘Brighton and Hove Pickleball clubs’ and sent out an email to Richard Ellis hoping to join any kind of waiting list going. 

I got a swift and warm reply inviting me to come for a beginners ‘dink’. A week later I was on a court in Mouslecomb with around 16 people I’d never met before, welcomed and guided through the rules as a newcomer then straight into the deep end of playing pickleball. They take no prisoners those pickleballers, let me tell you. 

Liz is a whiz and keeps you on your toes. Paul is steady and stealth. “Stay out of the kitchen!” they yell! Before I knew it everyone was gathering up the gear and saying goodnight. 

Two hours had passed and Brown’s words couldn’t have been more true. I was elated. Maybe from running around – it’s a great work out. Maybe from feeling so welcome amongst strangers – it’s hugely comforting. Maybe from laughing out loud at myself. 

It’s really quite embarrassing when something that looks so easy is actually kind of hard. Maybe from the challenge of learning a new game – it’s very rewarding – but mostly I just felt like my over-stretched and stressed-out brain had had a break. Just like Brene, I’d experienced two hours just fully immersed in the game thinking of nothing else but that crazily lightweight ball and how to keep up with the rotation of each game. I came out feeling refreshed on a level I’ve not felt for years.

I asked Richard when he’d started playing the game. He’d been in Thailand looking for a doubles tennis game and they only played pickleball so he’d given it a go. 

Pickleball is often described as a mixture of tennis, badminton and ping pong – invented by three dads in the 60’s in the States for their bored kids during the summer holidays it’s massive in the USA now. The court is smaller than badminton and the net is low, like a tennis net. 

Richard and his wife loved it and the fact it’s easier on the joints than tennis so on returning to the UK they searched – a bit like me – once they came home to Brighton for picklers here. Finding one other couple – aces Joe and Liz – they persuaded the Stanley Deason people to let them mark up a badminton court for pickleball and started to play. 

Putting it out on Facebook they soon got a regular cohort of players with new people joining weekly. I asked him what it was about pickleball he loves. “I usually feel elated, glad to have played feeling we have had some good exercise with a great bunch of people, hoping to improve with time”. Jacqueline, another club regular who started playing the game in Florida in 2014, lives in rural Sussex and rides horses. She loves pickleball as it uses very different groups of muscles and is a good aerobic workout. She loves the people she meets as she has to travel widely to play – Bexhill, Eastbourne, Burgess Hill, Brighton, and she stressed “It’s not an old people’s game – it’s for everyone. It’s very social”. She’s right. 

On the day I played there were players from 18 to 80 – and the 80-year-old woman was one of the most sprightly and skillful on the court. I found it can be as gentle or as hardcore as you like – some of the games were seriously impressively skillful dinkathons with extremely competitive members sparring. 

Richard and Trish devote a lot of time to running something which, as with all community efforts like this, really delivers a huge scoop of joy to those who play. Sessions are broadly Thursday nights and Tuesday mornings give and take a few logistical bits and bobs. It’s harder for them than it should be due to the lack of facilities – they’ve recently moved to Moulescombe Leisure Centre, always searching for somewhere reliable to play. You can find them on Facebook – Brighton and Hove Pickleball Club – or if you google them, you can contact lovely Richard Ellis directly. You won’t regret it. And maybe we can persuade Brighton and Hove council to install some courts dedicated to the Mighty Pickleball. 

Sam Wollaston of The Guardian recently wrote about the game – coming to it with a hefty dollop of cynicism not least because he finds the name silly – ending up just like me, completely energised and turned around. “The thing about pickleball”, he said, “is that you can play at any level. As my level increases, I will play with greater intensity. And it will, and I will. Because it turns out I’m brilliant at pickleball! A total natural, nimble of foot and thought… the deftest of dinkers!”. 

That’s honestly how it makes you feel, very swiftly and without all the weight of tennis’ ladders, rankings and years of play. As George Bernard Shaw said “We don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing”. 

Come on, have a dink! 

l Check out the Facebook page for Brighton and Hove Pickleball Club

Eating In, Food & Drink, Health Matters, Jo Rowkins

SOYA – THE GOOD,THE BAD AND THE UGLY

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Doctors are confused by it; many health practitioners’ views differ on it, and you’ll find articles that sing its praises and those that slander it. So, let’s look at some of the facts about soya.

Soya is now in the top ten of allergenic foods, mainly because big food manufacturers are using it to bulk out their processed foods. Soya derived ingredients can be found in all manner of foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, sauces and many more.

Generally, people in the west over-consume soya due to using it as a replacement for cow’s milk, as well as their growing reliance on processed foods. 

In Eastern cultures soya foods are traditionally eaten in their fermented forms, such as miso, tempeh and natto, making them easy to digest. 

Until the discovery of fermentation techniques, the soya bean was not used as a food. In fact, its early use was for its root structure to enable effective crop rotation and its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil.

Soya in and of itself is not good or bad. There are however many considerations regarding its use, and more so regarding its source.

The Good

• Isoflavones and cancer prevention. Two substances genistin and diadzin are isoflavones present in soya beans. However, they are inactive and unusable unless fermentation has occurred, after which they turn into their active forms genistein and diadzein, shown to have cancer-protecting properties.

• Isoflavones can effectively help to balance oestrogen, without negative side-effects.

• Fermentation of these isoflavones can occur in the human digestive tract via the action of friendly bacteria. A healthy gut flora is needed for healthy hormone metabolism and is crucial if using soya therapeutically for hormonal balancing.

• Soya aids bone health and may reduce osteoporosis risk in menopausal women.

• The gentle oestrogen-like effect helps control menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.

• Phytosterols in soya lower cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

• Soya is a complete protein, containing all 8 essential amino acids and is a good source of vitamins and minerals.

The Bad

• Soya contains potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin in the body, needed for protein digestion. It also contains phytic acid, a substance that blocks the uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper in the digestive tract. The only way to effectively neutralise these substances is through fermentation.

• Too much soya acts as a goitrogen, meaning it can slow down thyroid function. Many soya products are genetically modified and contaminated with pesticides with soya being one of the most highly sprayed crops on the planet.

The Ugly

• Soya milk and soy protein isolate are made in large aluminium vats and “washed” with acid, resulting in the finished product being contaminated with this unhealthy metal, which has been linked to various diseases such as Alzheimer’s. 

• It is then flushed with an alkalising solution to neutralize it again. The high temperature of the processing denatures the other proteins in the soya. 

• Nitrates – known carcinogens – are formed during the spray-drying of the protein powder, which is used in many processed foods, including baby formulas.

• Acres of rainforest have been destroyed for the growing of soy on a mass scale for use in processed foods manufactured by the food giants.

How To Eat Soya in a Healthy Way

1. Only eat organic soya products, and where possible fermented versions of this food.

2. Increase your intake of other fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut and live, organic yogurt to supply your body with the beneficial bacteria needed for the active isoflavone conversion, or supplement regularly with a good probiotic.

3. Soya milk is best avoided or taken in small doses and certainly not daily. It shouldn’t be given to young children on a regular basis as it may interfere with their natural hormonal development.

4. Always choose organic soya milk if consumed.

5. Consume other “milks” such as oat and almond or make your own nut and seed milks if you’re avoiding dairy.

6. Avoid processed foods to minimise your intake of highly processed soy.

7. Minimise your intake of fake soya meats.

8. Enjoy miso, natto, tempeh and naturally fermented soy sauce.

9. Eat seaweed alongside soy products as it aids healthy thyroid function.

Provenance Matters

In my Nutritional Therapy practice I encourage my clients to take into consideration many factors relating to their food – where it was grown, whether it was sprayed, the company that grew it or produced it, how the animal was raised and treated in meat products, how to use certain foods – like soya – therapeutically, and how to avoid the “ugly” side of certain foods. 

Like soya, there are many foods that can be equally good, bad or ugly depending on how they are grown and processed. Fat is good example of this. Refined vegetable oils like mass-produced sunflower oil come under the “ugly” category, whereas grass fed butter and extra virgin olive oil are good for us. 

We’re living in a world where people think that being vegan is better for the planet, yet it’s much more complicated than that. Taking soya as an example, when it is over-farmed and highly sprayed and used in all manner of fake foods, it is certainly NOT good for the planet, or our health, not to mention the destruction of acres of rainforest for its use in mass production by the food giants! Like choosing grass fed organic meats, wild fish and healthy fats, it’s equally important to consider the provenance of your soya, grains and cereal foods too.

Jo Rowkins, Nutritional Therapist & Lifestyle Coach at Awakening Health.

www.awakeninghealth.co.uk

Brighton Life, Eating Out, Features, Food & Drink, Food & Drink

Fumi – the new Japanese restaurant from Wolfox

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Mention the name Wolfox among the chattering classes of West Hill and Seven Dials and a hush descends. Who are these people? Aren’t they something to do with the Mafia? Brighton is no stranger to property tycoons with interesting connections, but Wolfox, according to those who’ve heard the rumours – or maybe that should be “those who spread the rumours” – is like some kind of hungry animal stalking the streets by night, sneaking into empty shops and restaurants whose throats were ripped out in Lockdown, settling in and serving up the city’s best cup of coffee to an unsuspecting passer-by. I could stretch the metaphor and suggest that Fabio Lauro, sporting a fetching apron in the kitchen of his latest opening, Fumi in Circus Street does have some pretty big teeth, but hey, this is just a fairy tale. Isn’t it?

“Sorry about the heavy breathing,” Lauro – Mr Wolfox – pants, “but I’ve just been running.” I daren’t ask from what. We’re here to talk about Fumi after a stunning meal the weekend before. I’d met him in the kitchen, sous cheffing to Reuben Waller who’s “been around” but cut his teeth with the legendary Nico Ladenis at Chez Nico back in the day. “Yeah, Gavroche too”, he tells me. He had taken me on the “culinary adventure” offered on the Carte Blanche, an opportunity to see what Fumi is all about, a trail through the aubergine and enoki mushroom tempura, tuna and salmon nigiri staples, and a silky belly pork in red wine and soy sauce. It turns out that the signature design-led fine dining experience is very fine indeed, although they could get their Wagyu from Trenchmore for better local creds. Still, they do have their own hydroponic farm.

Lauro’s breathing has calmed now and he’s very happy to tell me about the rise and rise of Wolfox. “The main expansion happened during Lockdown when quite a few landlords asked us to take some of the properties which tenants had left. So we took over one in Kemptown, then one in Prestonville. Our desire was never to expand everywhere but to be present within the communities. We weren’t even paying rent. They were just given to us. That was the thing”. I try to dismiss the image of Marlon Brando purring into my phone and replace it with one of Brighton’s biggest employers swooping in to sort out a crisis. Damn; same thing.

Fumi is the elegant big sister of Kusaki, the brightly-coloured Asian plant kitchen in Preston Circus which has cleverly scooped up the vegan pound and raised the game in town. Fumi, all gold leaf walls, massive doors and Insta-happy coffee grind table tops, reused and crafted in Lewes from the many Wolfox café leftovers, takes design to a new level;  Lauro, the Studio Six designer who began in Milan, leaves his pawprint on all his restaurants and cafes. This one, though, is dedicated to the memory of his brother, Andrea, who died in a tragic accident two years ago. “It’s definitely not another Wolfox. It’s just Fumi”, he says.

Leading the Circus Street development, although it didn’t really mean to, Fumi is already luring locals in for an Italian coffee and pastry in the morning before dimming the light sculptures by evening for a full-on Japanese fine dining experience. “They were really struggling because it was so big. They wanted the best coffee in town, so they asked us what we could do. But restaurants are our main business, and we wanted to get back to that.”

Circus Street got more than its coffee; the massive glass rectangular building, screened Japanese-style, sits stylishly next to Grand Parade, and brings a little Zen to the area. “We’re doing slow-minded coffee in the morning, and bento boxes for lunch.” I ask about his connection to Japan and he laughs. “I’m from Lake Como. I’m not going to open a pizza restaurant, am I? I love Japanese food; it’s clean for your body if it’s done very well. You have to have balance in life.” 

l Fumi Restaurant, 1 Circus St, BN2 9AS  01273 064516

Brighton Life, Nicholas Lezard

View From The Hill – Nicholas Lezard – August 2023

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I know I’ve written about it before, but I’m going to write about it again. Because it’s the pub. And not just any pub, but the Battle of Trafalgar, which you will know because you pass it on the road up the hill from the station. For some time I avoided it on the grounds that no pub that close to a train station could be any good. How foolish I was. 

Space is tight in The Whistler so I won’t describe it in detail and you probably know it already. Except to say that it is, and this is not meant disparagingly at all, what my children approvingly call “an old man pub”. That is: it doesn’t have TV screens or music, live or recorded. And people of all ages, not just the elderly, can be found there. I wish the fireplace worked so it could be even cosier in winter but you can’t have everything and besides the place really comes into its own in summer, because of its large and well-placed beer garden. Space can be at a premium in Brighton, and even though the town is well-stocked with pubs – the second-highest density of them in the country, after somewhere in Liverpool – there aren’t that many with such a wide-open space, especially in West Hill.

Of course, what makes a pub isn’t just its space, or its look, but the people who run it, and Mel, who has been running the place for more years than I know or can count, has made it the place we love (hiring the right staff has a great deal to do with it; they are wonderful).

And then Covid happened; and other things; and their bills went up as their customer base went down. I don’t go there as often as I’d like to because of similar budgetary restraints but when I popped in there and heard what the mark-up on their energy bills was going to be I had an attack of the vapours and I wasn’t even going to be liable.

So the Battle’s future became up for grabs. The sum being asked that I heard to take it over was … large. And their energy bills had gone up fivefold. Things were looking bad. Few things are more depressing than the closure of a pub, more damaging to a locality. And the companies that own and run most of the pubs in this country are not known for their philanthropy.

Everything seemed to be up in the air until the very last minute. On the day I write this, though, the pub has not closed down, but has changed hands. 

I spoke to Mel about this: she says that the new managers – who have also taken over the Green Dragon (a pub with, shall we say, a history) – seem like the kind of people who won’t be changing the Battle for the worse any time soon. 

She’s going to miss the place but says we should give the new managers a chance. So let’s do just that.

architecture, Brighton Life, Conservation, Environment

Conservation Matters – June 2023

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We care about where we live. Jim Gowans is West Hill’s voice on the City council’s Conservation Advisory Group 

I’ve represented West Hill on the Conservation Advisory Group  (CAG) for over a decade and I’m keen to involve others in the Group. You don’t need particular qualifications other than an interest in our environment. 

CAG is a collection of local groups and societies independent from the council, and provides advice and comments on planning applications affecting listed buildings, conservation areas and so on. An elected representative of CAG is entitled to attend meetings of the Planning Committee and speak in support of CAG’s comments.

In my opinion, it is regrettable that the majority of planning applications are of poor quality and fail to preserve let alone enhance the character of our city’s conservation areas.

The first two applications featured here are such examples, the third shows 76 to 79 Buckingham Road which has greatly improved the street scene. For each, CAG’s reasons and other details are available on the BHCC planning website.

BH2022/02722 17 Buckingham Rd BN1 3RH

Demolition of existing garage and erection of a detached two storey plus basement, one bedroom dwelling (see pic, top right). The Group recommended refusal. Planning officers also refused to grant permission for this development on the corner of Buckingham Rd and Albert Rd. 

BH2022/03758 Footway Opposite 43 Dyke Rd BN1 3JA 

Installation of 20m high telecommunications monopole supporting 6no antennas and the necessary supporting cabinets and equipment. The Group recommended refusal, asserting that it would cause serious harm to the character of the area. Again, planning officers subsequently refused to grant permission for this 5G mast and its ancillary cabinets. 

BH2016/01766 and further applications 76-79 and 80 Buckingham Rd

CAG recommended approval in 2016 for the first of these proposals and is pleased to see that the restoration and development of the four Victorian properties is now complete. The re-instatement of cast iron railings is particularly well executed (see picture), while the plaque to the former headmaster of the Brighton Grammar School, which once occupied the site of no.80, has been preserved.

Unfortunately the corner of the site (no.80) remains derelict. There have been six more planning applications since the 2016 application was granted and one wonders how many more applications and how many more years it will take before the site is built out. 

It should be noted that the “affordable units” are now proposed for this site, but how much longer can those in need of such housing afford to wait?

Do contact The Whistler if you would like to involved. 

Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brighton (OK, and Hove)