Recovering my mojo

Of course, my plan was to continue working seamlessly as we transitioned into holiday but organising a family Christmas got me in its maw and then I hit a wall of fatigue. Going down to Worthing on my birthday was a good trip though.

The shingle and boardwalk garden is on the western end of the seafront. It integrates well with the beach but the lack of boundaries also means it sort of tails off into beach debris. The planting is drought-tolerant. I prefer the low growing springy mounds to the ubiquitous Phormium.

 There's an imaginative broadly nautically-themed play area with a white sand safety surface. I would have liked to have taken a much closer look if only I'd brought a suitably aged child with me.

The Splash Point area is at the eastern end of the sea front. It's a smaller, more contained area than I appreciated from photos, with a substantial sea wall curving around the seaward side. It's also a bit of a thoroughfare for cyclists. I thought the scale and detail complemented the setting well.

Other interesting stuff to help me get back on track:

• Tracey Emin on R4 'Today' talking about the regeneration of Dreamland in Margate and the need for more neon
• TED talks - Paula Scher talking about serious vs. solemn design
• 99% invisible weekly design podcast - a little 5 minute idea fest.