Early Summer Back in England

Plans of mice and men ! Instead of having the leisurely few weeks I had planned for family and house-maintenance, I found myself run off my feet. Partly, of course, this was because I hadn't been able to get rid of the academic impedimenta that my reluctance to say 'no' (much commented on by   Cherry - but they might not ask again !); indeed I even accumulated another commitment at Oxford, on the Russians.

                But the main issue was an unexpected, shocking and very sad funeral for a long time friend and colleague from Greenwich days, John who was married to another friend and colleague, Victoria. I had a lot to do with both of them, and as Victoria said, I was responsible for their getting together since I appointed them both. The funeral was up in North Yorkshire. It was nice to see Peter, Charles other colleagues of that happy time,even in such circumstances. But it was a long way to drive so I stayed at a nearby farm house in the Dales,  and also took the opportunity to visit the absolutely delightful Mosely Old Hall on the way up.

                This was where Charles II sought refuge after losing the battle of Worcester - a large Tudor Farmhouse that I can honestly say was one of the very best and inspiring historic houses I have ever visited. Highly recommended. First a guided tour, being shown the priests hole that  Charles hid in while Roundhead soldiers searched the place, and then we were free to wander round the place to get the atmospherics, something that's becoming more and more difficult with the National Trust.

Skipton castle near my destination was also interesting but that Friday morning  (before the funeral) it was crammed with excited small schoolchildren on end-of-term trips ; historical reflections were submerged by their shrill excitements, so I was glad to get a text inviting me to join Peter and Katie at a nearby hostelry for lunch, even after the gargantuan farmhouse breakfast I had already enjoyed. I hadn't visited this area before very much and was very impressed by it. The view from my bedroom was pleasant. It's quite a few years since I have been so close to sheep.

                The other event was the regretful but inevitable decision to have poor Minnie put to sleep Her condition had very noticeably deteriorated even in the few days since my return. As one of the girls at the vet said, it was as though she had been waiting to see me for the last time. I was more upset by this than I had anticipated, not least because it was the severing of another link with Cherry. Minnie was definitely her cat and I couldn't help but recall the way the cat cuddled unknowingly up to Cherry's body after she had died. Very sad. This and arranging the obsequies also took time and emotional capital. Minnie was 20 , a grand old age for a pedigree Burmese. Poor old thing. The bread oven looks very cold and dark without her !

 

                The car needed attention too. When talking to Nathan (my gardener, cat and house-sitter), I had noticed that it looked a bit odd parked in the garage but wondered if it only because I was now used to my much higher looking Jeep in Newport. But when I reversed it out I found something mysterious lying on the floor. I had no idea what it was picked it up and looked at it dubiously.  Something seemed wrong. I guessed it might be the suspension so gingerly drove to Kwikfit in Devizes gentling the car round corners. They found that somehow or other a rear spring had fallen out all on its own. They were able to fix it and the two days later the car also passed an inspection at Heritage in Salisbury with flying colours - for a 13 year old car it was in excellent condition,. Good cars these Passats they said - which was quite nice given that their main money came from selling new ones !

                There were some nice social events too. A churches visit - the first I have been able to manage this year, a very pleasant college re-union at Wansdyke  with Tony and Maya doing the honours for John, Melanie and me. Tony and Maya stayed in the house (or the Granny annexe)  for three months while their new house in Shaftesbury was being worked on, a process that to them seemed to be taking forever, with constant delays. In the end they decided to go back to Shaftesbury even though the house was barely liveable in - just to be in a position to crack the whip over the builders. I hope they will think it worthwhile in the end !  For me of course, their presence was ideal. Keeping an eye on cat and house when I wasn't there, and company and live-in cooks when I was ! I was sad to see them go. 

                 Ruth, Simon and Violet came for one weekend - Violet of course being the star of the show, just on the edge of walking and thoroughly delightful. We all decamped to Bristol for a day in order to see (Great) Auntie Shelagh  and her now three cats, the wandering Harry having been returned after disappearing for a year. A very trendy place, Bristol with a Gay Pride march making the bad traffic rather worse than usual. A fun day nonetheless 

                Finally,  a week long conference in Portsmouth to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. On the way I called in on the Powell tribe in Burgess Hill for a couple of night. The original aim was to have seen Martha in her end-of year and end-of-primary-school play. Sadly I had to miss that because of a rescheduled medical appointment, but I did get to see her perform in a quite bizarre charity dancing event in the local Tesco, where her dance school performed very professionally I thought I front of the shop's magazine racks for an hour or so.

 

At the conference,  I   had a keynote to give, which was a bit daunting to a hundred or so real historians ( since I'm not really one) but it seemed to go OK. The Newport party were accommodated at a hotel in the relatively new Gunwharf shopping and leisure centre in the waterside territory of the old HMS Vernon, near the famous Spinnaker Tower. I've been before. Cherry and I once light-heartedly speculated about selling up and getting a flat just opposite so that I could sit on the balcony and watch the ships and ferries coming in and out. This time we would have had a good view of the enormous Queen Elizabeth, the first of our new carriers which was alongside in the dockyard. In the afternoon I walked around Portsmouth looking at all its many family sites. The house where we Tills came to after our time in Egypt, Granny Beech's house, my primary school, Aunts Ethel and Alice's house, 4 Merton Road the much, much  grander establishment where Aunt Ethel worked as housekeeper/companion to 'Miss Feenie,' (and where I think my antique proclivities came from - how many other ten year olds would choose a Regency bureau as a keepsake !!)  the King's Theatres where I was taken for the Christmas pantomime etc etc. It really was a 'trip down memory lane.'  I also came across many of its historic sites as well, the house where the Duke of Buckingham was assassinated in 1628, the Nelson trail (of course), the Round Tower and the Hot Walls, the Still and West where Cherry, Grandma the kids and I
had fish and chips when waiting for our ferry to Brittany, and so on and so forth. Portsmouth has a lot going for it, but I don't think I'll be retiring there !