ENGLAND IV - SICKNESS STRIKES

BEING ILL


After spending an evening where I became increasingly crampy - got up to use bathroom and had loose BM. Came back to bed but got very nauseous. Threw up a bit. Back to bed but up over next few hours with cramps.  Feeling weak and light headed. Not at all well. Wondering if this due to scallops last evening - possible I suppose...

No Thanksgiving lunch - spent day in bed trying to recover. Finally by 5 felt well enough to go to tea and think about going to CH for dinner in Islington. Got car and went to CH. Survived by eating little and not having too much drink.

JG and RB at dinner. Amusing and fun as usual. Wines as usual also very good.

Mini cab back to club as I could not book Addison Lee -

Tomorrow to Peter Ellis to pick up book and run other errands.

ENGLAND JOURNAL III

PICTURES - London - Club Dinner

PM - Dinner at O&C tonight with SA, who I mentored and her BF JI. Both charming kids. She seems to have settled in at Imperial. Nice chat about past days at Harvard and research she is interested in.

ROH FOR MANON LESCAUT
YESTERDAY EVENING

HAMMERSMITH BRIDGE - LUNCH ALONG RIVER
WITH JR AND PO at The Dove

ENGLAND JOURNAL II

22-11  Full day today.

Out early for a coffee and roll at our favourite café on Pall Mall. Then to Trickers to drop off shoes for repair. Then to New and Lingwood for new collar. Used my Nat West Debit card to pay but clerk showed me it could be used as a "contactless" card. A revelation to me.

Off to Quaritch for 11:30 - lunch with Barbara and will drop off exhibition catalogues as gifts.

Tea with Chris at 4 at O&C then dinner and opera (Manon Lescaut).

Weather has cleared some. There is actual sun out there! Hope it holds for a while.

CONTINUED:

Had a tea about 4:30 then car to ROH. Well in time for dinner at Crush Bar. Hardly anyone Apparently many ppl just order something for the interval as was full then. This a superb venue especially if one has tickets in stall circles. Easy access, coat check not crowded as the one near Floral Hall. Only negative is men's rooms miles away! If you have to have a slash during interval time is an issue.

But the cold supper and wine were perfection as was the opera despite all the negative comment from friends about the staging, Band was excellent and the voices really great! A superb evening over all.

Took a car to the hall but underground back. Found the station easily only negative was a stupid cow of a young bitch who soldered me out of the way on my blind side! It seems Americans are not the only rude yobs!!!

Back to O&C and stopped at bar for  Cognac.

Now to bed. Need to meet JR and PO (and his wife) for lunch. Was to be a sausage fest but for PO's including his wife. Ah well...

ENGLAND JOURNAL - I

20th - Left early for Meldreth. Missed connection at Stevenage due to engineering works! Managed to get connection to Royston. JG collected us at Royston.

His light lunch turned out not to be so light - fois gras with sauterne, slow cooked lamb, potatoes and veg, treacle tart to end. Nice claret with the lamb..

JG kindly drove us to Cambridge. Left at the hotel (Former Garden House) where J realized she had left a bag in John's car. John contacted and brought bag back - all well.

Dressed and arrived at Chapel in good time for the comm. service. Found it very moving as usual especially the use of the old prayer book language.  Sermon was frankly not much.

Big group - Champers in combination rooms a bit of a crush. Then into Hall for dinner. Sung grace by choir. Sat next Casey for dinner. Had not seen in in some time. Talked over past and then politics.

Dinner very good and wines, as usual, of the best especially the white with fish course and the claret for the beef.

More later - must get ready to meet JR for dinner at Lord's.

21st.

Weather has been gray. wet. cold and miserable.

Got an earlier train form Cambridge  to London and doing errand at Bank and purchasing replacement scarf for Caius Scarf stolen from cloak room at Union Club.

Once back at Club had cup of tea and buttered bun. Good refreshing option.

JR here at 4:30. Had quick drink then car to Lord's. At first could not book ADLEE but sorted it out eventually and got to Lord's in good time. Drinks and dinner quite nice - Lancashire Hot pot.  JR, myself and Paul and Andy. Andy was up at john's and read Hx. Was supervised by Abulafia,  Talk was of  cricket, Cambridge and politics (not too much political discourse). Taxi with JR back to Club. Dropped JR at Green Park.

Janet and I went to morning bar for a coffee and I had a brandy.

Tomorrow to Qs and two small errands - drop off shoes for repair and buy wing collar at New and Lingwood.

Dinner and Opera at ROH in evening. But CH to tea at 4,

BY THE WATERS OF BREXIT I SAT DOWN AND WEPT

                                      OFF TO OLD BLIGHTY AND A VISIT TO CAIUS

THE START OF THE VISIT...

Flight tomorrow AM - Boston to London

Sunday train to Meldreth and lunch with JG

Drive to Cambridge and Commemoration Feast at College.

Monday breckers with GT in Cambridge and train to London.

POLITICAL DISCOURSE

ITS NOT SO MUCH A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AS A TRUMP FREAK SHOW

         SEEMS AS IF THE ONY PEOPLE WILLING TO WORK FOR HIM ARE A BUNCH OF

                                             FAILURES REJECTS RACISTS

                                                  AND AN ISLAMAPHOBE

A - D - A VERSA EST IN LUCTUM CITHARA MEA, ET CANTUS MEUS IN VOCEM FLENTIUM

8 NOVEMBER 2016

ASHAMED

DEPRESSED

AFRAID

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side;

Some great cause, God’s new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight,

Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right,

And the choice goes by forever ’twixt that darkness and that light.

Hast thou chosen, O my people, on whose party thou shalt stand,

Ere the Doom from its worn sandals shakes the dust against our land?

Though the cause of Evil prosper, yet ’tis Truth alone is strong,

And, albeit she wander outcast now, I see around her throng

Troops of beautiful, tall angels, to enshield her from all wrong. J, R. Lowell          TRUE FOR TRUMP - TRUE FOR BREXIT