Come with me on my nostalgic journey
I find out that Borneo Bill’s name is not Bill, rather it’s Sieve (pronounced See-ev). He is very chatty. He is a teacher at a university in Malaysia. He likes salsa dancing and Outward Bound. His English is very good. He has a British accent that is peppered with American colloquialisms from his days studying …
Continue reading “October 15, 1999 – In Which I Meet Birmingham’s Deputy Lord Mayor”
In an optimistic frame of mind, I walk to Lloyd’s bank hoping that my PIN number for my new ATM card will be there. I am pleasantly surprised when the teller hands me an envelope. I step outside to use the ATM machine. I insert my card and unbelievably the machine “retains” it. In disbelief, …
Continue reading “October 13-14, 1999 – My Bank Saga Continues”
There is a new guest at the B&B this morning, from Borneo. Tony calls him Borneo Bill. I don’t know if his name is Bill or not. Tony says he hasn’t thought up a nickname for me yet. But I am sure he will! Britain still has milkmen or least Birmingham does. I see the …
It is still quite warm here. I admire the pretty pink roses still blooming on the neighbor’s hedge as I walk to work. It seems strange for roses to be flourishing in October. Today is a research day. It’s not all work though. I spend an inordinate amount of time making travel plans, deciding where …
Continue reading “October 11, 1999 – A Mermaid and the Brummie Accent”
I am off early to Nottingham. I have to change trains in Derby. It takes me a while to figure out that the destination city they are announcing, which the train official pronounces “Darby,” is the one I want. I start off at the Tales of Robin Hood, a tourist attraction geared towards kids. It’s …
Continue reading “October 10, 1999 – In Which I Learn How Nottingham Got its Name”
The Cotswolds are enchanting; a place that time passed by. Built on the wealth of the medieval wool trade, the villages look much the same as when they were built in the Middle Ages. With their thatched-roof cottages, cobbled market squares, and Gothic “wool” churches—all made of the soft honey-colored Cotswold limestone—the villages are so …
Continue reading “October 9, 1999 – Timeless, Enchanting Cotswolds”
Dean’s nine-year-old daughter, Ari, is keeping count of how many days it’s rained since we’ve been in England. She is up to 15 days; so it’s about 50-50. Monday dawns sunny, but becomes increasingly cloudy as the day goes on. Dean and I spend the day in London on research visits. After leaving my bag …
My Bayswater hotel was full last night and the breakfast room is crowded. After breakfast, I walk to nearby Kensington Gardens; the end where the little Peter Pan statue is located. On our previous trip, at my instigation, Brian, Mom, and I walked the full length of Kensington Gardens, nearly a mile, to see this …
Continue reading “October 3, 1999 – The Extraordinary Spencer House, London”
My lovely Irish vacation over, I arrive back in London where I am staying through Monday when Dean and I have a meeting with the Audit Commission. But I have the rest of the weekend in London. I check into another of the ubiquitous cheap hotels with tiny rooms near Padding Station and am off …
We’re in for a rainy few days before I leave for Ireland. At night, the rain lashes against the window at times so hard, it wakes me. Brenda gives me some travel tips for Ireland. She recommends going to the Cliffs of Moher, which she says is her absolute favorite. “It’s brilliant,” she says. But …
Continue reading “September 19-22, 1999 – A Maine Coincidence and Encountering the Tower Ravens”
Jody’s UK Memories