Friday 29th December. We leave for Berlin. First we take Heathrow – then we take Berlin. Slept well.
Blood Pressure 137/88. Pulse 77 We left home at 8.30 and made our way to Heathrow via the Victoria and Piccadilly lines. When we got to Heathrow we found our flight had been cancelled but we had been re scheduled onto a later one with no stop off in Dusseldorf. Rain and bad weather the culprit. As it was we left 1 hour later than we were supposed to but left in perfect weather. Sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky. Lots of planes lined up to take off. Just like cars on a road. Perfect flying conditions. No turbulence. Flight seemed over in an hour or so and finished off with a perfect landing. I was reminded that 70 years ago lots of similar flights took place – all around the same time of day - all carrying bombs. If you read Leonard Cheshire’s book he explains how relaxing some flights were. The rhythm of the engines were reassuring. They just kept going no matter what. They inspired confidence. Cool clear nights. He never seemed to have any trouble with flack. He just kept on. He almost seems to have enjoyed it. He explains it rather well. In 1971 when I left Heathrow I believe there was only one terminal. I have to admit this was the saddest day of my life. I haven’t had much sadness in my life but this was a perfect example of sadness. My memory is that it was full of Indians in native dress waiting for their relatives to arrive. Beards. Turbans. Long shirts. Etc. Lots of old people. The Government had just bought in legislation restricting entry to nonwhite people and everyone who could get on a plane was coming before it came into effect. People were at the airport hoping their relatives would be on the next plane. Or that is what seemed to me to be the case. Maybe they had already arrived and were waiting for someone to come and pick them up. Just the opposite to me. Now there are 5 terminals. All very busy. All separate from each other. We had not been in terminal 2 before. This one is for Europe and North America. When we got to Tegal we bought 7 day public transport passes. We took the bus and S Bahn. And after some adventures where I again took out my frustrations on Jenny we gained entry to our little flat which looks authentically East Berlin. Big heavy doors. Five stories high with no lift. We are on the ground floor fortunately. Thick walls. Very basic materials and furniture. Leftover floorboards. Socialist facilities. No hint of any privilege although this must have been in effect a sought after area.. We walked back up the street and had a very filling Lebanese meal after buying provisions in a supermarket. Lots of young people about. Seems to be a suburb for young people. Interesting going through immigration at Tegel. Two areas. One EU and one non EU. Of course we were in the non EU. An English woman just ahead of me in the queue was asked why she was in this queue as she was English and she replied - I thought we voted to leave. She then explained – we aren’t in the EU any more. The official just shrugged his shoulders and waved her through. Which brings up a fine point. What do ratbags like Rees Mogg do when they travel to Europe? Do they insist on going through the non EU queue? We got talking to a young German girl on the bus and when we got to Beusselstratz station I asked her if this was in East Berlin. She seemed taken aback at the question and said she did not know. The station had the look of East German austerity about it. I’m sure she did not know and hadn’t been asked the question before. It’s amazing how quickly history moves on. Thursday 28th December Last day in UK. Blood Pressure 120/69. Pulse 71 Slept well during the night. Still nothing on TV. Watched It’s Me or My Dog. A large boxer’s behavior was modified. Of course we only see the successes. I feel a bit better than yesterday. We left home around 10.45. Initially intended to go to Epping Forrest but on the way decided to go to Richmond. This was a partial mistake as when we got to Gloucester Road we were told this was the end of the line as The District Line was closed for further repairs. We had to change to the Piccadilly Line and then get a bus from Hammersmith. I went to Richmond several times in 1970. Even impressed other Australians by taking them to Richmond Park and showing them a farm the Queen owned where you could actually watch people milking cows. There were also lots of Deer in the Park. I was there the Saturday morning that Abbey Road was released. I just happened to be in a newsagents when I heard it being played over the loudspeaker. They had the BBC Saturday morning show on. Kenny Everett. Normally he would take the mickey out of any and all groups when he played new releases but on this occasion he was almost reduced to silence. He wasn’t going to make fun of The Beatles. He actually said “These Guys are geniuses”. More than once. He only spoke seriously which I had never heard him do before. He had always been funny and silly before. Always making fun of people. I stood and listened to the whole of side 2 in silence. Spellbound. I was impressed but I already knew they were geniuses. My memory of Richmond is that it was a little town at the end of the line and it had a big Park next to it which had Deer in it and at the end of the Park there was the Queens Dairy Farm. Of course it’s nothing like that now if it ever was as I remember. I didn’t mind walking then so distances mustn’t have bothered me. It’s a quite big town now. Authentic looking. Nothing looking very new. Lots of people in the street and in the Park. Lots of cars on the roads. Lots of expensive looking flats. We walked back along the river and had lunch in a Pret. Cars drive through the Park. No sign of Deer. In 1970 I’m sure I was the only person in the Park. There seemed to be lots of Deer. Not that there were many people in the village. Before I came to England I had watched The Forsyth Saga on TV and part of it was set in Richmond. I thought I had actually found where they filmed the outdoor shots. I have the slide to prove it. Or think I have. My memory is so strong yet its obvious that I don't remember everything. Richmond is much larger than I remember it. And the park is quite a way from the town. I cannot remember getting tired of walking like I did today. We got a bus from Richmond to Ealing Broadway. An interesting drive. Dark by the time we got to Ealing Broadway. Then on to Oxford Circus. Oxford Street was even more crowded than usual. Watched a TV presentation about Francis Bacon 9-10.30. Illuminating. People speaking about him in human terms. Did he like gambling or painting? Both - and probably painting more than gambling even though he claimed he didn’t. Was he a masochist? Yes. Was he the best painter of the 20th Century? Close to it. Probably was not as good as Picasso but came close. Was not as prolific as Picasso but then again destroyed a lot of his paintings. A neighbor was interviewed and said it was his job to see that paintings Francis thought were unsuitable were destroyed. They had to be cut up and burned. Photographs were taken of some of them. The neighbor says he was tempted to keep pieces of the paintings but he didn’t keep even one. He could have had a painting worth millions. He swears he didn’t anyway. I saw a lot of paintings I had not seen before. Towards the end he introduced brighter more benign colours into his work and he experimented with landscapes. The same effect as his portraits. A powerful fragment capturing the spirit of the image. I think history will judge him to be an even better painter than was thought to be when he was alive. My impression is that he is throwing back into our faces all our prejudices. Plus he could unmistakably capture the power of the person. I also think that all his so called violent figures only show peace and tranquility. Summing up our stay in London I would say I didn’t enjoy it as much as the last 2 times. Although it was interesting living in Oxford Street. We probably know as much about London now as we can. I don’t have the same feeling about London as I did 50 years ago. Things have changed. I came to London an unhappy person. I had an unhappy childhood. I was an unhappy adolescent. I was an unhappy young person. I had talked myself out of 3 jobs and I had destroyed my private life. I felt Australia was morally corrupt because of its enthusiastic involvement in the Vietnam War. I considered Australia to be monstrous even. Its actions were unforgivable. Everyone was tainted. And I didnt fit in anywhere. People considered me a freak. I was called unpatriotic. All adults looked on me with suspicion. I had no friends. I was in effect an outcast and I felt like one. I felt I had no life. So I did what young people could do in those days. I went to London. I was lucky. I went and immediately became happy. I made friends. I felt I was not considered freakish or weird. I was not an outcast. I felt London was a happy friendly place. I became a happy friendly person overnight. I felt very much at home in London. London was my town. I would have been happy if I could have lived there for the rest of my life. Now I don’t feel as if I belong there. It has changed. It’s just another place in the world. An interesting place no doubt, But it’s not mine any more. The people don’t see me as their friend. Young people are concerned with their own lives. And their lives appear to be harder than mine was when I was their age. I have got too old to be able to make friends as easily as I did in 1969. I think the Brexit vote has changed things completely. It has focused attitudes. The sad fact is British people don’t like foreigners. And foreigners who work behind counters know this. They have hardened their own attitudes somewhat – they know that they aren’t wanted. They have changed their behavior. They are not as outgoing as they were on the last 2 visits. They are hesitant. They are more suspicious. Not as friendly or happy as they used to be. London is not as happy as it used to be. Wednesday 27th December Up at 6AM. Not a lot on TV. Reduced to watching Mr. Bean and Homes Under the Hammer. Blood Pressure 140/71. Pulse 58. Raining outside. I woke up in pain during the night but I lay very still and went back to sleep. A cold takes all the energy out of your body. I worked out I would be 1 or 2 blood thinning tablets short so we had to go to the NHS. A building off Soho Square. No problems. Everyone very congenial. Got 7 tablets to tide me over. Thanks to the wonderful NHS. Lots of people in Oxford Street. There must have been a fair amount of rain early morning because there were lots of puddles in the street and I had the wrong shoes on. I didn’t exactly get wet feet but close to it. So we had to come home in order for me to change my shoes. We took the Central Line to Bank and walked to The Borough Market. Fair crowd. I had a rice Paella. Jenny had a vegetable falafel. We then walked back to The Bank of England Museum. The same as last time. I don’t believe there are any changes except for the new notes. We came home early because I was tired. I am being persuaded that 4 weeks in London is perhaps too long for someone my age. Tuesday 26th December – Boxing Day Up at 6.30 AM. Despite all the promises nothing on TV. The only thing worth watching is an ABC production Life at the Zoo. Tigers and Chimps. Depressing watching the European Parliament debate Brexit progress. Donald Trump has twittered that he has saved Christmas. Unfortunately what we have in this world is a lot of genuine idiots who voted for him. Blood Pressure 131/73. Pulse 59 I progressively got symptoms of a cold as the night went on. But I don’t feel too bad this morning. Just exhausted I guess. I should spend the day in bed. But we have Dick Whittington to go to. Emailed our landlord in Berlin. Checked out how to get from Tegel to Schonhauser Allee by public transport. We walked around a bit learning the lay of the land. Had lunch at Le Pain Quotidian. Which means The Daily Bread. It was quite good. We might go there again. It is a Belgian franchise. A step up from Pret. I think the food is better than good. Jenny has a better sense of direction than I do. Went into the Liberty Store. Very expensive. Didn’t move far from Oxford Street/Regents Street but I would have got lost if I was on my own because we came out a different door and my sense of direction had got mixed up. When we finally got to the Palladium there was a large crowd outside wanting to get in. Old Theatre. Only one gent’s toilet as far as I could see. They appear to have converted some gents into ladies. Every seat in the house taken. The show wasn’t too bad. Lots of children laughing. Julian appears to have had a recent encounter with Botox and it is fair to say he has put on some weight. Nearly falls into imitating Frankie Howard at times. Lots of people in the cast. Very elaborate costumes. Elaine Paige still has a wonderful voice. Very good ventriloquist in the cast. Tough looking athletic dancers. Nigel Havers playing himself and is made fun of by everyone. The Dame sang a song that mentions every tube station using the Can Can melody. Even Preston Road. The audience loved it. A number of audience participations. Middle aged men calling out. Lots of songs from other shows. Lloyd Weber high on the list. Some members of the audience extremely willing to take part in proceedings. Oh No You Don’t. Etc being called out. Children on stage from the audience to finish the show. One child said I saw your lips move to the ventriloquist. Only one of the chorus girls was trying to be sexy. I wont say how I know this but I am old fashioned in these matters. Believe me I notice these things. Dark when the show ended. It had been raining during the show. We watched Travel Man in Hong Kong. Actor out of Madmen was the guest. Well informed for an American. Interesting place Hong Kong – wonderful place for a holiday - but extremely expensive. But we know Hong Kong does have the highest salaries of anywhere in the world so you better be rich when you go there. We watched a quiz called Big Fat Quiz of the year. Lots of extreme swearing. Could not understand a word one of the comedians said. He won the quiz. Monday 25th December – Christmas Day. Up at 6AM. Despite being promised lots of good shows over Christmas nothing on TV. I reset the heater so it was not baking hot during the night. I can hear the rubbish men outside. Nothing stops for rubbish. They still have street sweepers here. Both men and machines. No wheely bins in this area. So you have both trucks manually emptying bins and you also have mechanical sweepers cleaning the streets. And you also have individual men sweeping the old fashioned way. Blood Pressure 127/72. Pulse 87 Talked to both James and Alex on Facetime. Very enjoyable. Alex was able to talk to James via our link. James was in Canberra and Alex was in Prahran. Jenny also talked to Pat. We walked to Oxford Street. Surprisingly there were some people in the street. I would say they are all foreign tourists. No public transport of any kind today. We walked down Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus then through Horse Guards Parade to Westminster. Lots more safety railings and bollards where people have recently been killed. I don’t think anyone could drive a car into people now on Westminster Bridge or Westminster Square. We heard Big Ben strike 12. They are allowing it to strike between Christmas and New Year. Lots of people in Whitehall. Lots of people around the Houses of Parliament. Nearly as many as what normally are. We crossed the bridge and started to walk along Southbank towards Tower Bridge. Big crowds of people. The Eye not working today. On Westminster bridge a number of groups gambling on which mug has the ball under it. The ringmaster moves the ball and 3 mugs around and you have to put your foot on which mug you think the ball is under and put up your money. A surprising number of Middle Eastern women in attendance. Eastern European or Middle Eastern men running the games. The same game used to be played outside Finsbury Park Railway Station 50 years ago. This time it’s right in the centre of tourist activity. A Pret next to the MI5 building was open. Or is it the MI6 building? Lots of tourists walking up and down Southbank. A number of eating places open and well patronized. We only got as far as Waterloo Bridge. We left home too late to walk the whole way to Tower Bridge. We had to come home for Christmas Lunch. Walked back over Waterloo Bridge. One minus about the increase in security is that you cannot pass from one side of the bridge to the other in the middle of the bridge. If you want to pass to the other side because it offers a better photo opportunity you cannot. You have to stay on one side all the way across. We walked back through Soho. Covent Garden. Shaftsbury Avenue. I admit it would be hard to learn the knowledge if you wanted to become a taxi driver. So many small streets. Nowadays however we see what appear to be Uber drivers driving around and looking at their iphones. Jenny says she has even seen a man driving looking at an ipad. We had a large Christmas lunch. I had a post lunch sleep. Missed the Queens speech on TV. Watched it on youtube. I don’t think she said as much as was speculated about. After dark I went for a walk by myself. I proved how easy it is to get lost in London. Ended up in Regents Street when I didn’t mean to. Starbucks open. Reasonable number of people in the street. Sunday 24th December Up at 6.45. Slept reasonably well. Flat is heated to excess and we cannot manipulate the heater properly. It is either hot or cold. Blood Pressure 123/72. Pulse 76 I walked up to Tesco to buy the Sunday newspapers. Not many people in the street. Pretty well all the coffee houses and restaurants are closed. Later on we walked along Oxford Street to do some shopping. Much less people in the street than normal. Found out an anomaly in the retail traders act. You can go into shops and pick out your purchases but you cannot pay for them until 11AM. We came home for lunch and then went to see Paddington 2 at the Odeon in Charing Cross Road. It was where we walked yesterday. Quite a good film but I had trouble staying awake. Charming film set in places where we have walked. Very well acted by Hugh Grant. We walked to Piccadilly Circus after the film. Lots of people in the streets. We walked home via Regent Street. I am getting to know London better than I did when I lived here. When you mostly travel by the tube you don’t know the layout of the land except for a small area around each tube station. Plus you never know north south east or west. You don’t know the distances above ground between places. Getting ready for Christmas Day. Watched a bit of the Carol Singers from Kings College Cambridge. They sang a carol we first heard in Benalla last Christmas. They sang the same carol in The Albert Hall. Neither place said what it was. We don’t know what it is called. I thought it was Australian but maybe it’s not. Also heard it being played in one of the souvenir shops. Dads Army on TV. Hadn’t seen it before. Lots of silly slapstick. Inspector Maigret on TV. High production values but very slim plot. Saturday 23rd December Up at 6AM. Absolutely nothing on TV. Problem is it takes an hour to work this out. Caught up on my emails. Blood Pressure 105/64. Pulse 75 Jenny took me for coffee at the Urinal just down the street. An underground lavatory that was closed probably in the 70’s has been converted into a coffee house. We spoke to an Australian Chef who lives in London. The restaurant where he works is just around the corner. He says as a chef he can easily go anywhere in the world and find employment. Comes from Sydney and goes home with his wife and children every year but has been working abroad for about 10 years. Checked out Brian and Gills Hotel. It is off Park Lane. Their nearest tube station is either Green Park or Hyde Park Corner. Came home and took the portrait of Regents Park to the nearest framer to be fixed. He and she were quite nice. Have a business in the middle of London. Have been there for a number of years. Know the local history. Had lunch at a Pret. We then checked out 84 Charing Cross Road and by a happy fluke found the plaque telling the story. Took Photos. Lots of people in the street. We then went to The Tate Britain. A bit better than last time. Still too many old paintings. Lots of Turners but remember you can overdose on Turner. Found one Lowry. Only one Francis Bacon. Could not find a Lucian Freud. One Hockney. I took some photos. An exhibition of Impressionist Painters who came and painted in London but I feel 19 pounds is too much to pay. Jenny says this is equivalent to what it costs in Melbourne to see special exhibitions. Afternoon tea at the Gallery Café. We got the bus back to Trafalgar Square. Was very tired by this time. Very large numbers milling around Oxford Circus. Dads Army on TV. Friday 22nd December. Woke up at 6 with my alarm but lay down again and slept till 6.50. Very sore back. Boris is in Moscow. Relations are supposed to be at the lowest ebb ever. Watched a bit of The House of Lords. Youngish woman Minister. Surprisingly young compared to other members. Her answer followed by some sort of ritual. Mace was carried out without explanation. Jenny was ill last night but is recovering. Blood Pressure 123/55. Pulse 54. We attended the Carol Singing at The Royal Albert Hall. Enjoyable. Full House. The announcer/conductor was very good. I believe he was from the Old Fashioned Music Hall show from the 70’s. Whatever he made the show. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Sang along with gusto. We had a very good voice singing behind us. Could not make out which woman it was just by looking. I don’t think I have been so close to a good voice before. One jarring point. After my comment that I thought black people especially black woman had integrated themselves into mainstream society there was not one black face in the audience. Not one. At one point two little girls danced in the front row. Everyone went ooh and aah. I could not help asking myself that if the little girls had had black skin and African hair would the audience have reacted in the same way. After that we retraced a walk I did one Friday night before Christmas 50 years ago. I will explain. On the Friday before Christmas in 1969 I left work at 5.20PM and walked to Trafalgar Square. Just on a whim. I cannot recall any particular reason. I turned right out of the front doors of Australia House and set off down the Strand. It was a memorable walk. It was cool verging on cold. Everyone was in a festive mood. Trafalgar Square already had its Christmas tree. I took note that there was a group of women singing next to the tree. When I got to Trafalgar Square I walked to the singing group and joined in with them singing Carols. Four woman in their 30’s. I just joined in. One handed me the words. Absolutely no embarrassment. I sang along with gusto. From the heart. It was magic. Innocent and pure. It summed up London for me. I could not help reflect that there was no way this could happen in Australia. We took the train to Temple and reconstructed the walk of 50 years ago. This time there were less people in the street. But they seemed more boisterous. There are more bright lights. Lots of new buildings. Not to the point where it bears no relation to 50 years ago but heading that way. The Savoy and Somerset House are still there. I’m sure there were no Theatres in the street 50 years ago. There were less people in Trafalgar Square 50 years ago. Instead of my amateur singing group there was a group of woman singing and collecting money for charity. They had some help from technology whereas my group from 50 years ago were singing solo. And they weren’t asking for money. This group had a backing tape and a conductor. But their singing wasn’t as good as the group was 50 years ago. I bumped into Mark Kermode in The Strand – literally – and he ran his case over my foot. I tried to talk to him but he wasn’t interested. He virtually ran off after apologizing. I told him I listened to him every week. He wasn’t impressed. It had no effect on him. Maybe I should write and point out how he should treat his fans. Thursday 21st December. Woke up about 7.00. Slept OK. Had a good look out the windows. Garden all around the house. Well cared for. Very English. Summer house/greenhouse. Separate garden shed. The garden has evolved to its present condition over several hundred years. Same for the house. Garden is on at least 3 levels. Is indeed in a village or hamlet. Breakfast with Chris. He had been into Petworth to pick up the newspapers. Guardian and a local paper. It’s hard to adequately explain how welcome they make you feel and the feeling of generosity that they exhibit. They are both very kind generous people. Margaret especially. This has been an amazing trip. I contact 2 people who I haven’t seen in 50 years and they both show me interest and generosity. It’s like 50 years did not exist. We are all still the same people. I am eternally grateful that we have had this experience. It is both enjoyable and good for the soul. Lots of talk about both the past and the present. Margaret explained that she is now much older than her mother was when she died. This shocks me. Margaret seems so much younger than her mother was when I knew her 50 years ago. I still feel the same as what I did when I was 24 and I presume I act the same also. But there must be some differences. I admit I look older and this will influence how people perceive me. The same with Margaret’s mother. Margaret is very much like her mother in both looks and ways. She is almost identical. Very nice breakfast. Lots of options. We could virtually have whatever we want. Very modern kitchen which they had installed when they moved in. They actually bought the house from an Australian mining magnate of some wealth. Very well appointed kitchen. Dual purpose micro wave. After a relaxing breakfast they took us on a walk to look at the village. We walked to the highest hill to get a look at the view. Could see the South Downs. The Downs are a series of unbroken hills that stretch for a substantial length. The joke is you go up the Downs. I was the slowest walker. Some things have changed in 50 years. I used to be a strong walker. I could do it all day. Age must be catching up. My lungs are not processing enough oxygen to produce the required energy for me to keep up. I also experience some pain in buttocks and hips. Too much lying about and watching TV is extracting its revenge. Chris is a keen walker. Says he walked 60 miles for his 60th birthday and 70 miles for his 70th birthday. Is planning 80 miles for his 80th birthday. I don’t doubt he will do it. We saw where they have replanted heather. There is a problem with bracken. Chris showed us the site for the proposed new Community Store. We walked round most of the village. Some large attractive houses. Quite a large school as children come from other villages. Farms abut the village. Saw a cow which appeared to be dead. I thought about climbing across the fence to check but the barbed wire was too uninviting. Chris and Margaret delivered some Christmas Cards as we walked. One pub in the village but quite a substantial size. Some impressive houses. Chris is the local Parish Chairman. This is an important post and involves a lot of work. There is a river on the edge of town with a Millhouse. We saw them both. We returned to their house for lunch prior to our leaving. They drove up to Petworth to allow us to have a good look before we got the train back to London. Petworth has a lot of Antique shops. It is known for them. All are pretty flash. We had tea and coffee at a teahouse. Had a look at Petworth Castle. A previous Lord was a patron of artists including Turner. Part of the recent Turner film was filmed there because Turner spent time there as the guest of the Lord. The current Lord is a writer. The castle is run by the National Trust. A large house. Must have cost big money to build it. I was lucky in 1969. I saw a card in the notice board next to Earls Court tube and answered it. Before I was accepted into the flat at 75 Eardley Crescent I was subjected to an interview of sorts. We all sat round the small table in the lounge/dining room. When it was coming to the end Chris advised that they were all leftists living there. I replied that I was a leftist too. Didn’t really know what it meant except I knew I was one. I was prepared to say I supported East Germany over West Germany and considered East Germany to be the home of truth and justice. But I didn’t say this. Probably just as well. I also did not say in effect I was a political refugee from Australia. Probably just as well also. In 1969 Chris was going to Imperial College. I once asked him what he was studying at that particular moment. He said he was measuring the electrical curve in kerosene. I asked him what was the material benefit of this. He told me but I cannot remember his exact words. I think he said in effect he said that all liquids have a different electrical curve so you can quickly identify what the liquid or substance is by testing its electrical curve. Or you can compare curves. Or at least I think this is what he said. Maybe he mentioned aviation fuel. They took us to Pulborough Station where we got the train back to London. What an amazing 4 days. Split equally between Denis and Chris and their wives. Wednesday December 20th. Up at 6AM. Slept all through the night without having to go to the toilet. What makes my body go from 5 times a night to not once? Watched a bit of the House of Lords debate on how they should select their members. Impressive but didn’t seem to come to any conclusion. Could not work out Tory from Labour or Lib Dem by just looking at them. The class difference has disappeared. At least in The House of Lords. Slater and Gordon have ads here on commercial TV. What a comedown. Blood Pressure 117/60. Pulse 52. We went to Carnaby Street. It has changed beyond recognition in 50 years. Gone amazingly upmarket. Part of its charm 50 years ago was its make do attitude. The shops were small but had good clothes. Modern. It had style and substance. You could safely buy stuff there. It wasn’t tacky. It was trendy in the best sense. Kevin’s friend’s record shop was very narrow and long. No longer there. Now the shops are large and clothes expensive. Only one blue plaque that I could see. The Small Faces and their Manager had an office there in the 70’s. I know that at least 3 of them are now dead. Their Manager had the reputation of being ruthless. We then went to Denmark Street. Looked in the music shops. Did not buy any sheet music although there were lots of temptations. Everything is so expensive. My natural inclination is to not spend money. Took some photos. A number of guitar shops with very expensive guitars on sale. We then went to the National Gallery. A better sampling of 19th and 20th Century paintings than last time. Still too many old paintings. Most of these paintings were produced by factory like studios. These studios could crank out paintings by the hundreds and did. If you got taken on as an apprentice you were taught to paint in a specific way. Sometimes these studios did throw up individual geniuses which produced masterpieces. I admit it. And they are easy to spot but the galleries think that because a painting is old and it is of an aristocrat then it is worth exhibiting. But it wasn’t until the 19th Century that people started to paint in order to produce real art. Things of beauty. Paintings that they individually wanted to paint and only please themselves. The number of old paintings should be culled substantially. I took lots of photos. We came home at about 4PM. At 5.30 we left and went to visit Chris and Margaret. We left Victoria for Nunhead at 6.15. Met Chris and Margaret at the station. They took us by car to their cottage at Fittleworth. Took a long time to get out of London. South London goes on forever. Traffic was not too bad and finally we got on the freeway. We had to call and drop something at a friend’s house and we more or less drove past where their children live. They have 2 children both married with 2 children each. Much enjoyable talk in the car to catch up. Chris is Chairman of his local Parish Council. They have a flat in South London as well as the cottage in Fittleworth. They look after their grandchildren at least one day a week. They come to London regularly. Chris and Denis have had parallel lives to an extent. Same kind of job. Same success. Both retired early. Both live in villages in the general area where they came from. Both have taken on public responsibilities in the village. Same kind of houses. Same number of children. Same kind of life. They took us to a local pub for tea. I had fish chowder and helped Margaret finish her pheasant. Very pleasant atmosphere. A dog in the bar. Very well dressed people drinking and socialising. Life is obviously different in England and different again in the countryside. More relaxed and I would say more respectful than Australia. No comparison to Australian Pubs. If modern day English people came to Australia they would be shocked by some Australian Pubs. If Chris and Margaret ever came to Benalla I would take them to The Farmers Arms just to see how surprised they were. Tuesday 19th December Up at 6AM. Nothing on TV except 3rd Rock from the Sun. This takes an hour to check out. But unfortunately nothing. I don’t like Pierce whatever his name is. Steve told us his grandchildren’s voices are in Hey Duggie. We will have to watch for it. One year until Crossrail opens. Blood Pressure118/71. Pulse 72. We went to Nottinghill Gate and walked to Portobello Road. It bears no relation to how I remember it 50 years ago. Back then there were second hand clothes being sold in stalls that stood in the middle of the road. We walked the length of it. Not all shops open. Could not find the shop I was looking for. Mostly tourists in the street. Not much money changing hands. Saw a blue plaque advising George Orwell lived there. We then walked Kensington Palace. Did not spot William or Harry. But the part of the Palace open to the public is quite historic. Interesting also. The guides doing the explaining are good. Queen Victoria, William and Mary and Queen Anne. The 2 Georges. All lived in Kensington Palace. Saw the room where Victoria was born. Lots of the mundane details of Royal Family life explained. All very interesting. Some certainly had their problems. One or 2 questions – what did the 2 Georges get out of the over the top ritual that had to be followed in order to come into contact with them? Clothes and cosmetics for instance? And what did the participants get out of following the procedures in order to meet the Royal Family? It’s a mystery. We saw the exhibition of Diana’s clothes. Lots of photographs. You can judge her development from her looks as to how she changed. Don’t exactly feel sorry for her but have to admit she wasn’t suited to the job. You have to feel some pity. Yet this is what she wanted to do. When she said she wanted to be a workhorse instead of a clotheshorse I thought she finally said something I understood. But why did she wait till so late in the day. Yet I admit she did some remarkable things. She sometimes acted sensibly in comparison to other Royal Family members. Stopped wearing gloves in public and allowed people including aids sufferers to touch her. Made the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family look pretty weak by this act alone. Made them look awful in fact. She also produced 2 wonderful boys who have saved the Royal Family. If not saved then rescued. The exhibition of her clothes was pretty extensive. They were certainly all well made. Some looked better on her than on the wire frame. Some definitely looked better on the wire frame than on her. I felt some did not suit her and made her look silly. Some outfits were more sophisticated than she was. I didn’t think that any except one outfit had any sexual content. They were all kind of immature. The dresses all seemed small. She was certainly slim. Bulimia works. We walked back through Kensington Gardens to Marble Arch and got a bus to Oxford Circus. Even more people in Oxford Street than normal. No carol singers. We looked in Selfridges. It was packed. We looked in the large M&S. It was packed. Have got John Lewis and H&M to see. Maybe at the Boxing Day sale. Spoke to Chris on the phone and arranged what to do tomorrow. We catch the 18.54 train from Victoria to Nunhead. Chris and Margaret will meet us and take us to their cottage in Fittleworth. Nothing on TV. Had trouble staying awake. Monday 18th December. Up at 6AM. Had to get up and go to the toilet a number of times during the night. I do not know what triggers my body to produce copious amounts of urine. I needed to go to the toilet a number of times yesterday during the walk. Not an easy thing in London. Harry reckons it is even harder in Europe but he was probably being patriotic. Australia are about to win the test and the ashes. Marilyn sent me a message on messenger which I answered. First time I have done this. Blood Pressure 97/69. Pulse 92. Maybe losing all that urine has lowered my blood pressure. Again low blood pressure and high pulse. We are visiting Steve and Mary today. 10.42 train from Waterloo to Kingston. We can use our Oyster Cards. I resolved to buy a ticket and Jenny resolved to use her Oyster Card. Kingston upon Thames. We met them at the station and started with a walk along the Thames. They come to Kingston to see their child who lives there. Nice day. Not a cloud in the sky. Lots of swans swimming. Pleasant to walk and talk. We had lunch at a flash pizza place. All except Jenny had pizzas. I had a glass of Pale Ale. It was OK. Pleasant talk of politics for a while. Steve very passionate. I started by saying that it did not make sense to have a Prime Minister and Cabinet who were against leaving the EU negotiating to leave. I said that all pro EU supporters should have withdrawn from government and handed power to the Brexiteers. I said that Theresa May would never be able to please everyone and probably not anyone. The Brexiteers have got the country into the mess and they should be made to extract the country from the mess. They agreed. Much discussion ensued. Ranged all over the place. Mary is extremely attuned to current politics. Steve less so. Steve has no praise for either Tory or Labour. Just the opposite. She is a local government candidate for the Lib Dems. Has been a perennial candidate for parliament in the past. Very nice woman. Was a long time local government councilor until the debacle of the coalition election. Took a photo and sent it to Martyn Edwards. Steve keen to hear of him. Brought him up to date as best I could. Steve has got slightly even more gregarious in 50 years. I don’t know but I think he is more gregarious now – hard to judge. He has recently been helping his friend do the ploughing. How does he stay quiet while ploughing? After we said goodbye we had a walk around Kingston upon Thames. It’s larger than I anticipated. Has a large shopping mall. Bought a shirt in an op shop. Lots of people hurrying about. Mostly Caucasians. We came home by train via Waterloo. Brought provisions at M&S. Lots of people in Oxford Street. The cost of my ticket buying it retail was 7 pounds dearer than Jenny using her Oyster Card. This does not seem fair. Or Faire. Sunday 17th December Up at 6AM. For some reason I have to set the alarm every night. I cannot work out in settings why this is so. Australia doing OK in the test match. Because it’s only shown on Pay TV not much publicity is given to the cricket and the news coverage is pretty limited. UK is testing its new aircraft carrier. Surely these mega ships are only advertising campaigns and a waste of money. North Korea can send all the big countries into a spin with a few rockets. Watched a bit of Westminster Hall. If anyone thinks the UK has not changed in 50 years they should watch this telecast. Cool nippy day. Blood Pressure 133/68. Pulse 47. We stayed in until 11AM or so. We then set out to go on a London walk The Unknown East End. We went to Liverpool Street and walked to Whitechapel tube. Had lunch in a Pret on the way. Cold wet day. Longer walk than I anticipated. Misty rain. Very London. Walked past a very large Mosque. Lots of Bangladesh shops. Finally got to Whitechapel and guess what – the bloke taking he tour was Harry – the Jewish Bloke who took the Jewish walk last time. The walk went round all the East End highpoints. The pub where one of the Krays shot someone – was it Ronnie or Reggie? The pub has been done up and now bears no relationship with the original pub – we did not go in. We saw the place where Ronnie or Reggie got back into his car after doing the shooting. We then moved on to the large bust of Mujibur Rahman which a grateful man has put in his front yard. It does look a bit like Stalin. The man who placed the bust made a bit of a fuss of our little group. I mentioned to him that in 1970 I had passed through East Pakistan just as it was becoming Bangladesh. The Awami league had won the elections but the Military would not let them take office and were about to stage a coup. The civil war erupted after I left. I related all this to him. He was impressed. Not a lot of people know these things. He called in a member of the Bangladeshi press who just happened to be present and asked me to repeat this into the camera. Which I did. I’m not sure I was good enough for TV man though. He wasn’t as impressed as the man with the bust of Mujibur Rahman. Later on we saw the building where the Russian Socialist League held its annual conference when the Party split into Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. It wasn’t a very large building. Just 3 stories high and not very wide. In attendance were Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin amongst others. Stalin did come to London and stayed in a shelter in the East End although it does not appear in his official history. We saw it. Apparently shared a bed with another revolutionary. Trotsky and Lenin stayed in more salubrious accommodation elsewhere. We saw Sydney Street although it bears no relation to what it was like at the time of the siege. We walked through much of the East End looking at various mosques and churches and where Synagogues used to be. At one point there were more synagogues in the East End than what there are Mosques now. The Jewish people have moved out to more up market suburbs. No synagogues now. Harry pointed out various places that had been bombed during the war including spots that were destroyed by V1 and V2 rockets late in the war. Six thousand people were killed by V1 and V2 rockets. Harry related that his family lived in the east End. His grandmother only spoke Yiddish. Never learned English. When the family moved to Stoke Newington she used to come back to the East End to do her shopping because this was where the shopkeepers all spoke Yiddish. Including apparently some of the staff of Woolworths. Which she pronounced “Voolvichs”. The family still make jokes about how she spoke. We went to The London Hospital. Harry related the story of Joseph Merrick and Doctor Frederick Treves. The skeleton is still in the hospital. The building where he had his flat is still there. Merrick died of asphyxiation. Doctor Treves died of peritonitis. We saw the Whitechapel Bell Foundry which has been in continuous operation since the 1557 and only closed down this year. The building is to be turned into luxury apartments – what else. We went to the site of the original White Chapel which was demolished during the war and was not rebuilt. The land it was on is now a Park named after a young man who was murdered in a race killing on the edge of the park. Not a large park mind you as land is on short supply in the East End. We finished up in Brick Lane which has acquired a lot of bright lights since we were last here. Saw London Artisan but didn’t buy anything. By this time it was dark. It had more or less rained all day. It was cold and we did not go into any building. I wanted to go into London Artisan and thought Jenny was telling me not to go in and I reacted badly and admonished her unfairly – again. We walked to Liverpool Street and came home via the Central Line. I had to put on my jumper when we got home as I was cold. I think the coldest I have been. Saturday 16th December Up at 7AM. I didn’t turn the alarm on. Woke up during the night and watched a show on Roy Orbison. It concentrated on his family life, his children and the tragedy in his life. Very good show although his children were always on the verge of breaking down when they spoke because of the emotion involved. But what tragedy he had. And it kind of continued even after his early death. His second wife died not long after him. Quite young as well. We tend to forget how big a star he was and how he was respected by everyone. And what good songs he wrote. And what a voice he had. The ultimate tragedy was that he died just as The Wilbury’s were reaching worldwide fame. Blood Pressure 125/69. Pulse 54. John Henderson and his girlfriend are coming for lunch. Jenny went shopping in M&S while I attempted to bring my blog up to date. She actually bought a coat that I like. Only John turned up. We went to the local café for lunch. Our English girl was not working today. Two Georgian girls there. One Syrian man. The Syrian man quite friendly. Did not think the food was as good as previous. Johnny showed us photos of his girlfriend. She can look like Astrid Kushner. They both like posing. He is working in a video graphics. He enjoys it. He seems to have integrated into London quite well. Probably better than Shelley. We came back to the flat for a cup of tea. After a short talk Johnny had to go home so we went with him. Changed at Finsbury Park to get to Manor House which is where he lives. We did not go to his house but again tried to find Kevin and Marys flat. Just maybe we did this time – we will have to stand corrected. But after much frustrations unfortunately by the time we tracked it down it was dark. I always go the wrong way and of course we went the wrong way today. And Green Lanes has many facets to it. The numbers chop and change. It sometimes becomes other street names. Anyway I have taken photographs to try and prove we got to 167 Green Lanes N16. We got chatting to a youngish bloke at the bus stop and then on the bus. He is a fan of 70’s music and was on his way to a record shop to check out the vinyl and buy his brother a record. Quite a nice person. One of the old school. We got off at Chancery Lane and walked home along High Holborn and then Oxford Street. When we got to Oxford Street the numbers of people in the street resumed their normal number. Walking along High Holburn my sense of direction changed a number of times. This goes on inside your head and you don’t realise when it’s happening. But it does happen. To me at least. Nothing on TV. Had trouble staying awake. Friday 16th December Up at 7AM. Rupert Murdoch has sold off more than half of his business. He has kept the newspapers and Fox media. The world will change when he dies. Media power will lessen – not disappear – but it will become less pronounced. No one could possibly match him in putting across a political view while selling newspapers. Blood Pressure 117/61. Pulse 50 We took the tube to The V&A to see the Winnie the Pooh exhibition. I thought it was Ok but Jenny was in raptures. Lots of original drawings. Lots of letters from Milne to Shepherd. Lots of photos of Christopher Robin. Lots of children in attendance. But lots more middle-aged women gushing over everything. Grown up fans obviously. Interesting that colour was only added to the books was when Disney bought the franchise. But I think they did a reasonable job. The colours have enhanced to drawings and made them more appealing. Previously the dust jackets only were in colour. A quick check of the rest of the museum shows that most of the displays that were there 2 years ago are still there. There is a special exhibition of Pink Floyd coming up. We had lunch at the Museum café. As we were ordering an announcement came over the PA that a fire had been reported in the building and we were to stand by. No one seemed to be bothered or concerned. Sometime later there was a further announcement that said it was a false alarm. In the same disinterested voice. Again no one seemed concerned or interested. There was absolutely no reaction from the staff or public to either announcement. We then took the tube to Russell Square to go to the Charles Dickens reading. Bought a book on Dickens by Simon Callow to read on the plane. Have previously read Callows book on Wagner which was pretty good so I am confident it will be a good read. The reading was of the last of Dickens Christmas stories and one of the most dramatic. The actor reading the short story looked a lot like Dickens. He played the all the parts – sometimes hamming it up. I had trouble staying awake. The actor would describe a scene which I would then imagine. I would then transfer the scene into a day dream and this in turn would in turn very quickly into dream sleep. I always find it very easy to fall asleep in these circumstances. I could not follow the plot anyway. Could not tell you what the story was about except I think one 84 year old man was in bed and claiming to be dying. His family and friends seemed to be coming into the room at regular intervals. We walked home using the Google Maps function on our phones. Dark about 4 PM. Danny Baker had a show about pop music in the 80’s. He tried to make it interesting but it wasn’t. Absolutely nothing else on TV. I had trouble staying awake and went to bed early. Thursday 15th December Slept quite well. Got up at 8AM. Our bedroom was in the attic. Quite comfortable. Has its own ensuite. Leisurely breakfast. Much enjoyable talk. Read Denis’s Guardian. He has enough money to live comfortably. Guardian is delivered daily with his name on it. What more establishment could you get. Later in the morning Denis took Jenny and myself for a long walk around the village. One pub. One general store. One coffee shop. One hairdresser. One pub recently closed. I felt I kept seeing actors out of English Television Dramas walking around. Everyone looked extremely stereotypical. Very typically English. When Jean and Denis changed houses and there was a period between settling both titles they lived above the pub. Their previous house was quite large and they downsized when the children moved out. Previous house was pretty flash. Looks quite large – 5 bedrooms or so. Just 2 or 3 doors down the street. He is very proud of his involvement and attachment to the area. A large horse stud has published plans to build 220 dwellings on the edge of the village. The village only has 250 dwellings. Denis is against it and is involved in the campaign to stop the project. Showed us his daughters place and her workshop where she conducts dressmaking classes. Becky is also in a Ska band with her shortly to be husband. They play professionally. She sings and plays trumpet and tuba. She has actually been to Australia on a school trip playing the tuba. She came to the house twice while we were there. Once to walk the dog – Jean cannot do it at the moment – and she came for lunch between classes. Very impressive girl and Denis loves her deeply. Jean says there is no pressure to produce grandchildren but the inference must be lurking in the background. When it came to saying goodbye to her I became quite emotional. I could not control myself. I could have known her all her life. Denis is very appreciative she has chosen to live in the village close to them. Their son Rory lives in Ireland. When the children were young and because Denis’s antecedents are Irish they kept a cottage in Ireland. They went there a lot. Rory has chosen to live in Ireland. Denis organized lunch. Much as I would. Soup and toast. Their house is a comfortable house. Comfortable kitchen. Comfortable lounge. Comfortable back yard. Easy to live in. Later in the afternoon he drove us to Lewes. Jean had to go to the supermarket anyway. I said goodbye to Jean as she went into the supermarket. Again I was emotional but kept myself in check. What an enjoyable 2 days. How amazing that it has happened. In the flat we had a natural leader, 2 intellectuals and 1 interested skeptic. I was in fact a refugee from Australia. I was lucky to meet and become friends with 3 other decent people. I liked them all. I felt at home in their company. They never patronized me. I felt they treated me with respect. In 1970 I watched England get beaten by West Germany in Mexico with a group of people in our flat. As Beckinbauer kicked the 3rd goal I exchanged glances with Denis. He gave a glance of extreme disappointment and instantly looked away. He did not want to share the disappointment with anyone. I was always teasing him about his being patriotic. I watched the BBC coverage of the Let It Be album with Denis. He was impressed to the point he was forced into silence. I was an overenthusiastic fan of The Beatles. He never admitted to anything but in this case he had to admit they were OK. He wasn’t just grudging about it – he was serious. He admired them – they were pretty good – he had to admit it. For some reason one night I was sleeping in Chris’s bed. Denis came home late after selling his newspapers. He had to get up early to sell more papers before he went to work. He had an elaborate clock alarm set up. The mechanical clock sat in a saucer and a spoon was put on the saucer. When the alarm went off quite a racket occurred. He was happy to have a conversation. He said he was thinking of moving out because he wanted some privacy. For some reason I went into a dialogue from Steptoe and Son. I was Albert and he was Harold. He understood and went along with it. Once we talked of London itself. I was surprised at how philosophical and reflective Denis could be about it. I loved London and often said so. He said he was glad he had moved to London. The place moved him. He found it inspirational. It fired his imagination. I voted in the 1970 election that Ted Heath unexpectedly won. I walked to the voting booth to vote with Denis. He was approached at the gate by a Tory functionary and Denis politely but firmly told him he would never vote for him. The Tory reacted with deep disappointment. Instantly I felt sorry for him. I realized then I had passed from biased individual to someone who identified as British. The last night I saw Denis we shared a small bottle of Bells Whisky. I took the bottle around to the flat to say goodbye. I don’t think we drank it at the flat though. I mixed lemonade into the whisky to make it easier to drink. Denis admonished me for doing this. It spoilt the ambience of the whisky he said. But he thanked me for the whisky. The goodbye did not take long. This was a most amazing 2 days. Most enjoyable. It happened unexpectedly. I never imagined it happening. On the way home at Victoria Station a choir was singing. I sang along to Fairytale of New York. Could not keep my emotions in check. So much so I could not sing. How much of it is the same as 50 years ago. Wednesday 13th December. Alarm at 6AM. Listened to the World Service for half an hour. Heard a report on the singing station announcer at Richmond Railway Station. Great news - Trumps man in Alabama has lost. Surely it’s simply an issue of getting decent people to vote. If anything is simple in America. Blood Pressure 103/67. Pulse 73. Why it is when my blood pressure goes up my pulse comes down? Some of the Murdoch commentators are extremely disappointed at the defeat of Judge Roy Moore. I don’t understand why they are convinced Trump is good for the world. Unless of course they want to see some destruction. We go to visit Denis at Lewes via Victoria. Was walking down Oxford Street to Oxford Street Circus when a bus went past marked Victoria so I suggested we should hop on. It was much slower than the tube and by the time we got to Victoria I was starting to panic that we might not catch the train. Got the tickets but they could not tell me which platform the train would be on. Also some confusion about the word Lewes. I pronounced it Lewes but of course it is pronounced Lewis. I am starting to have to ask people to say that again and they don’t like it. We arrived at 11.45 and recognized Denis without much trouble. He drove us around the town for a quick look before we started to head for East Hoathy which is where he lives. Caught up a bit on the drive. I related incidents to him which he claimed he could not recall.
There were many more incidents that stuck in my mind which I will relate later. Denis brought us up to date as to what has happened in his life. He seems to have done OK. Retired at 52 after a successful working career. Had his own business. Wife and 2 children. Has immersed himself in Village life. Secretary of the Cricket Club. Plays golf to the point where he goes on golfing holidays. Is in the Drama society. Has actually been in a Glyndebourne Production of The Mastersingers of Nuremburg as an extra. Glyndebourne is not far from where he lives. We got to his house and met his wife Jean who has recently been quite ill. But she seems OK now. Denis showed us his house and we talked to Jean. His house is just large enough for them. Very comfortable. Jean is a very nice woman. Good talker but can also listen and conduct a proper conversation. A caring sensitive woman. Does a lot of volunteer work in the village. Volunteers at the local prison crèche for instance. Is the sewing mistress for the local dramatic society. Very well informed person. Was recently suddenly taken ill and Denis says he did expect her to die. But thankfully she didn’t and has made a good recovery. Denis is devoted to her. And why not. Obviously had not met the right girl when I knew him 50 years ago. We had a drive around. He took us to the top of the downs. Windy spot but quite good view. More green grass than expected. Sheep well fed. Some unusual rather larger than normal paddocks. Denis very proud of the area. We drove through 1 or 2 nearby villages. Extremely stereotypical English. We drove into Glyndebourne itself and had a bit of a look. Could not get out of the car though as were not supposed to enter the grounds. Denis is indifferent to Opera and does not go even though he has been an extra and mimed the singing. Jean likes it and has been to a lot of productions. Had several conversations with Denis alone. Quite enjoyable. Nothing really has changed in 50 years. The 50 years time difference may not have existed. We talked quite easily. About important life subjects as well. As we used to. He still has the same political beliefs. I am sympathetic but always want to know the precise model. Is maybe even firmer in his views than 50 years ago which is surprising. Voted for Brexit. That’s 2 out of 4. I’m sure Ray voted Brexit also. Denis did it because he says he was voting against the austerity regime that has been in place for several years. His was a protest vote. I’m sure he regrets it now. As I patronized/advised - the EU is a noble concept - the EU is a definite good for the world - the leave campaign was full of untruths and exaggerations and bore no relation to reality - it was conducted by people with chips on their shoulders - none of whom should be allowed to partake in public life. A clear moral distinction existed between the remainers and brexiteers.. He politely declined to reply. We went on to talk of other things. We could always pass onto other things without any problem. Having differing views was not a problem. At night they took us to eat at a Pub in the next village. I had Venison Pie. It had no distinct taste. It tasted much as normal meat. The pub was quite old. Elm sprigs attached to the roof. Christmas lights up. I had 2 half pints of English beer. I have to admit it has improved from what it was 50,years ago.Maybe because it wasn't so good people didnt drink quite so much 50 years ago.
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