“Lucy in the sky with Diamonds”

It’s July 5th, 2023 and tomorrow Cher and I fly to London, meet Andrew and Keila at Heathrow and catch a reserved car to Southampton for my cousin? Second cousin? My cousin Helen’s youngest daughter, Lucy and her fiancee, Joe’s wedding.

While waiting at SFO for our evening flight to London I googled the lyrics of “Lucy in the Sky”. Everyone…..sing along:

“Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly a girl with kaleidoscope eyes

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green Tower over your head Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes And she’s gone

(chorus) x4…Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers that grow so incredibly high.

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore Waiting to take you away Climb in the back with your head in the clouds And you’re gone.

(chorus) x4….Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Picture yourself on a train in a station With plasticine posters with looking glass eyes Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

(Chorus) 3 stanzas of four lines

Lucy in the sky with diamonds…”

Wedding Day at St. Marys in Southampton. Our little university style hotel, “ROOM2” overlooks a quaint little park which is port side of the harbor where the Titanic sailed from. Today a massive British Ocean liner has docked there. (Picture above.)

Also the old, original hotel, the former South Western Hotel is located in the centre of Southampton within sight of Dock Gate 4, which leads down to Queen Elizabeth II terminal and Berth 44 from where the Titanic departed 10 April 1912. Travelers, who were to set sail on the Titanic, or other ocean going vessels stayed the night at the South Western Hotel before their voyages still stands. (Picture above)

The Wedding of the century !

Happy Birthday to my son Andrew! The day after the wild, incredible musical party. Joe and Lucy’s friends and guests, like Joe, talented musicians all. The bands played for hours and the varied combination of singers and musicians were spectacular. Like being party to a live concert. Many of them played in various bands, and one had cut a few albums and was quite famous in the UK. Joe has begun to work at his recording studio to help create recordings.

I awoke at 11:15.

The following day after the wedding, we joined family and other wedding guests at the Commons, a large beautifully lush green park in Southampton for a leisurely picnic. Later in the evening, we met immediate family in The New Forest for sunday night dinner at a “proper pub” called The Sir Walter Tyrrell. The joyous meal turned bitter sweet and quite sentimental when at last we realized everyone was traveling separate ways afterwords. Like leaving my cousin’s Peter and Maggie after the reception, the night before, knowing we wouldn’t see one another again for god knows how long, tears were shed all around.

C650. King Cenwalh builds first church at Westminster

676. The seat of the Bishop is moved to Westminster from Dorchester-on-Thames

C828. Westminster becomes capital of England

1079. Building starts on Norman Cathedral

1093. Consecration of the Cathedral Old Minster is demolished

C1350-1410. Remodeling on Nave

1536-1539. Dissolution of monasteries

1642-1648. Civil War – some destruction by Parliamentary forces

C1660. Restoration of west windows

1906-1911. William Walker worked on supporting the Cathedral foundation

William Walker was a deep sea diver who because the Cathedral was built near and impart in the middle of a river began to sink. William dover for over five years placing over 25,000 bags of cement to support the foundation from sinking. He dove in an old heavy weight dive suit in total darkness and to the complete amazement of fellow divers who refused. He is credited with saving the Cathedral.

A 28 minute drive from Southampton. The rental car agency was surprised when an agent drove the car around to the glassed from of the building and got out and entered the building, handed the delightful counter woman the fob, she then promptly handed it over the counter to me and walked me out. I then opened the left front door only to again realize the steering wheel was in fact on the opposite side of the vehicle. She laughed and the agent who drove the car around rolled his eyes as if to say, “Good luck to you mate”!

Above obviously Stonehenge, where in 1964 a British Bobby grabbed me by the hand and walked me to my Mom and Aunt, saying “Mam we can’t have the lad climbing on the rocks!”

And the others are Winchester Cathedral and Winchester castle ruins. A grand day of touring from Winchester to Stonehenge and ultimately Oxford.

We had drinks and dinner at The Ivy and it was awesome! Our delightful young waitress was due to enter Cambridge University in the fall even though, or especially because she had lived in Oxford the first 18 years of her life and wanted a change.

( pics above are from Winchester above)

I spent 2 hours walking the various College of Oxford.

The pictures above are all Oxford University and town. One of the 15 libraries I entered was impressive, except for the yacking 37 or more Chinese tourist who dominated the library. I sound racist….maybe I am. They really annoyed me.

We had a crazy day of travel from Oxford to London. Andrew and Keilya discovered that their large suite cases were not permitted on the chunnel train to Paris, so they had to store stuff at St Pancras Station in panic, and Cher and I were attempting to dump our rental car at the St Pancras station and drove around it 5 times listening our asswipe google direction person tell us we missed a turn, or to turn on a one way the wrong way. Ground hog day gone very, very bad.

I was very pleased at how i negotiated the wrong side of the road with a 5 speed to boot. What an absolute delight to finally find the Europcar rental garage and dump the Skoda stationwagon. It did serve us well though.

Tomorrow we’re heading to West Malling, Maidstone, Kent, and cousin Peter and wife Margaret’s home. He has taken me to a wonderfull “proper pub” the last couple of times we’ve met, so I expect that’s what will be doing.

We underground from Kings Cross to Victoria and then took the above ground train from Victoria to West Malling, passing my old home away from home St. Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent, where my Aunt and Uncle Dolly and Chas Cox, Peter’s parents lived. I stayed there countless times from my youth to even my Peace Corps travel days. I can spy their old backyard when traveling the train past St. Mary Cray.

West Malling: Cousin Peter,their home, The Swan Pub we are at:

The Swan, Maidstone

The now famous St. Pancras train station and the HARRY POTTER portal, 9 3/4.

Andrew and Keila returned on the eurostar bullet train that travels under the English chanel at up to 210 mph.

Andrew and Keila fly out today, the 15th of July. Cherie and I have booked a Walking Tour, meeting at Trafalgar Square. No rain today, or so the weather report reads. We have had spectacular weather, a little piddle paddle here and there, but it serves to quell the little humidity there had been and makes for nice walking weather.

Photos of our last night’s dinner at the “Bramston”.

last day in London

Breakfasted with Andrew, Keila and then walked them to Kings Cross tube station and saw them off. Cher and I underground to Leicester Square and walked to se Temple 1, Temple church, and Middle Temple, hoping i could see a connection to the Knights Templars Headquarters in London. Although beautiful buildings on the outside, no access or entry, so we went a pub.

Afterwards we joined the walking tour ” Secets of London.” The guide took us on a 2 hour tour starting at the King Charles I statue in Trafalgar Square. It was medium at best. Here are some of the photos of the day:

Lord Admiral Nelson’s Column

Last gas lamp in London

A variety of shots from our tour and walkabout: From Trafalgar Square, through the theatre district, down to the Thames and the varying statues of famous writers, actors and politicians along the way. To list a few:(Samuel Johnson, Sullivan of Guilbert &, Robert Burns, etc)