Sooo…though circling Heathrow is no longer the fuel-siphoning nausea-inducing cliffhanger of years past, it still took some maneuverings to land us on the last Thursday of September…
We were collected by a black Mercedes at the airport and transported to the Porsche-and-Audi-encrusted heights of Hampstead…
to be welcomed by our old friend Mr. Watson, host and tour guide extraordinaire, who led us on a sunset walk to Golder’s Green with Border Collie Tycho [not [yet] shown]…
followed by the first of many memorable Aga-cooked dinners. Then, next day,
studiously minding the bollards,
a more ambitious amble to Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath
[the aforementioned Border Collie, Tycho]
and back,
…ending at Kenwood House for lunch in the cafe. L. and I walked home from the Village with avocados
[and yes, this really WAS the weather in London all early October of 2016]
noting the Consequences of overly wide vehicles on unsuitably narrow streets
as well as a Figaro, of which only some 20,000 were made, by Nissan, in the early nineties…many of whom seem to have ended up in London.
Saturday Rick introduced us to the eclectic wonders of the Wallace Collection, or a brief overview anyway;
[many galleries of paintings upstairs as well, unfortunately undocumented]. We left in a rare rain,
followed by sun, lunch home,
Parliament Hill by another route
and back via a Moore [no relation] to dine on small birds.
Sunday on the way to the Marylebone Farmer’s Market I failed to get a picture of a low and mean matte olive-drab Bentley with blacked-out wheels and brightwork but we carried on…
to Hyde Park, General Waste and
General Wellington’s manse, Apsley House, right across from the Queen’s.
Apsley House had some terrific seldom-seen paintings, worth a trip for the Velasquezes alone…but much much more; the interior containing fabulous piles of stuff, spoils and tributes of war galore. Not shown here as photography was not permitted.
The environs were fair game, however.
Returning to Hollycroft for Tycho his faithful companions explored yet another corner of the Heath with him…
then feasted on mullet from actual fishermen and fresh veggies from morning’s market choked down with the help of yet another rather fine burgundy…
So went our early days, settling in to to London and the Watson household’s rigorous routines.
M
Delightful collection of moments. On Parliament Hill is exactly where Calista lived with our boys in 1979, while she was with The Muppet Show. The upper part of a house of our friends the Aukin’s who also had two boys. I was in LA at that time doing disco movie. The Heath was the playground. Much much earlier in 1966, at the beginning of my student sojourn in Europe., after the voyage to Southampton, I went on a damp February day to Stonehenge. I went with my Antioch friend Nancy who had a mini. You could walk about all of the place then. There were no barriers or gift shops. Nancy became Mrs. Aukin of Parliament Hill.
Further…I believe I sent you a link to a list of the ugliest cars in the world. The Figaro is featured.
I love the explicit directness of so many English graffics. Warnings, cautions, don’ts. Both helpful and emphatic.
More please.
S
The Heath is still of course a playground, particularly given the remarkable October weather, for dogs and small humans alike…and English dogs are all SO well-behaved.
Yes, more to come…Stongehenge, even. Lots to plow through to get there, however.
Thanks for the memories; love ’em. Was that ‘disco movie” “Can’t Stop the Music”, with the Village People?
M
P.S.; I don’t think the Figaro should be on that ugly car list…they’re kind of cute, and a great relief from all those predatory Porsche SUVs [which only seem to come in black] with their gaping mouths.
Best sign is “Diversion”. It could lead to so many different expectations.
Indeed it did, particularly as the week’s conversations progressed and diverted.
We had a wonderful, albeit brief stay with Mr Watson enroute to Kilimanjaro in 2008. Exploring the nearby Heath was terrific although I did manage to get a bit lost in the woods, arriving back to Rick’s completely soaked from the rain and almost late for our flight to Africa. You had excellent weather and many diversions; looking forward to more documentation!
I think there is a Constable painting from Parliament Hil…but things looked waaaaaay different back then! Enjoying you enjoying London!