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What will be Salisbury's revenge, I wonder?! It doesn't seem to be quite as decorous, not to say smug, a city as it was when I grew up there, attended the very ladylike girls' grammar school, and emerged unable to say boo to the proverbial goose (even if I could have identified it ....). Now I am 63 I don't care any more, and it's *such a relief. Would you tip Roger and Judy for the responsible ones, in spite of Judy's lost passport? Robin and I are hardly safe to cross the road alone -- we don't look where we're going, and wave our arms around when we talk -- I've a sort of memory of a broken wine-glass, but I don't *think I was the only culprit. Waiters and waitresses etc, mostly foreign and well younger than our several children, regarded us with what seemed to be an almost affectionate indulgence, and the taxi-drivers were without exception splendid. (Growls: There weren't any taxis in my day ....) Oh, and Judy trimmed Robin's beard. Very brave of her (!), and he certainly looks a lot neater now. The thing with the cathedral guides was the clever-clever with the mediaeval Latin. If they are going to go translating it, they should at least get it right. Considering my father trained most of them, I did feel justified in making the occasional correction; but I did do that bit quietly. Roger and Robin were taking a census of the carved animals beneath the feet of the Crusaders on top of their tombs, and I was finding a memorial brass with, would you believe, rabbits on! (Judy was off seeing about a hire car; she has longer in Salisbury and will see these things later.) Also, as is my habit in such places, I lit a candle for Art, in of course its widest possible application. If anyone's interested to know about a second-hand bookshop with a brilliant poetry section, we found one at 38 Winchester Street, Salisbury, SP1 1HG, on line at www.ellwoodbooks.com Poetry's a particular interest of the proprietor. No, seriously, we didn't stop talking for 5 days, and not on the sorts of subject commonly discussed in cathedral city pubs. Only snag was being away from reference books and internet. So all being well the gabfest is due to transfer itself up to Darlington for a few days in a couple of weeks' time. Which means I shall have to tidy the house, sort all these papers lying around, and sweet-talk Roger into vacuuming the stairs first. Oh, and buy some more wine-glasses .... joanna ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger Collett" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:41 PM Subject: Re: Revenge? > Well, Ken, > > projecting slob-like behaviour onto Robin is no problem, I do it all the > time. However I believe the real explanation is that, as I suspected all > along, he removed the modem before travelling to Salisbury and then > completely forgot he had done it to prevent his offspring from using the > Internet while he was away. Of course he put it somewhere so safe that he > cannot remember where it is. Typical!! > > There is of course a trail of bemused and slightly amused waiters, > waitresses, hoteliers and cathedral guides left behind us. Also a guy on > the station platform got into a discussion as to whether the train we were > waiting for really existed and that led to discussions on existentialism > and various related beliefs (this on Salisbury railway station as we left > for home). There are now a lot of people whose lives we have enriched as > they can now discuss whether we were real or not, rather than the latest > TV soap. > > Roger > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ken Wolman" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 1:31 PM > Subject: Re: Revenge? > > >> Roger Collett wrote: >> >>> Hi all, >>> >>> This is to explain the disappearance of Robin Hamilton from the list. >>> Temporarily I hope. >>> On returning to Loughborough from a few days in Salisbury with myself, >>> Joanna Boulter and Judy Prince, it would appear that Robin's ADSL modem >>> has disappeared from under his desk so he cannot connect to the net. >>> >>> Suspicion is inevitably going to fall on Vile Boris, who has probably >>> stolen the modem in revenge for an earlier theft of pmcm's bus pass (see >>> list archives). >> >> That's right, blighter, blame the damn cat. Odds are Robin buried the >> thing under a pile of papers or tripped over the wires so it won't >> function. I am of course projecting my own slob-side behavior onto >> Robin, which is patently unfair, but since no one will patent it, I must >> do so on my own. >> >> Steal a modem? Absurd. >> >>> Anyway, he will return when a new modem is installed or the mystery is >>> sorted out. >> >> Actually I can believe Boris might have eaten the modem, but since cats >> do not have opposable thumbs, the only way the can express their >> opposition is to break or eat the object of their displeasure. >> >> I am more intrigued that the UK is surviving Boulter, Prince, Hamilton, >> and Collett (sounds like a solicitors' firm), rambling about the >> countryside and getting into trouble. Wondrous, wondrous. >> >> ken >> >> -- >> Kenneth Wolman >> Proposal Development Department >> Room SW334 >> Sarnoff Corporation >> 609-734-2538 >> Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: >> Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard. >> W.H. Auden >> -- >> This email has been verified as Virus free >> Virus Protection and more available at http://www.plus.net >> >