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The Platinum Jubilee Thursday
Platinum Thursday When Eliza Doolittle sat at the corner of the stage in a scene of old London and sang “Wouldn’t it be luvverly” Bobby knew it would be a wonderful show. That he had booked the cheapest ticket in the back row of the “gods”, not even knowing it was a very special day…
The Elizabeth Line
You never took me Bertie: “You never took me!” Bobby: “Now look Bertie, I had no idea I was going to see the opening of the Elizabeth Line. I go to London every Tuesday for an Al-Anon meeting in Islington. This week I had arranged to meet Technical Director Tim on his canal boat. Hoping…
Are You An Explorer?
Explorer “Are you an Explorer?” the little girl asked. “I am” said Bobby. “And so are you.”
Bobby and the 43 Steps
43 Steps
Finding “Serenity”
This little Robin Redbreast is hereby christened ‘Serenity‘. Over twenty four minutes on Holmwood Common he transported Bobby to another world. A world where nothing mattered. No anxiety. No tribulations. No expectations. No exhortations. Nothing but serenity. For twenty four minutes. The time between the first and last photographs.
Morning Glory
“There’s thirty one this morning, Bobby. That’s a record.” So said Diddley, who absolutely adored the flowers of Morning Glory. Not just for their transient beauty, but also their unusual lifestyle. Flowering profusely, if time and conditions were right, but dying by mid-afternoon. The new buds for the next day readying themselves for their glorious…
Fantasy and Illusion
As we left the busy A3 at the RHS Wisley junction, we immediately became aware of the volume of traffic heading into the gardens. The long patient queue of people at the entrance, including lots of young children, only added to the illusion that this was a good idea. A horticultural version of Brighton Beach…
Amber and Layla
Amber was Diddley’s eldest daughter. A top photographer in London, she lived for a time in a loft apartment at 31 Fournier Street. A tall 400 year old former Huguenot weaver’s house. Owned by Rodney Archer. A true character of Spitalfields. Bobby and Diddley’s granddaughter Layla became very close to Amber and stayed many times…
We Saved the Moon Daisies… Year 2
Moon Daisies Yes! We saved the Moon Daisies again. This time in May/June 2021. By “we”, we mean collectively all those who cared about, were disappointed by or, in our case, dismayed that once again our memory of Diddley loving the Moon Daisies had been besmirched by Surrey County Council (SCC).
Mindfully Bertie… An Update
Update Mindfully Bertie started in August 2016 with “Dream Island“. August 2021 will see us back there for a week if restrictions permit. When the first Covid-19 lockdown started, it soon became obvious that we and our readers would have time on our hands. So, we started a midweek, additional, shorter story. Tim, our Technical…