Saturday, October 26, 2024

Up Up And Away

 


Perhaps you know the feeling, sometimes you have to get away because things get samey, and my solution was this. Fly to England with Ma LSP for a well needed break, which is exactly what we did. First stop, DFW Terminal D, next stop, Heathrow Terminal 3 followed by a fast train to Paddington.


Just Some Carousel

Take in the wonders of Victorian railway architecture then line up, in a weirdly long line, for a cab. Take that to the Farmers Club in Whitehall like a champ. Book into Farmers, most congenial, then set up in rooms overlooking the Thames and go from there.

"There", meant the NatLib, two doors down, and dinner in the club's monumental dining room. There you are, enjoying an autumnal menu under larger than life portraits of statesmen who shaped the world in their time. It's not hard to reflect on the scale and grandeur of the Empire in that setting, and by the same token, who are we now compared to them? Pygmies in the footsteps of giants.


Gordons is Awesome at Noon

Speaking of which, London's grown pretty gargantuan over the last 20 years or so, but has it grown better? Good question. There's certainly many more secular cathedrals of glass, concrete and steel rising out of the city's eastern skyline; St. Paul's is dwarfed in comparison, and I guess that's a sign of wealth. But are the people any richer?

Some are, obviously, no doubt about it, but lately London seems to lack the vibrancy of the mid '90s when you could feel and watch a tidal wave of wealth roll into the city, to say nothing of talent. Remember, ahem, Britpop? Still, the place is clearly running on multiple cylinders, to say nothing of hordes of Japanese and Korean tourists.


Ma LSP at Farmers


Regardless, the first week of the trip was all all about entertaining old friends, not least my Mother's, who are a step above, and then, after a weekend at the EIC (East India Club) and Mass at the Brompton Oratory, climbing aboard a train to idyllic Ludlow. This sits on the Welsh border and shouldn't be missed.

After several convivial days with SH and K, my brother drove in from Aberystwyth and off we went to the Welsh coast. It was good to be back in this rainy seaside resort and good to see my brother, who's a good man, but I only stayed a night, sadly. The next day I sped back to Town on a slow moving Transit for Wales train to meet old friends, setting up at an AirBnB in Soho on Frith Street.


The Jolly Old NatLib

Part of this may have involved a Techno Rickshaw around the storied streets of Soho, another part of it certainly involved a lot of Coach & Horses, French House and Bar Italia. One friend, we'd gone to dinner at the NatLib and immigrated to Soho, accused me of inverse Milton, "From Paradiso to Inferno, Padre!" Quite.

Then, Soho tomfoolery over, a sideways move to Bloomsbury and a pleasant little flat on Coptic Street overlooking the British Museum. Ma LSP joined me there for the last few days and we closed up with lunch at the Prix Fixe in Soho, followed by a glass or two at the French House and then, after a sensible rest, drinks and snacks at the Museum Tavern. And now?


Coptic Street

Back in the great state of Texas. It feels good. We may not have real bread, butchers, pubs, architecture to speak of, cobblers, butchers, fishmongers and clubs with imperial ceilings and portraits of Gladstone and statues of General Outram or Gordon. True enough, but we do have this, big skies, trucks, guns and NO NANNY STATE.


Rare LSP Tie Shot

So forgive the lack of comms, I've been busy. Stand by for further correspondence.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

11 comments:

drjim said...

Sounds like a marvelous trip, Parson. Hope your Mum and the family are doing well.

Wild, wild west said...

What a blast! A wonder you came back from all that culture but we're glad you did. I was beginning to wonder if Nessie had got you.......

Ritchie said...

Glad to see signals are back up. Civilisation recycles

Anonymous said...

Crusty Old TV Tech here. Good to hear your blogging absence these last few weeks has been for a good cause! Wonderful that your Mum got to see both sons.

As for Heathrow, last I was there, they had a huge banner for the Concorde in the departure hall, Pan Am served JFK from LHR, and they still had that mechanical flip-card flight status board. Gave a wonderful mechanical clicking "heads-up" that something was changing.

Glad I got to see Blighty back then. Fond memories of East Anglia and London.

LSP said...

It was a lot of fun, drjim! And I was impressed by the way my Mum navved central London, at 82 no less. No small thing.

LSP said...

Wild, it was a blast! And I tell you, I didn't want to leave, but duty called and back we came. Will my Mother be able to do it again? Maybe, maybe not. That in mind, I aimed high and she had a great time, as did I. Man, London, what a city. Imagine it in its Victorian hey-day, wow.

LSP said...

Comms back up, Ritchie, after a well needed exeat.

LSP said...

Wow, Tech, I remember Pan Am and even flew to the UK on one of their jets, quite a thing. And I remember smoking in the cabin, no one seemed the worse for it, real cutlery and all the rest.

So a lot's changed, but you'd still recognize central London, I do after some 30++ years. OK, many of the shops have changed but it's still, I think, pretty much the same place. But how long will that last?

Who knows. In the meanwhile, great fun to be there, gave me an excuse to wear a tie!

Dad of Six said...

Glad to have you back in the saddle, just in time for the election. On the road myself visiting wifey's auntie in Kommiefornia but will be back to FNT tomorrow night.

Infidel de Manahatta said...

A British Texan. Does this mean you can shoot someone, but do it with a sense of class and dignity?

Anonymous said...

Rare LSP tie shot....
Reminded me of an old TV comedy line:
Fr. Mulcahy to Hawkeye: " I've often thought that you'd make a good priest"
Hawkeye: "Not me; I'm much to fond of neckties."

Nice to have LSP back on the air. I know this life is not an easy one, but may I point out that the Devil fights against all you do. Fighters tire at times; but they fight on..