Back in Atlanta (from Jan 2011)

We home. I mean we back in Atlanta, but it feels like home. The temperature was 69F when we landed. Way better than the 42F we left behind in London. Last night I just watched the telly while Hollis went off to tell his girlfriend goodbye. Glad I wasn't there to see that. Anyway she'll be back at Millsaps in April. I don't reckon it'll kill him to be without her that long. 

The flight back was okay. We followed the sun so it was daylight the whole way. Hollis says I ain't as apt to get jet slag coming this way. I can't figure that one out. Our cousins picked us up at the monster airport they got here in Atlanta.  They brung us back to their house and grilled steaks and asparagus on the patio. It was good to get some American food for a change. 

Tomorrow me and Hollis is headed back to God's country. He had brung his jeep over and we riding it back. So glad to be this close to Harper. Thank you, Lord

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Tomorrow: Just Sitting Out on the Lake

Getting Ready to Come Home (from Jan 2011)

Today we're fixing to get ready to prepare to come home. I said it like that 'cause Hollis is always making fun of me 'cause I'm always fixing to do something. Anyway we packing our bags. I remembered I ain't bought nothing for Dorothy here in England so I went across the street to that big store and what I seen I thought she might like was this plate with a picture of William and Kate on it. Dorothy almost went nuts when Princess Di and that prince guy got hitched and I knew she would like something about this upcoming wedding. I don't know if y'all know but William is Lady Di's son. They all say he is real nice like his mother was. I seen a little wood box filled with tea bags and got that for her too. 

Hollis was funning me earlier today and said our plane was gonna stop in Egypt. He had me for a minute but I could see in his eyes he was fooling. I seen on the telly (that's what they call TV over here) where Egypt peoples was all out in the street running around and throwing things. We ain't never had no gatherings like than in Harper since the Piggly Wiggly had hog's head cheese on sale last year. Of course our crowd wasn't running and throwing. We heading down to Cat's Wick Airport tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Back in Atlanta

The Tower and Anbow Lynn (from Jan 2011)

We're leaving sometimes this weekend to come home. I know I'm excited. One of the things I miss most about Harper is Dorothy's cooking and Dorothy some too. Today we was out and about London and one of the things we seen was the Tower of London. The tower ain't much of a tower at all, but it is a pretty good size old, old building. Inside you can see the exact spot where Anbow Lynn got her head cut off. Some peoples say she got her neck cut off, but I think that would take two cuts and from what I heard there was just one. Anbow Lynn was Henry D Yates second wife and was the mother of Elizabeth number one. Elizabeth One was the queen that looked like she was going bald. Now I ain't gonna lead you wrong, the stand and the ax and all that stuff wasn't there, just a nice little green marked off part of the yard. In this tower there was a jail house and a lot of ole English folks was kept here. Another thing they has here is the crowd jewels. They is these great big precious stones and they is called the crowd jewels because there is always a big crowd around to look at them. They got so many peoples that they made a moving walk to push you past so peoples won't hang on too long gawking. Didn't take me long; one little peek were enough for me,

Tomorrow: Getting Ready to Head Home

The Opera

We taken a taxi. Hollis had kinda pushed me to go out an buy a new suit and shirt and tie. I wouldn't buy no new shoes though. My Sunday ones is good enough. All that stuff cost a lot but I ain't never gonna spend what I got no way. We got to the opera and I'm telling you the people that was there looked like they was all butlers in them old movies. The mens was dressed like Fred Astaire and the womens was really all frilled up. We had good seats right down front. Now like I said I know how the music is gonna go with my daddy spending his young years with that Italian family in New Orleans and all. They started playing the overturn and I couldn't help but close my eyes and imagine I was sitting on Harper Lake with a soft breeze on my face. I had to try not to notice all them different kinds of perfumes. I opened my eyes a couple of times during the show; one was when Figgy Rowe sang his piece. He was good. You know he was the same guy what got married in Mose Hart's opera. I have to say I am glad Hollis taken me and all, but ain't nothing like sitting on my lake and listening to the overturn and watching that ole osprey fly all around like he could hear the music too.

Tomorrow: The Tower and Anbow Lynn

                                                                         Mose Hart

Hollis Goes Off Somewheres With His Girl (from Jan 2011)

Hollis and his girlfriend left early this morning on another walking tour around London. They like to go places that they read about in books even if the books didn't really happen. Today, they was taking a "Saturday" walk and ride where this doctor in this book  by that name went. Hollis wanted to see exactly what the London Flyover was. I ain't got no idea what he's talking about. 

Well, I wasn't supposed to get out on my own but I did anyway. I wasn't gonna get lost again because I used my good noticing skill to remember where I went. I wanted to go down and ride that big wheel. And I did find my way there. I'm getting to understand what peoples are saying better after my time here and I try to talk real clear so they will understand me. On the wheel high up over the city I seen where we was staying and up and down the river they call Tim's River. I met some people in my car on the wheel from Germany and some others from Australia. I told the Australia folks that I did not know Oprah, who took a bunch of folks down there, but me and her both was borned in  Mississippi. I ain't told y'all this, but Hollis printed up a bunch of cards inviting people to tune in to my blog. I handed some out 'cause I has had peoples from all kinds of countries looking in. That makes me real happy. 

Hollis had a big surprise when he come home. He had got tickets to the opera. We going tonight to see "The Barbershop in Seville."

Tomorrow: The Opera

I'm 'bout Ready to Head Home (from Jan 2011)

Last night when we stayed in Rye was the first night we was away from our flat across from the food court. I didn't sleep too good. And today we been riding around the English countryside (on the wrong side of the road.) You gotta pay for everything with what they call pounds and the temperature is called C instead of F and I'm 'bout ready to head home. We got a couple more days because thats what our tickets say.

On the way back to London we went through this little town and peoples was in town shopping around just like they do in Harper. Kinda made me homesicker than I already was. We was hungry so we had what they call tea. It's like a little meal later in the day. One big thing they don't have over here is sweet tea. They drink their tea hot just like it was coffee and put a lot of milk in it. And the sugar comes in little cubes what they call lumps. I don't reckon I would ever get used to that.

We made it back in and I went right over to that food court and got me some good stuff to eat. I ain't gonna tell y'all what it was cause I ain't never heard of it before but it was some kind of fish with a yellowish sauce on it. I have to say it was tasty especially with all them vegetables I got with it.

Tomorrow: Hollis Goes Off Somewhere With That Girl

Rye (from Jan 2012)

Today was a nervous day for me. Hollis rented a car, you know with the wheel on the wrong side. And we went off driving down the wrong side of the road, like they do over there, to the town of Rye. Now I may not always notice the same things everybody else notices, but this place was like something in a old pirate movie. I found out while they is two miles from the sea now, it used to lap right up on the town limits. Can you believe the sea can move that far? I mean like I walk out one morning and Harper Lake is done down at the county line or something. 

Way back then this Norman family come over from France and captured all of England. We got some Van Normans in Harper, I reckon they may be kin to this bunch, but they all good peoples far as I know. 

We stayed in this hotel that was hundreds of years old and it smelled like it too. The cafe downstairs was real high priced and they had some things that I didn't care for like raw salmon and fish eggs. And they called tomaters ta mah toes. I'm gonna have to say we had a good time though. My room had a secret passageway what went to the kitchen. I didn't have no need to use it. One trip to that kitchen was enough for me.

Tomorrow: I'm 'bout Read to Head Home

Dover (from Jan 2011)

Today, me and Hollis taken the train to the town of Dover. It was a tough day for me because of all the climbing and walking, but it was one of the best days since we been here. We got off the train in downtown Dover and Hollis got us a taxi up to Dover Castle. It is way up on a hill. The driver let us out on this road sorta behind the castle and we had to walk around and up a big hill to the gate. Wore me out. When we was inside we saw all kinda things. One was a roman light house. It was the  because Dover is right on the sea. We got some food in the castle cafe and it wasn't too good. It was the worse eating we had in England. We walked all over that place and saw a lot of things. Then we went to see the white cliffs. They're called the White Cliffs of Dover and they is something to see. You know they had a song about them cliffs a long time ago. I think it was during WWII. From on top of the cliffs on a clear day if you strain real hard, and make up your mind to it, you can see the country of France. I didn't see it and that was my only chance cause I sure ain't going there. My Uncle Angus what was there during the war told me some things about them folks that makes me want to stay away.

Tomorrow: Rye

Author's Homes (from Jan 2011)

Looks like a lot of peoples what wrote books used to live in England. Me and Hollis and that girl went out together to look at their homes. We had been to some already out in England, but a whole bunch had houses in London. There was one section what had a bunch of places called Bloomsbury or something like that. I don't remember the names, but Hollis and that girl got a big kick out of looking 'em over. I think one of 'em was named David Copperfield, the same as that magic guy. They kept talking about David and where all he went around and about London. And one was named Oliver. And one that got me was Tom Elliot. They said he was born in St. Louis but come over here and stayed. I think he wrote a lot of poems. Y'all can probably tell I am in a struggle with today's post. I just don't know what the dickens I'm talking about. I need to get them to learn me more about these peoples before I head into their houses and try to understand. Sorry folks. Tomorrow will be better. I promise.

Tomorrow: Dover

Churches (from Jan 2011)

We already been in a bunch of churches. Almost every town we went had one real big main church. In everyone of 'em you could have put all the churches in Harper County and still had room for more. I ain't gonna talk about but two; the two we was in today.

 The first one is called St. Paul's Church. It was built after the first one by that name was burned up by a mighty fire. That was hundreds of years ago. Now they is working on cleaning it up (I don't mean from the fire.)  Peoples was everywhere working on it, inside and out. This is the church where Princess Di and that prince guy was married. We got a guy in Harper looks just like him. Nobody thinks our man is the least bit good-looking. Hollis got on one side of this balcony and whispered to me on the other side. I heard every word. I bet over the years a lot of peoples got in trouble with that. 

The other church is Westminster Abbey. It is older cause it has been around for about 1000 years. This is where Prince William and his girl friend is gonna get hitched. It is also the place where a lot of kings and queens and famous English people is buried right in the church. I looked around at the grave markers and saw a lot of names that was the same as people living in Harper. I reckon some of them is kin. It cost a lot of money to go into both of these churches. I am glad they don't charge to go into the ones in Harper. They have too much trouble getting peoples to come as it is.

Tomorrow: Author's Homes

Isle of Wight (from Jan 2011)

Y'all probably remember that one of the things I read about in those leaflets Hollis brought to me was about a place where Queen Victoria stayed a lot. It's Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. On the way there we went by almost every kind of transportation you ever heard of. We walked to the tube station, took the tube to the railway station, rode the train to the port, rode a hovercraft to the island, took a bus to the gates of Osborne House, was picked up by a man and his kid driving a carriage with some kind of little horse pulling it. Wow! 

Osborne House ain't like no castle or palace. It's just a big ole house. A nice house but no palace. We seen where the queen slept and died and her husband's bathroom, where she was laid out after she died and where she wrote her letters, and a bunch of other things. The yard was big and pretty.

 We ate at this little restaurant on the grounds. I had what they called winter soup. It was full of vegetables and had turnips in it. I ain't never had soup with turnips but I'm gonna tell Dorothy and get her to make me some when I get home; Lord willing I do. 

We was having good weather, not too cold or rainy. But when we left the house and was waiting for the bus, it come up a real heavy rain. We was still wet some when we got back to the flat.

Tomorrow: Churches

The Other Southerner in London (from Jan 2011)

Sorry for the delay. I been busy trying to eat up all the food Dorothy cooked up. Now, to continue telling about how I got lost on the subway in London.

Lo and behold there was a woman outside that station where I was lost at who heard me talking and walked right up to me and asked me if I was from the South. I was so excited I didn't know what to do. It turned out this lady was from Dublin, Georgia and was in London shopping for a new dining room table. Now ain't that hard to believe. But I didn't care why she was there. I was just glad she was. She heard me asking for help to get back to where we was staying and it just happened she was staying kinda close to us.
She could tell from how I described what was around where we was at. I told y'all I was real good at noticing things. Well, me and that woman, her name was Smith, rode back--we had to change lines just once--to the exact tube stop where I got on earlier that day. She even walked around the corner with me and watched while I climbed up the steps to the building where our flat was at. I waved a thank you and probably will never see her again. 

But if any of y'all know a Mrs. Smith from Dublin, Ga who was shopping for a dining room table in London in January 2011 tell her thanks a heap. She's real nice.

Tomorrow: The Isle of Wight