1) I woke up earlier than I wanted to and lingered in bed until about 7. Then I came downstairs for my coffee and to write my morning pages. Not long after I was done, hey presto, it was time for breakfast.
2) The best thing for me to do after that was pack up (not wanting to leave anything behind accidentally and be a nuisance), and clean up for the day. British bathtubs are narrower than I.
2a) That took me back to my Last Stage Appearance (1982, Lago di Carlo’s Little Theatre Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night; I played Sir Andrew Aguecheek), and the director. She had been through some sort of graduate theatre program in England, and talked about floating in a high narrow bathtub in her hotel with rose petals scattered over the surface of the water.
2b) (I was 18 and so naive in the ways of the world. I think back to a particular rehearsal where something was wrong with a member of the cast, a middle-aged man; he was unable to remember his lines and very hesitant in his speech. I was shushed whenever I tried to find out what was going on. Only years later did I realize that he was blind drunk and the director was trying to assess what was really going on with him.)
3) The morning was spent alternately doing travel research, writing, and talking with Paul about many different subjects, from the heartfelt to art, photography, and travel. If a chocolate panetonne was involved over tea, so much the better. It’s nice to have a day just to BE and not have an itinerary.
4) For Paul, the secret ingredient of tuna salad is chopped gherkin. (For me, it is white pepper.)
5) In the late afternoon, I confided my troubles to Dr. Bettina Bettlemann on the dining room settee (see above; reasonable rates). She was very helpful. I wish I had color-coordinated my outfit before the appointment.
6) We three (minus Dr. Bettlemann, she doesn’t leave the office) enjoyed an early dinner in the nearby pub — the Coventry equivalent of the late Doyle’s, and with a menu darn near as American to my eyes.
7) My hosts kindly insisted on accompanying me to the train station (to be sure I actually left — the old joke). We ended up on the platform longer than expected as my train was delayed, this time due to “a fire near the track.” At least it was a different excuse than last week’s “animal on the track.”
Ready to board.
8) And then finalmente, that telltale headlight appeared in the distance, we three hugged farewell, last instructions were barked (“Let other people off first,” “NOT NOW!”) 🙄, and I was on my way back to Old Blighty.
9) The train felt crowded, possibly because of the delay. I stowed my bags and alternately texted a friend and contemplated the night. The train got crowded after Northampton, possibly because of the various delays.
10) But when I walked back into my hotel, the Nice Man at the Desk greeted me very happily and made things easy for me. I stowed my bag, returned to the lobby for a whiskey, and then returned to my room (with the whiskey; I didn’t just snort it back at the little bar) to settle down for the night.
11) Tomorrow morning will be the Great Repacking, lunch with a couple friends near the British Museum, and then an evening train to another, very special destination.