Showing posts with label alresford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alresford. Show all posts

20190618

Friday August 24, 1979

_. So, Ally and I eloped, at long last. At 12:30 she collected me from the YP and we headed down the M1 arriving at Oxford for just after three. My first visit to the place and not quite as grand as I expected.  We ate cheese and biscuits in a grubby café called Kane's and then made a modest tour of the city. Balliol College, &c.

On the road again at 5:30 arriving at Martyr Worthy for about 7 o'clock. Tea and scones with Bill [sic] and Bessie Dixon. Bessie was more scatter-brained than ever. Mr Dixon had spent a busy day negotiating with the Libyan government over their request for a £5m loan to purchase bullet-proof vests. Barclays have flatly refused to contemplate a loan.

Out to the Ship Inn, at Alresford. I had scampi and Ally whitebait [?]. On to the Plough Inn, Itchen Abbas, where we became quite intoxicated.

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20130611

Sunday April 23, 1978

Full Moon 05:11 4th Sunday after Easter St George (England)

I was awakened at 9:30 by Alison who was waking John (in another bed in the room) in order to get him to work on time. That poor boy seems to do little else. Graham Dixon, Alison's brother, was also in a third bed in the room, and was introduced to me for the first time. Shaking hands with somebody in bed doesn't seem quite right somehow. He is quite scarred after a recent car accident.

A really beautiful day. Open top car weather, shirt sleeves, and all that. Alison took Jacq and I on a pub crawl of the area and we knocked back Pernod in a way that brought the beaches of Ibiza to the forefront of my pickled mind. The pubs included the Cart & Horses at Kings Worthy, the Plough at Itchen Abbas, the Bush at Ovington, the Globe at Alresford, &c. Most of the inns appear to be packed with over fed stockbrokers, retired field marshals and accompanying ladies.


Hurtling through Hampshire with Alison.

Back at Alison's I met Mr & Mrs Dixon for the first time. Very amiable folk. We contemplated staying until tonight but on phoning Victoria we are told we cannot exchange our tickets unless we go there in person, which defeats the object. So at 3:30 we spent £7 for the two of us to go from Winchester to London Waterloo by train. It took just an hour. We larked about on the Embankment and in Parliament Square which took us to 6pm and home time. I took a picture of Jacq dancing next to a statue of Jan Christian Smuts - it should be quite good. It looked as if the old boy was tap dancing too.


Jacq dancing with Jan Christian Smuts

A long coach journey. We were an hour late in Leeds. Jacq only just made it to the hostel on time and I was certain I wouldn't get a bus home. Daddy was phoned and he and Mama collected me at 11:30. Back for supper and a hot bath. By 1am I was in bed with Samuel Pepys.


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Sunday April 1, 1984

 4th Sunday in Lent Mothering Sunday New Moon Sunny, bright, &c. Smothering Sunday. All Fool's Day. Busy. Rob came and so too did th...