Bernadette & Harpo
These long, solitary nights of puppy care are a great time to reminisce.
Here’s a fun memory…
I’ve already introduced my good friend from the tennis tour…Bernadette…
I’m actually surprised she and I are both still around to re-tell our tales…
We did push the envelope.
Bernadette is married to Harpo (alias’s all around)…
Harpo is a well-known actor and a funny, funny man.
They are both really entertaining people to hang out with.
Around ten years ago, they asked me to meet up with them at Gatwick Airport to go on a “narrow boat” excursion on the British canal system…
Somehow they thought I’d be a helpful addition…
Harpo was in charge of the helm and Bernadette was first mate………….(I’m not touching that one with a 10′ barge pole…)
…..I was the poop-deck schleppie.
In hind-sight, I realize that I’ve always lived in States bordered by big chunks of water…….northern Ohio, New Jersey, & Florida.
A lot of my time has been spent on or in the water and/or beaches.
My parents always had boats…
Lots of fish and seafood meals………….but don’t get me started on the over-load of Spanish Mackeral dinners we had in my teens while living in Jersey………….it’s still the subject of oily nightmares…
But a “narrow boat” was a first for me…….
The culture on the canals is so cool too.
Entire communities afloat with mailing addresses of pubs or shops or other people’s homes.
I met a few “Romanies”.
It’s a life-style I think I could embrace.
Their narrow boats were much like gypsy-wagons…….but on the water.
(…..that is something I’ve always wanted to get for my horses to pull…….a gypsy wagon…….my horses are Tinker ponies after all…)
It was a wonderfully relaxing/unique week…
The lock systems were amazing to see and negotiate
Nottingham was fun and we lucked out to be there in time for a Medieval Festival…
What could be cooler than a Medieval Festival in a city like Nottingham………….you know I’ve been to Nottingham twice now………….and I’ve never seen Nottingham Forest…
My first trip was with the United States Team for the Federation Cup where our team stayed at Stapleford Park (***Stapleford Park***) and then once on a narrow boat.
But aaahhhhhhhh~~~~~the Pubs…
One in particular stands out in my memory…….
*****Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem Pub*****
Huge planks of fish with chips were offered everywhere………….they NEVER get old…
And speaking of big planks…….I had to get a couple of massive shingles of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars for my daughters.
Bernadette emphatically recommended that I hide the chocolate from Harpo.
Harpo loves chocolate…….especially good English chocolate…
So I hid the candy with the extra anchor ropes in a side compartment of the narrow boat…….
…..and wouldn’t you know, Harpo’s chocolate-radar zeroed in on it…….
………….it’s still a cause for contentious conversations with Harpo to this day………….
…………………I wouldn’t share my cache of take-home chocolate…….(for my children)…
………….Harpo thinks less of me for that………….
