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Hi, Rusty!
That is interesting about the King taking several items with him to the scaffold........
I had previously only heard about his Bible and the chess board.
I suppose he wanted to leave momentoes to friends.
(Should "momentoes" have an "e" ? it looks odd?)
Now, swan upping....I was about to tell you that it always takes place in July, but I see that Jazzgirl has pre- empted me.
I think I remember Doglet saying that she had been helping them with the process? That would be fascinating?
I am putting "swan upping " down on my "To do "list!
Which list, incidentally, is not yet in existence, despite my saying the other day that I wanted to put something on my "Bucket" list....we even wondered how "bucket list " came into being........
But what was it I wanted to do?
I have forgotten.......
Can you remember?
I need to write it down....!
It is blowing a gale outside ....I've been in the garden with the dog but was nearly swept off my feet!
I am now going to watch some tennis.......



Hello, Chris!
Yes, I think you are right!
I do remember your saying about climbing with a faster -moving friend!
and his stopping on the various "summits " to wait for you!
It is all coming back to me now!
I am just about to look up your reference........

Hello, Elle!
Goodness! It certainly looks odd!
It is memento, not momento!
You and your senior moments!
Please yourself with "tos" or "toes", Chambers has both!
Now, I am only going on what the Auction lad said about the King and "several items".
I was not there.
No, your bucket list escapes me.
Vacuum the Hill's hoist?
My Michener book has arrived.
Practically new book for 1p!
A good pic of him and Aggie Grey (Google her) in it.
Great day here,but I have had a text from a pal in Tallaght, Dublin, saying they had snow this morning!

Elle,
I slipped up.
Should have said "senior momentoes"!

Hi, Rusty!
I'll give you "senior momentoes"!
Cheek !
Umm, but are you sure?
I wasn't convinced and had to look it up in both Chambers and the Oxford Concise dictionaries.
They both only give "memento" - but when I checked online, I found that Wiktionary gives "momento" as an alternative spelling?
To me it does not look odd!
It is derived from Latin.
Now, I have undergone enlightenment... and I think my bucket list 'wish' might be a visit to the British Library?
That would make sense and be reasonably topical?
I really must write these things down as they occur to me!
Your book has come very quickly indeed !
And I ordered mine first (just!)
Amazon tells me it has "been dispatched" though - so hopefully I shall receive it soon!
I do not know Aggie Grey, but will look her up!
Snowing in Dublin?
No snow here......but we have gale force winds !

Hello, Elle,
I think "memento" is better, surely?
I think you would have to prepare for a trip to the BL.
Do some homework.
It has a mind startling accumulation of "stuff".
On Treasures the curators are super.
They know their stuff and are extraordinarily helpful, but would Joe and Jane Public get access to them?
Certainly worth exploring though.
Do you need a library card or is my thinking a bit hillbillyish?
Now, here's a thing.
I had forgotten about Aggie until I saw her pic with Michener in my book today.
On a whim I looked her up on Amazon.
There are two books on her.
One is "Aggie Grey. A Samoan Saga"
She was a legendary figure in the South Seas.

Hi, Rusty!
I have researched Aggie Grey.
She is quite a well-known personality!
I wonder how I had never heard of her?
So she was the character upon whom James Michener based "Bloody Mary"?
Well, well!
I think, perhaps , after all, I should read "Tales of the South Pacific"?
I originally decided against doing so, because I am not a fan of short stories, but it might be fascinating to fill in background, having now "met" Mr M, and knowing what to expect.......
I shall give it some consideration.
As far as I know, entry to the British Library is free, including access to the Treasures Gallery.
Some exhibitions do have an entrance fee, though.
There is also a (paid) tour that one can join.
If /when I ever go there, I shall certainly do some thorough research beforehand.
Is you son visiting you tonight?

Hello, Elle!
Yes, my son has just gone!
He brought stovies tonight!
I think you have to read "Tales of the South Pacific".
It is a must, Elle.
In the biography of Michener there are photos of him with the Pope (an old friend), President Ford, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and the legendary Aggie Grey.
There is also a quite terrifying photo of him standing in a doorway during the Pamplona bull run, with bulls charging past and bodies on the road.
Should be a good read for you.
You are fortunate having the British Library not so far away.
I shall see if they have an interesting website...just!

Hey, Rusty!
Stovies sounds most delicious!
Is this what you will have for dinner tomorrow?
It is mainly a potato dish, isn't it? made with mixed vegetables and varying meats- such as beef or sausages....?
Yes, I think you are right - I would like to hear the story behind the musical "South Pacific" and I should also like to read "Until We Sail."
But these two stories are not in the same volume, are they?
Didn't you a say that the latter short story is in "Return to Paradise"?
So I shall need to buy two books!
(What an excellent excuse!)
Yes, the British Library has a really great, very expansive website.
I have been browsing it to find out various info about visiting there.
It is now pouring with rain here!
And very chilly!

Hello, Elle!
No veg in stovies.
Tatties and roast beef, or corned beef, normally.
How to start a row in a Scottish pub.
"What's the ingredients in stovies?"
"Until They Sail" is in "Return to Paradise".
You can not read Michener and miss out his stories of the islands.
He is in a class of his own in the South Pacific.
So, how did your info finding out at BL go?
Is it straightforward to go there?
It is cold here, too.
But we have missed your winds and Dublin's snow!

Hi, Rusty!
At the risk of starting WW3........I could have sworn that my Scottish cousin told me there are vegetables in Stovies?
( Shall I duck?)
Now....I have been on Amazon and have found "Return to Paradise" for 1p!
Butt "Tales of the S.P" is relatively quite expensive at present.
I shall look again tomorrow!
You know how the prices can vary from day to day.
This is the website for the British Library.
http://www.bl.uk/
Apparently, the library is sited at Kings Cross - I didn't know that.
Yes, I can get there by public transport relatively easily - mainline train, and then the Tube.
There are no parking facilities on site - and going up to London by car is never a viable option.
Still raining!