Paddington Bear, Paddington Station

The bearded devil
Is forced to dwell
In the only place
Where they don’t sell
Burma Shave

Had a lovely adventure on Sunday: went to our local Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company’s production of “HMS Pinafore.”  They changed the setting from a nineteenth century warship to one from World War II.  I thought it wouldn’t work, but it did, mostly.  The repertory company that puts these annual efforts on was in even more splendid voice than usual.  The man who played the captain of the ship sang one song, a lament about being at “sixes and sevens” in a nineteen forties mode – and to my amazement, it worked!  After the play, the cast comes out to the lobby so people can talk to them - a very pleasant custom.  And one of the players recognized me (I've been coming to rehearsals as research for a novel now cancelled).  She says she's been reading my mysteries and really likes them.  A beautiful way to warm the cockles of an author's heart. 

Yesterday, Monday, my friend Tanya came over – we can’t get together on our usual Wednesday this week, so were going to stitch Monday.  Instead, we dug out all my stash and sorted through it – five drawers full.  I found, unsurprisingly, some pieces I’d forgotten I had, including a needlepoint canvas to be made into a belt when finished.  I’d started it and put it aside for some reason, but now I’ve decided I’m bringing it with me to England.  It’s a row of black horses, galloping.  Each horse has his legs a step further along in the correct process of the gallop, a la Muybridge’s famous series of photographs.  Go here to Wikipedia’s explanation of how the series came to be taken: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sallie_Gardner_at_a_Gallop.  Anyway, I'm bringing it along to England to work on between times.

It may be that Becky and I have to fly home from London on Easter Sunday, but Westminster Abbey is going to hold an Easter Vigil service on Saturday evening, so we’ll get to go to that.

And I’ve discovered that there is a train running very frequently from Heathrow Airport into London – and the stop we want (it’s practically around the corner from our hotel) is Paddington Station.  I love Paddington Bear!  Have you seen the movie?  It’s lovely!  I’ve had a Paddington Bear of my own for something over thirty years.  For a lengthy reason, he’s wearing monk’s robes and is called Father Hugh of Paddington.  He’s had a number of short stories about him published that I wrote – he’s Mass Priest at Deer Abbey in the 1440s.  Don’t laugh too hard; its abatia ceri albi, Abbey of the White Stag, from the Vision of St. Eustace; so it’s kidding on the square.  Anyway, we will arrive in London late in the evening of March 23 via Paddington Station, which circumstance I find very comfortable.