Travelogue: A Tramp Through The Past

What a lovely day! Okay, so it was overcast, and oaky, it occasionally sprinkled a bit. But it was still a lovely day!

What made it a lovely day? I met-up with some lovely friends. I miss living over here. I miss my friends over here and the things we used to do. So this morning, I hopped on the tube and headed down to Waterloo station. From there, a train out to Kingston and a quick jaunt across town brought me to the Bentall's Center and Lunch with my friends Elaine and Robin.

We chatted; we caught-up on the news, exchanged notes about mutual friends, and generally had a lovely lunch. Afterward, they set off to do some shopping and I went trekking southward across Bushy Park to my old pub.

The pub has changed very little; though I was told that it has changed hands I was also told that all my old friends still come in regularly. The menu has changed a bit, there is a new guest ale on, other than that, and it is the same old King's Arms! It's a lovely pub that I still love.

After a quick pint and a conversation with one of the patrons who was seated next to me at the bar, I set out again. I walked across the wilderness and the snowdrops were already in bloom. I headed across the village of Thames Ditton and walked through my old neighborhood; again, things change by staying the same.

The villa is still there and looks to be the same. The same weeds growing through the pavers in the forecourt, the same wooden blinds in the hall. Heck, even British Gas has not fixed the hole in the sidewalk that they started working on a month before I left for The States.

To the Surbiton station, into town and a saunter along the river, I popped into a couple museums before heading back to Maida Vale. I had dinner from a chip shop, and turned in early; tired from having walked around town for nearly ten miles today!

Wherever you are today, I hope that you've had a pleasant start to your weekend.

Don Bergquist - 05 February 2011 - Maida Vale, London, UK