September was a good month for Wodehousians. On the 20th we assembled in Westminster Abbey for Evensong and then, in a state of Grace but not Monaco, the Duke of Kent presented a memorial to PGW to the Dean, who dedicated it.
⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️ Bugles and a Tiger describes John Masters’ time at Sandhurst and serving with the Gurkhas in India in the 1930s. It sets the stage for his second volume when the world is at war: The Road Past Mandalay.
Two red-eared terrapins bookend a pair of ducks and a cormorant at Chiswick House yesterday. While the gardens have evolved the basic layout is William Kent’s and almost all his eye-catching features remain, including Burlington Gate.
The local council, Hammersmith and Fulham, have one department with which I cannot find fault; tree maintenance. They regularly prune the crab apple tree on the pavement outside our house and plant new trees when necessary. Our streetscape would be impoverished without their diligence and care.
This is the view from Box Hill in Surrey. It is a short, steepish climb to the 735 foot summit and I was surprised how may people had made it up there until I saw a large car park operated by the National Trust near the top.
Yesterday we went castle-creeping in Wales. Conveniently Carreg Cennen is within walking, splashing, stile-crossing, gate-vaulting distance of where we are staying. We met sheep, horses and English Longhorn cattle along the way.