London 1965
London, monument to the Great fire
London Zoo
1965-London Underground, I grew to love this, the most efficient way of getting around in such a complicated city.
1965-Went shopping with Midge. I remember this is when she asked me if “I really wanted to get married?” I said yes.
I’m not sure about other programs but on Windows you can click on the picture and ‘open in new tab’. The print will show original size.
Landed in London then took a taxi to Jo’s address. She wasn’t there but Midge was. They were sharing a flat with two other girls.
I waited ’til Jo came home from work. Surprise, surprise!
I stayed with them until Midge told me that the other girls resented my presence. I went looking for a place to rent. Ended up in Notting Hill being interviewed by a mother and daughter.
This is the street where my flat was located.
It was at this time I noticed that Canadians had no recognizable status in England. I got the same attitude from upper, middle, and lower classes. I kind of bemused reaction as if they didn’t know where I belonged in the hierarchy. After a while I learned to use this to my advantage. My future landlady and her daughter told me the price and expected me to argue. They were stupefied when I told them the price was fine and I’d like to pay three months in advance! Astonished silence. Then they asked me where I worked and, once again, were amazed that I didn’t have a job.
One day the lights went out in my building. The landlady called me from the ground floor. “You’re an American you can fix the power” I said I’d have a look. It was a hodgepodge of circuits. I told her I didn’t have the slightest idea how to fix it, oh and besides “I’m Canadian”.
Jo began spending time in my room and at one point asked me to marry her! Big plans from hereon in.
I’m not sure about other programs but on Windows you can click on the picture and ‘open in new tab’. The print will show original size.
So..I quit university, packed my things,(including and enlarger and everything necessary to print pictures)headed to downtown Vancouver and caught a bus to Montreal. I have no personal record of the date but did see a huge meteor streak across the northern sky the first night on the bus.
This from a newspaper report at the time.
“I looked up from my bedroom window and saw it so I ran out to the kitchen, and there was just this ‘boom,boom,boom,boom’ across the sky. It seemed to go on forever, which was probably only a matter of seconds. Freaks you out when you’re a little kid.”
march 31/1965
I have never been able to go to sleep easily so it wasn’t until my second night on the bus that I finally dozed off. “You sure can snore” said my seatmate the next morning.
When I got to Montreal my plan was to search for a freighter going to England and sign on but I was too impatient and immediately booked a flight to London.
There were two comfortable seats on either side. Lots of legroom . Economy class! Luxury compared to today’s planes. Also I smoked at the time (Cigarillos) so I contentedly puffed with no complaints from anyone. In fact most of the people on the plane smoked.
However, it was a long flight I think over 7 hours.
I landed and took a cab to Jo’s address. Big surprise in store!
I’m not sure about other programs but on Windows you can click on the picture and ‘open in new tab’. The print will show original size.
On Wed. Feb. 8, 2023 I’ll be publishing my blog of our trip to Europe in 1965, including East Germany (before the wall went down)