John, thanks for the e-mail. I always thought that France would be a good place to settle down in. I have wonderful memories of the season I worked the vendage in a little hilly village, Servian, near Béziers. Along with my scouse buddies that I’d met in Amsterdam we would collect snails in the vineyard and give them to the old-time communist gentleman, Louis, collecting the grapes from our baskets. I also have a cousin who moved many years ago to tend a small potager with her husband in Pleuville. She keeps us up to date with her frequent Instagram posts. Maureen and I have visited the UK only a few times–both my parents are long gone, and my brother passed over 10 years ago. My sister and her family still live in Dunmow and we keep in touch.
My memories of the UK are firmly stuck in the past, before Farage and the ugly right wing became what it is today. I remember the skinheads and the National Front of course. One of my schoolfriends from Bryanston, Ivo Mosley, was the grandson of Sir Oswald; he was at New College the same time as us. I see that Britain’s modern-day fascists are now being cheered on by the likes of Elon Musk and JD Vance. I had hoped that the MAGA fever in the US would break long before, but it shows no signs of doing so.
Thank the gods that there are still things that can unite us, such as Arsenal’s recent league title. My fandom began with Charlie George. Soccer, as it’s called in the US, is increasingly popular, but ‘Merican football, baseball, and basketball still reign supreme. I was never much of an athlete, but I had a hand in starting the Hughes Hall boat club in Cambridge and I rowed for them in the May Bumps during my year there.
Love to you and Judy
Bob