Back in the United States

[rymenhild]

The trip to Britain was lovely and mostly successful. I sat on Lyra and Will's bench in the Oxford Botanical Gardens, rode on Duncan the Tank Engine, saw the window of Dorothy Sayers' study and stood on Cadfan's rather muddy Way. I drank soda with blackcurrant in the company of gramarye1971, avariel_wings and innerbrat, because the bartender misunderstood me when I said "cider". I spent time with several old and dear friends, some of whom convinced me that I like Bollywood movies.* I managed to avoid Live8, G8, the announcement of London's Olympic victory, and some terrorist attacks. I went to a parade at St James' Park in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of D-Day, and saw the Queen and Prince Philip riding along the parade route.

I came home too soon to get a British copy of Harry Potter, alas.

Also, I did research.

I'm in Philadelphia now, where I will be for... two weeks? I do seem to keep coming and going this summer.

*Sidenote on Bollywood movies: prosewitch, you must see a film called Paheli. It involves a young woman whose husband is replaced by a spirit, and it clearly requires a folklorist's eye.

Comments

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good trip!

Hey, if you'd like to get together while you're in Philly, let me know -- my calendar's a little crazy, but we could try.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Mine's crazy too but it's worth a try. Email me at rymenhild@yahoo.com and let me know where your general neighborhood is so I can figure out if I'm likely to get there.

[muchabstracted.livejournal.com]

Cadfan's Way!

Oddly, that (and avoiding the terrorist attacks) excite me the most. Though -- what was Sayers' study like?

And, speaking of old friends, I am curious as to whether or not you were able to get into touch with Mary. Whose name is sufficient common that I feel comfortable naming her here.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Sayers' study? I only saw the outside window. It wasn't much to see, just a window in Oxford. I figure that I was probably closer to Sayers' workspace in Duke Humfrey's Library.

Cadfan's Way, though, was... special. We'd given up on seeing anything DiR-related that day beside St Cadfan's Church and the Tywyn train platform, and just ended up taking a hike past a set of waterfalls in the hills. We'd been walking for about a half hour, maybe forty minutes, when I saw this sign (must upload soon!) saying that Ffordd Cadfan, a medieval pilgrimage route, was on the ridge just above.

That was when I screamed, "HOLY SH*T! IRIS!" (using Iris's real name, of course), and convinced Iris to climb up to the ridge with me. Assuming what I found was actually the Way, it exists, it's very, very narrow (about one person's width across), it's muddy and it's highly dangerous. I have Bran Davies traversing the Way on a bike in Millicanon; that wouldn't work. If Guinevere took the Way from Cader Idris (assuming it goes that far) all the way past Craig y Aderyn in the freezing rain while carrying an infant (also Millicanon), let's say that she and Bran should both have been very, very seriously ill when they arrived at the cottage.

This was about the point in the day when Iris' and my shoes got soaking wet. They remained wet for the next several hours and contributed to a sense of general misery. I didn't care, though, because, hey, Cadfan's Way.

[muchabstracted.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's even cooler than I expected, when I saw the name in your post. Your shoes and/or sense of well-being for those hours also strike me as being well-spent casualties.

I have been spoiled for HBP, by the way. Several times, once at my own request and multiple times by my own efforts. Just so you know. =)

[gramarye1971]

Ee, I'm glad you're back all right. *loves*

The black-currant and soda thing was decidedly odd. And did you like the Queen's royal purple Queen-mobile (for that is what I think it should be called)? I couldn't stop giggling, but she looked like she was having a great time. ^_^

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Being short and staring over the shoulders of the crowd as best I could, I saw less of the mobile and more of the Queen. Even so, I couldn't really recognize the expression on her face.

Translation: I didn't see details at all, other than the hat, but I saw her.

[taylweaver.livejournal.com]

You're only in Philly for two weeks?!?! Is that it for the summer, or will you be back again later? Because I don't yet know my plans for this coming weekend - I may need to be in Teaneck - but I know that I need to be in the New York the weekend after that.

[flintknappy.livejournal.com]

Hey, welcome back. Glad you returned safely. Might you care to hang out? You know you want to... :)