Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Spotted Dog, The Wasteland, date and time

The Spotted Dog near Fordcombe just outside Tunbridge Wells used to have fine views over the Weald from the terraces at the back. Then a neigbouring landowner planted some trees just below the terraces because he didn't like the idea or the sound of people enjoying themselves. The tree grew and the view was obscured. Now with a new owner of the pub and of the neighbouring land, a number of the trees have been cut down restoring the view. Lunch there at one of our favourite haunts with daughter, Pippa was a double treat for us. And the sun shone.

Lucas reminds me that the Starnbergsee, which we visited when in Munich (photographs in earlier post) is mentioned in TS Eliot's Wasteland.
"Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee and talked for an hour."
We, too, went to the Hofgarten in the centre of Munich and talked for an hour, though we had forgoten the Eliot connection.

A reader's letter in the Independent points out that tomorrow Thursday May 4, at 2 minutes and three seconds past one am, the day, date and time will be: 01: 02.o3 04 05 06.

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