You had me at……………Liberty. Even though each and every one of these shops looks intriguing, I would give anything to make a return trip to that incomparable emporium, Liberty. We planned to merely stop in, due to a very hectic “way too much” trip to London — but Liberty demanded that we linger and take in every nuance. The structure itself. The fine goods. The lovely backdrops and props. The staircase, winding its way through the heart of the building. The colors, patterns, motifs, historical references. I expected William Morris, that big burly genius, to come bustling through wearing a massive smock and trailing sheaves of drawings and color samples. I brought home a soft enveloping shawl in a Morris print, and matching oil cloth tote. Rust, deep purple, olive green, burgundy. Unlike me, it will never look old or out of fashion. A lifetime purchase, a wearable memory.

Many of the old buildings in your photographs still stood in those postwar days, but alas, so many have been demolished since, to be replaced by towering glass, steel and concrete monstrosities. Thank you for re-awakening the memories….

Having read the piece I’d soon closed my eyes daydreaming of childhood times sat in front of the open coal fire, all four of us boys squirming a bit here and there to get as close as we could, to be warmed by and fascinated with that mesmerising dance of flames from the grate.

Oh how it seemed to glow even more, spitting out sparks every now and then not so long after mum or dad had dropped one of those tarred wooden blocks we’d rescued as a family from beneath the cobblestones being dug-up down there in the road.

Stirring myself out of this blissful moment I got thinking ‘how was I going to go about ordering a copy of The Life & Times of Mr Pussy’ given my wife had already gone ballistic with my recent purchase of David Hoffman’s Endurance & Joy in the East End 1971-1987 given the belt tightening we’re all having to reach for in our efforts to ward-off this impact of never-ending price rises on our life’s basics.

Nice one Gentle Author, nice one.

Two unforgettable anecdotes: he loved my 50s couch with its blue nubby fabric and the folded blanket on it from the same era. In an impressive ritual, he turned in circles on it, curled up and slept — for about 20 minutes. I read in the book: cats don’t need longer periods of rest. However, they do perform this ritual several times a day!

When I came home one day, CHICO was sitting in front of the letterboxes in an impressive sphinx pose — he had ‘caught’ a mouse and proudly presented it to me. In the book, it says: you MUST praise the cat for this ‘gift’ so that he doesn’t suffer any emotional distress… Oh, my beloved cat! 

Love & Peace
ACHIM