Rome, Italy

     On the subject of concierges of hotels, I will never forget the hotel concierge we met in Rome, Italy. He looked just like a young Luciano Pavarotti and had a dry sense of humour when my mother and I went to stay there.
      And another man I will never forget, is the bus tour guide on the island of Capri in Italy.  He said he was of Greek descent and called the tourists on the bus names like Mr. and Mrs. Tokyo, or Mrs. Canada, depending on where they came from.

Medina Del Campo, Spain

     While I was in my early twenties, I went to Medina Del Campo, in Spain.  I went in by train, in the heat of the day and walked down a little tree-lined avenue on the parched ground, past little old people sitting on benches and silently or holding conversations, keeping each other company, to a hotel concierged by a woman who looked like my mother.
     I asked for a room for the night and she led me to a room overlooking a medieval tower, a room fit for the Queen of Sheba in my opinion, where I spent the night and then passed on to another town on the train the next day.

Saved By Ravioli

      I was on a ferry crossing the Channel between England and France, the boat tipping from stem to stern, and everybody running for the side, when an idea occurred to me.
      "Ravioli," I thought.  "That would do it."
      I had the comforting taste of ravioli in my mouth before I knew it and was over the biliousness of the day.  Saved by ravioli!

God's Joke

     Last night as I was lying awake, I was wondering what to do to get back to sleep.  I got up and read Robinson Crusoe for a few pages, then dipped into my favourite book The Observer's Book of British Grasses and of course the Bible.  Then I wondered what should I do next when a voice in my head, God I thought, said, "What about a little dancing?"  He knows I love to dance, but three o'clock in the morning is not the time.

I Love Lucy

     One day while driving through Beverly Hills on a bus tour, we saw the famous lady Lucille Ball of comedy fame picking up her mail from her mailbox outside her house.  She gave us a wave and a smile and I have never forgotten her.
      Years later in Hollywood again, my husband and I were sitting outside at a restaurant when a Lucille Ball look-a-like came outdoors and threw up her hands in horror and dismay that I was wearing a similar outfit to her.

Last Night I Watched The Show "Doc Martin" on PBS

      "Doc Martin" is a British medical series on t.v. which I find usually good.  Most of the time, it is the only show I watch on t.v. all week.  The plot was so intriguing of last night's show,  I told it to my children today.

My Day At Hampton Court

     When I was a big girl, my school, Baston School, took us all on a field trip to Hampton Court Palace for the day, where King Henry VIII lived.  I got stuck in the maze of course and had to be fished out by a police officer.  The maze is taller than a human being and made out of hedges.  I had been lost in it for about an hour and it was time to go home, when a friendly face and a copper badge appeared over the top of the maze climbing on a ladder and asked if I was Joanne Verwest.  I said yes and was rescued.