As DP says, I'm here in Leeds. My only difficulty was at the Manchester Airport to find the train station and then a looong walk. I had a luggage cart, thank goodness.
Yesterday, I was like a zombie, but I slept well last night, and today I'm fine. I'll meet Doorman-Priest and his family this evening. They delivered flowers to my room, the dears. They have been magnificent.
I found the shopping street near the hotel and bought a cheap cell phone and some minutes. The SIM card for Dennis' cell phone would have cost as much as the cell phone. Good thing, because I can't make phone calls out from my hotel room. The hotel is lovely, thanks again to DP and Mrs DP for their recommendation.
I'm typing from the Headingley Library, which gives me an hour free! It's near my hotel.
I'll try to keep in touch.
Love to all
Grandmère Mimi
Mad Priest has some photos of Mimi's trip here and here and here.
7 comments:
Sounds lovely, Mimi, and par for the course on the sleeping thing. Glad you have a phone.
Grandmère Mimi,
Don´t forget the Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding (lots of Brown Gravy)!
Hope you have time to visit York and the Cathedral!
Wow! Hope you packed a ¨period¨ costume for the trip back in time so they won´t string you up on the Gate!
ENJOY! My Dad was from Hull, Yorkshire and I´ve been Yorkshired properly...it´s a good thing!
Grandmère Mimi, PLEASE, don´t forget Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch (whose remains are still available where you are visiting for checking and scrutinizing for secret messages passed down through the sages).
1809: Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch
March 20th, 2009 Headsman
It’s the bicentennial today of the unnatural passing of the Yorkshire witch.
Mary Bateman ran her fraudulent fortune-telling business under the name “Mrs. Moore”, and had some years’ success separating fools from their money without running afoul of the law.
In fact, she outlived her fatal crime — plying with poisoned puddings a bilked couple, lest they realize their medium was defrauding them — by months, even continuing to leach money off the surviving husband after her ministrations had killed the wife.
Let’s just say she knew how to pick her clientele.
When the sucker finally got wise to the scam,* the jig was up for Mary in a sensational trial. (It’s recounted at length here — and capped by what must have a grimly comic spectacle when Mary attempted to plead her belly and the women in the courtroom bolted for the exits to avoid impaneling on a jury of matrons to adjudge the claim. The judge ordered the doors shut up before his jury pool could escape.)
Three days after conviction, she was hanged at York Castle before a crowd of thousands, who subsequently paid (.pdf) to see her corpse (and to get cured cuts of her skin as charms: even unto death, Mary had ‘em swallowing her snake oil).
After execution, Mary Bateman’s body was given over for dissection in Leeds — remaining a curio worthy of public preservation to this day at that city’s Thackray Medical Museum.
* Source of enlightenment? Not the death of his wife, but the fact that magical financial windfalls promised by the Yorkshire witch had failed to materialize after two-plus years of paying her.¨
Details, I know you´ll want them are available at:
http://www.executedtoday.com/2009/03/20/1809-mary-bateman-the-yorkshire-witch/
Enjoy yourself - and see you in a week ;=)
Mimi, this from the BR Morning Advocate Thursday:
More uprising over Gov. Jindal’s decision to turn down $98 million in unemployment benefits for Louisiana
March 19, 2009
On the steps of the State Capitol Wednesday, another group of Louisiana citizens voiced their strong opposition to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s decision to turn down $98 million in unemployment benefits for the state. Led by AFL-CIO and United Steelworkers representatives, the gathering showed how real lives are being affected by our struggling economy – and why unemployment benefits are crucial to helping people who need help the most.
Miss you in Crapaudville! Have fun!
Maybe Mimi has really gone to Leeds to coach their football team?
The hour free scheme should be for the tax paying English - not for bloody foreigners. I don't know, bloomin' Americans - over sexed, over paid, over here and hogging the free computers!
Post a Comment