Barbara for lunch. She doesnât like curry but sheâs being magnanimous and taking me to a curry place near me on Charlotte Street.
Later
There was a thank-you note at the desk when I got back from Russell Square.
The super roses arrivedâthey are on my desk as I write this and perfume the whole room. How very thoughtfulâthank you. I just spoke to Jean Ely, she and Ted arrived at the Connaught last night. I thanked her for introducing us.
Will be back on the 18th. Do be in London still.
In hasteâ
P.B.
I leave Thursday, the fifteenth.
VIA TELETYPE
JULY 6, 1971
TO NIKKI FROM HELENE VIA BARBARA TWO REQUESTS FIRST ANDY CAPP COMIC BOOKS OUT OF PRINT COULD YOU THINK OF SOMETHING MORE CULTURED FOR HER TO BRING YOU SECOND SHE WOULD LIKE NAMES OF TWO BEST INDIAN CURRIES SOHO IN THE NATIVE TONGUE ALIVE AND WELL
TO BARBARA FROM NIKKI MANY THANKS FOR THE MESSAGE FROM HELENE HER POSTCARD SOUNDS LIKE SHE IS HAVING A BALL HAVE YOU MET HER YET
NOT YET BUT AM HAVING LUNCH WITH HER THIS FRIDAY DO YOU HAVE CURRIES FOR HER
NOT YET WILL CHECK IT OUT WITH MY INDIAN FRIEND AM JUST BACK FROM VACATION TELL HER I AM IN LOVE
GOOD FOR YOU BI
JULY 8, 1971
1510 GMT LONDON
TO BARBARA
FROM NIKKI
TWO CURRY NAMES ARE MURGI KARI AND MURGI MASALAM ALSO COULD YOU GIVE HERTHE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM KEN MILLS ALL IS LOST ROOT FOR DODGERS IN WESTERN DIVISION OR BETTER STILL TAKE UP CRICKET HAVE FUN AND THANKS NIKKI END
OKAY NIKKI WILL DO BI
JULY 9, 1971
TO NIKKI NEW YORK
JUST HAD LUNCH WITH HELENE AND SCRIBBLED OUT THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FOR YOU DUCHESS OF BLOOMSBURY STREET SAYS HOW THE HELL CAN ALL BE LOST ITS ONLY JULY METS WILL START WINNING WHEN SHE IS HOME TO ROOT THEM THROUGH DUCHESS SAYS YOU ARE FORBIDDEN TO ENTER INTO BETROTHAL WITHOUT HER CONSENT SHE WILL HAVE TO LOOK HIM OVER FIRST END
Saturday, July 10
I think everybody who works should have Saturday afternoons off, but they have got goofy ways of managing it over here.
Went down to Fortnum & Mason to buy small tokens of esteem for friends back home and by the time I finished it was lunch time. The store has an attractive coffee shop so I went there. There was a long line of people waiting for tables but a few counter seats were empty and I climbed up on a stool and picked up a menu. People were being served on both sides of me and the waitress was rushed. I waited till sheâd brought everybody elseâs tea-and-tart and when she finally turned to me, I said:
âIâll have aââ and she said:
âWeâre closed, Madam,â and I said:
âYouâre what?â and she said:
âWeâre closed.â
And she pointed to a waiter who was carrying a standard to the door. He set the standard down in front of the long line of people waiting for tables and sure enough, the sign on the standard said CLOSED.
At high noon on a Saturday with the store open and jammed with shoppers, the coffee shop closed. Which is what I call having a good strong Union.
Did the Temple this afternoon. It was raining when I came out, I took a bus home. You have to watch it with these buses. A sign on the bus says DO NOT ALIGHT FROM THE COACH UNTIL REQUESTED TO DO SO . Believe me, itâs there for your health.
The driver is at one end of the bus with his back to thepassengers. Theoretically, the conductor is at the other end, where you get off. But he also has to go through the bus asking new passengers how far theyâre going and giving them tickets and taking money and making change, and the buses are double decker so half the time heâs upstairs.
If heâs upstairs when the bus comes to your stop, DO NOT GET OFF THE BUS, just ride past your stop and wait till he comes down. Because if the conductor isnât there to signal the driver when youâre safely off, the driver doesnât really stop at your corner, he just slows down there and pauses, and then drives on, on the assumption that youâre safely off.
Later
There was a thank-you note at the desk when I got back from Russell Square.
The super roses arrivedâthey are on my desk as I write this and perfume the whole room. How very thoughtfulâthank you. I just spoke to Jean Ely, she and Ted arrived at the Connaught last night. I thanked her for introducing us.
Will be back on the 18th. Do be in London still.
In hasteâ
P.B.
I leave Thursday, the fifteenth.
VIA TELETYPE
JULY 6, 1971
TO NIKKI FROM HELENE VIA BARBARA TWO REQUESTS FIRST ANDY CAPP COMIC BOOKS OUT OF PRINT COULD YOU THINK OF SOMETHING MORE CULTURED FOR HER TO BRING YOU SECOND SHE WOULD LIKE NAMES OF TWO BEST INDIAN CURRIES SOHO IN THE NATIVE TONGUE ALIVE AND WELL
TO BARBARA FROM NIKKI MANY THANKS FOR THE MESSAGE FROM HELENE HER POSTCARD SOUNDS LIKE SHE IS HAVING A BALL HAVE YOU MET HER YET
NOT YET BUT AM HAVING LUNCH WITH HER THIS FRIDAY DO YOU HAVE CURRIES FOR HER
NOT YET WILL CHECK IT OUT WITH MY INDIAN FRIEND AM JUST BACK FROM VACATION TELL HER I AM IN LOVE
GOOD FOR YOU BI
JULY 8, 1971
1510 GMT LONDON
TO BARBARA
FROM NIKKI
TWO CURRY NAMES ARE MURGI KARI AND MURGI MASALAM ALSO COULD YOU GIVE HERTHE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM KEN MILLS ALL IS LOST ROOT FOR DODGERS IN WESTERN DIVISION OR BETTER STILL TAKE UP CRICKET HAVE FUN AND THANKS NIKKI END
OKAY NIKKI WILL DO BI
JULY 9, 1971
TO NIKKI NEW YORK
JUST HAD LUNCH WITH HELENE AND SCRIBBLED OUT THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FOR YOU DUCHESS OF BLOOMSBURY STREET SAYS HOW THE HELL CAN ALL BE LOST ITS ONLY JULY METS WILL START WINNING WHEN SHE IS HOME TO ROOT THEM THROUGH DUCHESS SAYS YOU ARE FORBIDDEN TO ENTER INTO BETROTHAL WITHOUT HER CONSENT SHE WILL HAVE TO LOOK HIM OVER FIRST END
Saturday, July 10
I think everybody who works should have Saturday afternoons off, but they have got goofy ways of managing it over here.
Went down to Fortnum & Mason to buy small tokens of esteem for friends back home and by the time I finished it was lunch time. The store has an attractive coffee shop so I went there. There was a long line of people waiting for tables but a few counter seats were empty and I climbed up on a stool and picked up a menu. People were being served on both sides of me and the waitress was rushed. I waited till sheâd brought everybody elseâs tea-and-tart and when she finally turned to me, I said:
âIâll have aââ and she said:
âWeâre closed, Madam,â and I said:
âYouâre what?â and she said:
âWeâre closed.â
And she pointed to a waiter who was carrying a standard to the door. He set the standard down in front of the long line of people waiting for tables and sure enough, the sign on the standard said CLOSED.
At high noon on a Saturday with the store open and jammed with shoppers, the coffee shop closed. Which is what I call having a good strong Union.
Did the Temple this afternoon. It was raining when I came out, I took a bus home. You have to watch it with these buses. A sign on the bus says DO NOT ALIGHT FROM THE COACH UNTIL REQUESTED TO DO SO . Believe me, itâs there for your health.
The driver is at one end of the bus with his back to thepassengers. Theoretically, the conductor is at the other end, where you get off. But he also has to go through the bus asking new passengers how far theyâre going and giving them tickets and taking money and making change, and the buses are double decker so half the time heâs upstairs.
If heâs upstairs when the bus comes to your stop, DO NOT GET OFF THE BUS, just ride past your stop and wait till he comes down. Because if the conductor isnât there to signal the driver when youâre safely off, the driver doesnât really stop at your corner, he just slows down there and pauses, and then drives on, on the assumption that youâre safely off.
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