Dropping By Chester to See Nick
Aug. 11th, 2008 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiat_knoxNick called me earlier, asked me if I'd like to meet his missus in Chester. So I went there - and that's where I've been all day.
I bought two more Robert Greene books - The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction.
It's the first time I've seen Nick since he fled for America, fourteen months ago. We met at St Peter's - by - the - Cross, a tiny ecumenical church beside the High Cross in the centre of town.
Nick wife Marnie turned up, and then her Mum Paula and friend of the family Joan. We all went in, and had a good long chat about stuff. I had my copies of Robert Greene's books, freshly bought. The church has this neat little tea shop thing, so we enjoyed a spot of tea before we split up to do our thing.
We went to the bus exchange to drop Marnie's Mum off in the bus depot waiting for the tour bus. I then led them through a chortcut to Watergate Street, and to the Rainforest shop - stories of its closure have been greatly exaggerated.
It is, in fact, still open for business. (Yes! *punches the air*) Crystal Buddhas for up to £25, some lovely stones, and a nice new girl shop assistant looking after the place. Nick bought me a selenite palm stone as a belated birthday present.
It's also a way of saying "thank you" for the compassion I showed him when he needed someone to talk to, to vent his frustrations at all the hardships he'd had to endure whilst living here.
We then went down to the Minerva Shrine. It's like I told this friend of Marnie's Mum's, Joan: "This building (the Three Old Arches) was erected in the 1200s. From 1776 to the present day is only 232 years. You could fit the history of three United Stateses into that period, and still have enough time left over to host at least two Olympic games four years apart."
And then I told her "And now we are going to see something that has been here for 1900 years."
We then made our way back into town, and gradually made our way to the car in the car park next to the Chester Wall. I got to see the part of the Wall that collapsed. Deo meo, it's a sight to blacken the heart. I'd have taken a photo, but it was too depressing. There were blocks lying around all over the floor, untouched. And grass and weeds were growing up through the paving cracks. The wall hasn't been touched since it fell down. Looks to be months ago.
Anyways, we then went to the Queens Hotel where Marnie and Nick were staying. There was a large chess board out in the courtyard, one of those big enough to stand in with big chess peices, so we went out there to play a game together as Marnie took photographs.
After that, we eventually came back together to Wrexham in the car, but Nick screwed up the directions altogether so for a time we were actually heading out to Northwich.
I took over and told Nick to shush; with my directions, I finally got Marnie to head in the right direction. And that was basically it.
One thing ... Marnie aims to bring me out to the States some time next year, wuite possibly for DragonCon in Atlanta. Of course, I would have to email the White Wolf crowd, let them know I was coming. If any of the freelancers or staff wanted to see me if they were dropping by. It'd be nice to attend a convention with a Guest badge, rather than an ordinary delegate's badge ...
I bought two more Robert Greene books - The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction.
It's the first time I've seen Nick since he fled for America, fourteen months ago. We met at St Peter's - by - the - Cross, a tiny ecumenical church beside the High Cross in the centre of town.
Nick wife Marnie turned up, and then her Mum Paula and friend of the family Joan. We all went in, and had a good long chat about stuff. I had my copies of Robert Greene's books, freshly bought. The church has this neat little tea shop thing, so we enjoyed a spot of tea before we split up to do our thing.
We went to the bus exchange to drop Marnie's Mum off in the bus depot waiting for the tour bus. I then led them through a chortcut to Watergate Street, and to the Rainforest shop - stories of its closure have been greatly exaggerated.
It is, in fact, still open for business. (Yes! *punches the air*) Crystal Buddhas for up to £25, some lovely stones, and a nice new girl shop assistant looking after the place. Nick bought me a selenite palm stone as a belated birthday present.
It's also a way of saying "thank you" for the compassion I showed him when he needed someone to talk to, to vent his frustrations at all the hardships he'd had to endure whilst living here.
We then went down to the Minerva Shrine. It's like I told this friend of Marnie's Mum's, Joan: "This building (the Three Old Arches) was erected in the 1200s. From 1776 to the present day is only 232 years. You could fit the history of three United Stateses into that period, and still have enough time left over to host at least two Olympic games four years apart."
And then I told her "And now we are going to see something that has been here for 1900 years."
We then made our way back into town, and gradually made our way to the car in the car park next to the Chester Wall. I got to see the part of the Wall that collapsed. Deo meo, it's a sight to blacken the heart. I'd have taken a photo, but it was too depressing. There were blocks lying around all over the floor, untouched. And grass and weeds were growing up through the paving cracks. The wall hasn't been touched since it fell down. Looks to be months ago.
Anyways, we then went to the Queens Hotel where Marnie and Nick were staying. There was a large chess board out in the courtyard, one of those big enough to stand in with big chess peices, so we went out there to play a game together as Marnie took photographs.
After that, we eventually came back together to Wrexham in the car, but Nick screwed up the directions altogether so for a time we were actually heading out to Northwich.
I took over and told Nick to shush; with my directions, I finally got Marnie to head in the right direction. And that was basically it.
One thing ... Marnie aims to bring me out to the States some time next year, wuite possibly for DragonCon in Atlanta. Of course, I would have to email the White Wolf crowd, let them know I was coming. If any of the freelancers or staff wanted to see me if they were dropping by. It'd be nice to attend a convention with a Guest badge, rather than an ordinary delegate's badge ...
