By Cicely Fox Smith
I always wished to see the world, I 'ad no chanst before,
Nor I don't suppose I should 'ave if there 'adn't been no war;
I used to read the tourist books, the shippin' news also,
An' I 'ad the chanst o' goin', so I couldn't 'elp but go.
We 'ad a spell in Egypt first, before we moved along
Acrost the way to Suvla, where we got it 'ot an' strong;
We 'ad no drink when we was dry, no rest when we was tired,
But I've seen the Perramids an' Spink, which I 'ad oft desired.
I've what 'll last me all my life, to talk about an' think,
I've sampled various things to eat an' various more to drink;
I've strolled among them dark bazaars, which makes the pay to fly
(An' I 'ad my fortune told as well, but that was all my eye!)
I've seen them little islands too — I couldn't say their names —
An' towns as white as washin'-day, an' mountains spoutin' flames;
I've watched the sun come lonely up on miles an' miles of sea,
Why, folks 'ave paid a 'undred pound an' seen no more than me!
The sky is some'ow bluer there — in fact, I never knew
As any sun could be so 'ot or any sky so blue;
There's dates an' figs an' suchlike things all 'angin' on the trees,
An' black folks walkin' up an' down as natural as you please.
I always wished to see the world, I'm fond o' life an' change,
But Abdul got me in the leg; an' this is passin' strange,
That when you see old England's shore, all wrapped in mist an' rain,
Why, it's worth the bloomin' bundle to be comin' 'ome again!
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Gorgeous weather continued on Friday, so after getting a lot of necessary stuff done in the morning, I went to the mall for a Mewtwo raid, stopped at the post office to mail a package, and went to the park for a nice long walk, on which I failed to catch a Snivy but got to enjoy the beginnings of the turning leaves -- I am depressed that fall begins on Monday.
We had dinner with my parents, then came home and watched the 1983 film version of Betrayal with Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley, which I haven't seen since the year it came out. The acting is obviously exceptional and I like getting glimpses of the families and other people caught up in the central disloyalty. Structurally, it's very effective.
Here are some photos from earlier in the summer of Richmond's VMFA exhibit, A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke, including an original painting and two pieces of jewelry designed from the same illustration of doves around a bowl. These were all souvenirs designed for travelers across the Continent.
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