Happy first of the month. Can’t believe it’s February already. The month is starting medically, in a way. I have a dentist appointment this morning, and I just had word that we’re down to have our annual health checks next Friday, so let’s hope the weather is good that day. The temperature is hovering around 10 to 12 degrees, and although we’ve not had to use as much heating as in previous winters, it’s still a case of watching TV from under a blanket, and only being able to work for a few hours in the office in the morning – without having to run too much heating.
This afternoon is piano/music lesson time, but it won’t be followed by a model session as H has finished his Toyota (below), and we’re awaiting the arrival of a Porsche. Unless that turns up today, I will be fixing the masts of the Cutty Sark on my own. While talking about things in the post. I am also waiting for a new keyboard as this one has seven letters missing. They’ve been wiped off over the last year, and although I have stickers to replace them, I already used the necessary ones on a previous keyboard.
Aside from all that, I have been researching Marie Lloyd for my next book, I think I might have told you this… I’ve certainly mentioned it on my other blog. Anyway, I found her addresses via a census search a friend of mine did for me, and I’ve looked them up on my 1888 maps of London, probably the most interesting book I’ve ever bought. It’s like an A to Z, though a large one, and it holds nine-inch and 12-inch scale maps of London published in 1888. Very useful for checking what street was where because so much of the layout changed over time. I have to be careful of things like ‘The Aldwych’, because it wasn’t The Aldwych as we now know it, not then. Similarly, The Strand isn’t actually The, it’s simply Strand or West Strand. I have some good online maps at https://maps.nls.uk/ but they are not always exact to my year, or they don’t have the details and street names as this A to Z does. It’s a more modern collection of maps from the time, rather than being an actual A to Z, because they didn’t come about until 1936, after Phyllis Pearsall walked every one of London’s 23,000 streets to map the project. Besides, if there was such a book from 1888, it would no doubt be so rare, I could never afford it. I’m not even sure how I am going to afford to get to Rhodes next week, but that’s another matter.
Meanwhile, I have some chapters to put right before I go for my appointment, so, it’s off to work.
