Life in Shrewsbury (or is that Shr-oh-wsbury?)

So how is it really pronounced? Ask Monty and anyone in his social set and it's pronounced Shr"oh"wsbury which is not unusual in England. Many towns are spelled one way and pronounced another but, since we are living here, it seemed important to figure that out for ourselves. I think Martin has decided on following his father's lead but I think I have discovered that people who live here, people who aren't particularly "posh," pronounce it as it is spelled, like the little mammal or one of Shakespeare's most spirited female leads. However, I've heard it both ways by all types of people so I've finally concluded it's a personal preference. In any case, we truly like this historic little city and are very pleased that fate has, at least temporarily, set us down here. First of all, there's the scenic, meandering Severn River in a loop of which Shrewsbury was securely populated as early as 2000 BC. Our rental townhouse is outside the loop which is helpful because, trust me, it gets very congested in there but Martin has found a route for us to bike down to The Quarry, the big park between the town and the river which leads, mostly, down an old towpath beside the abandoned Shrewsbury Canal. We have found a couple of cafes along our path where we stop for a cuppa and a bit of cake. Golf courses are everywhere and I'm doing my best to keep my spirits up as I trail behind Martin trying to learn the game. It has also been a great place from which Martin has been able to reconnect with friends from his youth. There are some good stories but I won't tell!!

Although we're planning to continue traveling on this side of the pond for the time being, I find it necessary and desirable to return to Virginia from time to time. Before we left in December, I had made arrangements to go back in early February for Wakefield School’s 50th Anniversary celebration which I was particularly excited to attend. It would be the first major event to include a significant number of alumni from classes across the decades as well as the current population, so many of whom I have truly missed. Since Monty was in hospital, I was reluctant to leave but Martin wanted me to go and represent us both so I went. It was great to be staying with our dear friends Mari and Scott and I took advantage of my time to visit with family and friends, fit in a dentist appointment, and do some shopping. As for the Wakefield party, we had a blast! The community came together in a happy swirl of reunion energy in our beautiful new GLO theater with a presentation hosted by the hilarious and charming Piers Carey and his equally endearing partner Ashley Harper. Their special guest former headmaster Peter Quinn was heartwarming and highly amusing. Peter was the head of Wakefield for 17 critical years as the school became established on the hill after a challenging five or six years of displacement and turmoil. He was held in high esteem by the community. Beloved, many might say and he was back to celebrate a project that was also close to his heart. Like me, Peter found it hard to turn down an opportunity to be a part of a Wakefield production. It was a very special night that I will hold dear in my memories.

Every trip to Virginia includes a stay with our son Nick who is living and studying in Richmond and he got a little more of me than originally planned because I came down with COVID as soon as I arrived. I believe the anniversary party may have been the source but, who knows. I could just as easily have picked it up in the airport. At any rate, I missed out on a number of visits with friends as a result but I was well cared for by Nick and, although we needed to stay in different rooms, we had that extra time sort of together. I was also kept good company by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel over the next five days when, finally, I tested negative and rebooked my passage back to England. Martin had been keeping vigil with his father and I wanted to get back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, as soon as I arrived, I fell ill again and we had to stay in separate parts of the house. I'm grateful that we were both fully vaccinated and knew just what to do to stay safe. Hopefully having nothing to do with me, a few days later Monty passed away. He had been so vivid till the moment the stroke laid him low that there truly was a palpable void in his charming apartment, at the pub which was his “home from home”, and in our and many other hearts. Click Here for my what I learned about Monty’s long and engaged life. He had made a significant difference to those who knew and worked with him over a long and fulfilling life.

We are so relieved and glad that we had six great weeks with Monty. It was the culmination of a three year plan that saw us retire, sell our home of over 30 years, and take a breathless and breathtaking tour around the US in our Drag’n Fly caravan. All along, an important goal was to spend Christmas 2022 with Monty and we feel grateful that we were able to fulfill that dream.