The weather was better yesterday, and I saw and/or heard several street parties and other gatherings celebrating the coronation. This one was on Solent Road, not too far from our flat...
...and also not too far from this tree, which is indeed still alive, as you can see. I guess it just took a while to leaf out.
I took Olga to the cemetery in the afternoon, and on the way saw other signs of royalist patriotism. (Or maybe he wears that sweater routinely.)
While walking in the back of the cemetery, we could clearly hear a band at another street party or outdoor gathering. They were playing Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side," which was an interesting choice for the coronation. It sounded pretty good and certainly added a soulful groove to our walk. You can faintly hear it in the background in this video.
My inner urban archaeologist kicked in when I found this shard of glass buried in the path at the cemetery. I brought it home so I could research the lettering. The consensus is that it's some kind of food or condiment jar, and this web site offers some details about the manufacturer:
J. L. & Co. ; J. L. & Co. LTD.: John Lumb & Co. (1870s-1905), name changed slightly to: John Lumb & Company, Limited. (1905-1937), Castleford, Yorkshire, England. Became part of United Glass, Ltd, in 1937. After 1937 their mark was “U G B” positioned over an “L”.So it appears to be from before 1905, which is pretty interesting -- but as it's just a broken fragment I didn't keep it. It's going into the recycling bin. London has no shortage of Victorian trash lying around.
You find some fascinating shards of history
ReplyDeleteThe treasures you find on random walks are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that you, Dave, Mrs Kravitz and The Russians didn't organise a coronation street party for your street. It would have been such fun!
ReplyDeleteI love the glum kid in the flag shirt! Not exactly brimming.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to see that the tree is still alive!
ReplyDeleteWe celebrated the coronation by working in our garden, far from any television. It worked out quite well.
The tree is giving me two things: that scary tree in the original Poltergeist, AND it looks like a giant Bonsai!
ReplyDeleteAll the street parties celebrating the coronation are intriguing. Very nice! And bravo to the tree, which continues to live.
ReplyDeleteI am glad the tree came back to life.
ReplyDeleteCoronation parties- it's been a long time since everyone has had a chance to throw one of those, I guess.
You guys and your Victorian trash - sounds so posh. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing that tree is still alive and leafing out. Nice to see people celebrating the coronation too.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that tree hasn't fallen over. perhaps it's root system is anchored by the concrete foundation.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to research things you find. The internet has really helped with that! Back in the day, one would have to get to a large library to go through their reference books on glass or pose the question to the reference librarian!
ReplyDeleteI heard some of the TV hosts talk about street parties all over England to celebrate the coronation so thanks to your photo, I can actually see one. Great to see that old tree coming alive again.
ReplyDeleteYou do find some interesting pottery and glass shards on your walks. They are much more interesting than the bottle caps and soda can tabs we find here.
The coronation is a good reason to party.
ReplyDeleteStreet parties would be fun and an excellent way to meet the neighborhood! Is there booze? I'm not sure that's legal here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the proof that the tree is still alive! I sure had my doubts. I enjoyed your video, but couldn't make out the song. I never listened to much Lou Reed, but I always liked that one.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to see that tree is still alive.
ReplyDeleteLike Allison, I am pleased to see that tree with leaves!
ReplyDeleteI love the new leaves of spring more than anything else - even more than flowers, actually. So I enjoyed seeing that tree :) Ours are late this year. A very few are just starting to bud. I'm eagerly waiting for the day when I drive through town and realize there's more green than there is brown/grey above me!
ReplyDeleteGZ: It's not hard. There's history literally all over the place in this town!
ReplyDeleteMitchell: It's all about keeping your eyes open, as you know from your own walking adventures!
YP: It would have been a brawl. Mrs. K and the Russians HATE each other.
Boud: I know! I wonder if he was going to (or coming from) a street party that he wasn't too excited about attending.
Ed: That sounds like an ideal way to celebrate!
Bob: It DOES look like the "Poltergeist" tree!
Colette: I'm impressed that tree is still hanging in there.
Ms Moon: Exactly! I'm sure they felt they should grab their chance, though we may have another opportunity in the not-too-distant future. (Charles IS in his 70s, after all.)
Bug: It's a way for me to disguise my fascination with rubbish as something more scholarly. :)
Robin: It's a persistent tree!
Ellen: Yeah, I suspect the roots are quite deep and wide beneath the surrounding buildings.
Ellen D: Absolutely! It's amazing what can be found online these days. (Of course, a lot of it is WRONG!)
Sharon: Yeah, in the states, it wouldn't even occur to me to check out a shard of glass!
Red: Lots of people seem to think so!
Margaret: Oh, the British don't seem to have a problem with open-air drinking. It goes on outside pubs all the time. I agree -- a street party would be a great way to meet neighbors. I wish we'd had one on our street.
Kelly: Yeah, it's only barely audible. And you can't turn it up too much because when Olga barks you'll blow out your speakers!
Allison: I was too!
Debby: We were all prepared for the worst, I guess.
Jenny-O: Some were later than others here, I suppose depending on species. I think that one in question is a linden (or lime, as they're known in England).
Victorian trash! That must be an exciting concept for an urban archeologist. London seems to me to be your place. You suit each other.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are an urban archaeologist! And that you study what you find. I'm glad you could find a street party to visit. the rain on Saturday was so grim -- that was too bad.
ReplyDelete