Robert Fripp's Diary

The Basement Chateau Belewbeloible The

The day began around 05.20 with wilting psyche, dribblatum maximatimum. The Latin verb would be driblo, driblare, driblavi, driblatum; first declension --

Variant declensions might include "I am about-to-be-becoming having been dribbling". Ah, the benefit of a grammar school education.

Backtracking: I arrived in Deepest Dorset on Sunday evening, returning from a wonderful week of enjoying my Wife's company, to find a note informing me of the death of a next door neighbour over the garden wall. Martin the ex-Wonder Barman, now schoolteacher, had met AS on the village street around 07.50 and exchanged pleasantries. AS went home and died of a sudden heart attack later that morning.

AS was in his seventies and represented the best of what I associate with the word "England". I have enjoyed a social evening with AS & his wife, and Mrs. S. subsequently loaned me the local Women's Institute history of the village (1982). Mr. S had recently reminded me of my invitation to have tea with them, in their garden, on this visit home.

The day before Tooling in Europe, the Monday, I arrived in Dorset at lunchtime to find that AS had called around 10.30 that morning, but hadn't left a message. I was getting ready to fly off so e-mailed him in return. The e-mail was returned as undelivered. I don't know what AS was calling to say, but guess that it was an invitation to tea.

There is a clear lesson here.

This past Monday morning a taxi from Dorchester took me to Heathrow. After two uneventful flights, both late, I arrived at The Basement Door around 23.15 local, 05.15 experiential, in a wilting and pitiful condition.

This morning's reading: continuing "The English" by Jeremy Paxman in its US form (Overlook, 2000). I haven't yet forgiven Jeremy for his interview of William Hague prior to the recent general election in the UK: it's simply not English to be nasty to a defeated man. Then I caught up with the Guestbook and GC Diaries. Adrian's large Apple display screen is the place to surf.

And -- next I was plunged into the world of KC business, the concerns of which accompanied me on a Rapid Acculturation Program at Opry Mills 20. High action and multiple crumping of baddies (and increasingly, goodies) provided a background to my mulling and reflection on arising events & concerns.