UK, London: Sal and Bike, Nov 1973

"Sterndale Road, Nov 73"
Forse Question: where/what is Sterndale Road??

I picked up this bike at the very fancy BMW Concessionaires on Hyde Park corner, just a short time before the above picture. (it's still there and just as fancy). When I bowled into the fancy shop, the guy handed me the key (a weird rod-like push-in near the headlight jobbie), and asked me

"Sir, have you ridden a bike before?".
I'm not sure why he asked me that; something about my shabby clothes; my youthful demeanor?
"Of course I have", I said, "no worries".
Of course I'd ridden a bike: a Honda 50cc step-thru with auto gearchange.
What I'd forgotten in my excitement to mount this lovely red beast, had shaft drive, unlike nearly all other bikes, including my miniscule Honda, which have a chain drive.  A shaft drive means torque.
I hopped on the bike, shoved the key in the headlight, turned on the ignition and gunned the engine.
The bike promptly twisted sharply and fell on its left side with the torque, throwing me to the shining floor of the BMW showroom.  The man helped me up; lifted the bike to its feet and asked again:
"Sir, are you sure you've ridden a bike before?"

"Whipps X. Nov 73" 
Accident & Emergency course, East End

Another Whipps X photo, Sal sent
on 13 September '12

"Hyde Park, Nov 73"

Sal and Teik Hornsey Lane, Nov 73. Sal has written on the back:
"another reason for Alf to take a picture of the bike"

Then again, who needs an excuse to take a pic
of this beautiful machine that I still dream about

Teik and Forse

Sal on the Honda 50 step thru' that I had before the BMW

And here modelling the beauties in Hyde Park

UK, Nov-Dec 1973

"Hornsey Lane.  Taken from Sue's Flat.  a typical row of flats (one of the
nicer areas)".  Nov 73.

"Constable's Mill.  Happy winter's group outside the famous mill.
The alien is the friend of the photographer we railroaded." Nov 73.
'Alien', Teik, Sue, Jenny, Oz, Sal, Forse.

Oz, Jen, Sal, Forse, Padg

"Shotley Gate. Blackberry picking in Ipswich with
the Thames estuary in the background." Nov 73.
Padge, Jenny, Sal, Oz

"Smiling for the camera. December 73, London."

"Carving the Xmas turkey @ 73 Hornsey Lane.
Xmas 73. London."

"Xmas dinner. Xmas 73.  London."
Check out the amount of Purple.  I loved that jumper...

UK, August 1973. Glenfiddich Lodge, Scotland

Proudly wearing my Oxfam duds, bought
for my job as "Butler's Valet" at the
Glenfiddich Lodge, for the grouse shooting
season in Scotland. All August 73.

The road into Glenfiddich Lodge. August 1973.

Here's an iPhone photo from the same place, taken in September 2010.
Though this looks a lot like the photo taken nearly 40 years ago, the
Lodge itself was a wreck, not having been used for 15 years 

The Lodge in the background.  Now a wreck....

Alistair, the Falconer. He took us out a few times hunting
for grouse with his birds and dogs.  Great stuff!

Robert, the Butler, Jason, the other Butler's valet (and fellow fudge-packer),
Alistair, out on the range getting lunch ready for the shooters.

This was a stone carved to commemorate
Queen Victoria having passed by in June 1863.
We tried to find it when were back in 2010,
but everything is overgrown.

There's a few stories about this time in Scotland, one of my more memorable jobs and experiences in the UK, in fact in my life.  One that led me to a meeting with the Begum Aga Khan in Knightsbridge London and then the Aga Khan himself in Paris.  I'll get to that story later.