Mark and I started our vacation to Scotland with two days in Manchester. In planning for this trip we discovered that it would be cheaper to fly to London and then to take a train to Scotland, versus flying to Edinburgh via London. Besides, we would enjoy the train trips. Since I have two Tristan friends in Manchester, we decided to stop there for two days before we continued on to Scotland. I stayed with Shaun and Renée Green each time I was on Tristan and their daughters Kimi and Janice moved to Manchester to further their education and seek employment.
Two years ago we met Kimi, Janice and Janice’s fiancé Danny at a restaurant on Princess Street. For this visit, unfortunately Kimi couldn’t make it yet Janice and Danny were able to meet us at our hotel, the Whitworth Locke. Janice is glowing at six months pregnant and her due date is December 24. Mother Renée and brother Dylan will be visiting in October and staying for a while to help care for the baby. Before we went out to dinner Janice presented us with a bag overstuffed with gifts from Tristan: a hooded sweatshirt, a short-sleeve collar shirt, two pairs of knit socks, a baseball cap, three pens, a keychain, a combination compass and keychain, two collapsible water bottles and a lightweight backpack. All of the gifts were Tristan souvenirs yet the socks were made on the island. Mark and I divided the presents between us and then took the bag to our room. We took photos outside in the hotel’s front sitting area, then walked over to Happy Seasons Chinese restaurant. Mark and I had eaten there two years ago and recommended it to Janice and Danny.
While we were waiting in line outside to get in (just as we did two years ago as this restaurant has a stellar reputation) Janice asked me to guess the sex of their baby. I hesitated because I feared I’d give the wrong answer, and I did. Tests showed that Janice and Danny will become the parents of a baby girl. They have already decided on a name: Sylvie, which honours her late paternal grandmother Sylvia. Danny’s last name is Rogers, which is a remarkable coincidence since Rogers is one of the seven family names on Tristan. I told Janice that when her name is changed to Janice Rogers on the Tristan family tree that adorns a wall in the island post office, it will confuse many people when they don’t find Danny’s name among the Rogers branches.
I did not bring any gifts for Janice and Danny because I intended to spoil them with purchases from their baby registry. Janice had not set one up yet, but did so a few days later. I decided to wait until I got home to my desktop computer before I ordered anything. Mark and I got them a digital video baby monitor, a baby car mirror, a baby grooming kit, a car sun shade and a baby bath brush. They will all be delivered to Janice’s home.
We are sitting outside the Whitworth Locke hotel:
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As a huge fan of Manchester-based dance band M People I had to take a walk down Angel Street, which the group named one of their songs after. We walked the entire length of it and didn’t see a single street sign to pose next to. I suppose that if a successful group names a song after a certain street, the signs instantly become coveted souvenirs. (I wonder over the past fifty-plus years how many Beatles fans walked off with signs bearing Penny Lane or Abbey Road.) Nevertheless Mark took a photo of me under the name of the Angel Street Co-op:
Piccadilly Gardens