From: Brian Cady <brianinatlanta2001@yahoo.com>
From Simon Hoggart's column in The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,957761,00.html
Most of us can't have the view from our sitting-room
windows; houses on the hill cost millions, which is
why they're owned by the likes of Mick Jagger, and
Pete Townshend, if he can tear himself away from his
computer. But it's nice to walk along the towpath and
become part of the view, as if you were standing
inside the Hay Wain, as the rock stars sip their first
Roederer Cristal of the morning.
I don't know if the writer is jealous, but I sure am. I spent six years
living in adjacent parts of London, and it truly is one of the most
beautiful areas I've seen in any city. My accomodations were not quite as
luxurious as Pete and Mick's, however it was the experience of a lifetime.
My wife and I had our first date at the Odeon at the bottom of the hill,
near Richmond Bridge. We used to spend our weekends in Richmond Park,
entering by the gate near the Star and Garter home for war veterans, right
outside Pete's front door. We used to stroll along the river exactly where
the writer describes, within view of Pete's "sitting-room window," and have
lunch at the Dysart Arms. It's a strange feeling knowing this whole
controversy began right there, in the place where I have my fondest
memories. I'm sure I'll be there again someday and, when I am, I hope the
ordeal has come to some kind of closure, so that the experience will be all
sweet, with no bitter (except at the Dysarts).