Mid-June 2017 Update

Well, the Breaking Convention at the University of Greenwich was an eye-opener in realizing how much psychedelic studies have matured since the convention on Consciousness I had organized in Bath in June of 2004. David Luke, who is one of the main organizers of the Greenwich venue, told me at the conclusion that this was the legacy of what we had started thirteen years earlier. Among the same speakers in both 2004 and 2017 beside David were chaos magician Julian Vayne, Rick Doblin (MAPS) and Erik Davis (TechGnosis). Rupert Sheldrake had been unable to speak at the Bath venue but did now in Greenwich. Another highlight was Terrence McKenna’s younger brother Dennis. In all, it was a seamless fusion of the tribe and academics. The 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love is in fact the astonishing celebration.

During the conference, we learned from Jacquie that dear, dear Stefanie had succumbed to the illness she had been battling over the past year or more. That marvelous “breath of fresh air” has been extinguished. The loss of Stef is a major blow to all who knew her and loved her. We continue to recollect so many joyous and one-of-a-kind moments since the 1970s.

On the 5th of July, Richard and I took the train to Bristol to see Chloe’s degree show at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol. We had not expected at all to see Chloe herself, but she phoned while we were in the gallery to ask, “Where are you?” She was just next door and was hungry, so we had a nice lunch together in a nearby Mexican restaurant. A week later, Richard and I got to Peckham and enjoyed some of Woody’s Strictly Bangerz creations for supper. During the week itself, we enjoyed a dinner at Diwali with Marion and Leslie, the most moving London Pride near Trafalgar Square (how far things have come, and even though there’s a lot of distance yet to go, what has occurred is nothing short of amazing), and the films Baby Driver and the truly excellent La Sage-Femme (The Midwife) – the latter with both Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot. And most surprising, I got a call from the Royal Marsden Hospital to come in for a PET-CT scan which I did. Will not know the results until September.

I was since able to watch Roger Federer win at Wimbledon. I have been to an open discussion on democracy in the House of Lords. Bron arrived to stay with us. And on the 22nd of July, when Steve and Annie had to cancel on our restaurant reservations following her painful wrist operation, I phoned our neighbour Peter to see if he was interested to go with us instead to Colbert and learned that it was his 87th birthday. So in all, this occasion worked out excellently, and he was most happy.

And two days later, we were off on the EuroStar to Paris. My suitcase was more than heavy enough, but then carrying Richard’s luggage along with it rather did my knees et al. in, and I had difficulty walking for several days afterwards. But we had a lovely two nights in Marie-Laure’s Blue Room before boarding the TGV to paradise. And during our intervening day in Paris we went to Charenton to check on Françoise (no phone, no email and no memory) and found her by knocking on the windows of her ground floor flat. We invited her to dinner, and a providential neighbour came by, and we invited him too. So we ended up having a fabulous gathering with Françoise, Jean-Jacques, Marie-Laure, Marie-Laure’s son Robin and Toby – the son of a friend of Marie-Laure’s – eating outside at a delicious pizzeria restaurant owned by a friend of Marie-Laure’s. So both with Peter and Françoise we had two of those magical moments when things miraculously come together and everyone is happy.

As we were walking back with that luggage from the bus stop to Tellus et les Étoiles, who drives by but Pierre?!? More magic. Two days later, Pavel and Tereza arrived for a week. That Saturday, we enjoyed a splendid dinner at Penny and Hamish’s in Artignosc with Pierre, Catherine and Carol. A dinner followed three days later at Le Jardin du Couvent with Becky, Peter and Jason along with the four of us. In between all of this, it was getting the cars to run, waiting for the locksmith and internet technician, and the mattress delivery. We had an afternoon at the lake with Pavel and Tereza, a visit with them to Barbara up the hill, a visit to the temple of Apollo in Riez and then ice creams in Moustier-Ste-Marie, a swim in Marguerite’s pool at Cresson, and a dinner at Le Gourmet. Coming back from this last, we found Adhoc, the Youth Orchestra from Breda performing the likes of Bernstein’s On the Town, etc. before the Mairie. This was splendid, excellent and more sheer magic – as well as the culmination of the canicule in which the temperature hovered near and reached 39C (100F). I loved it. The next day when our Czech friends were leaving, the dog days were over, and we experienced both mistral, rain and a min-winter. But a lovely meal at Liliane and Renaud’s with Adele and Pascal one night, and another lovely meal and time with Becky, Peter and Jason at the Calalou Hotel. And yesterday, we drove to Nice to fetch both Nancy and Marie-Laure. Today, Saturday the 12th, our warmth has returned (28C / 82F – my favourite temperature). We are waiting for the gals to fetch Robin from Les Arcs after he missed the bus. Tomorrow we get Eamonn from the train station in Les Arcs since there are no buses on Sundays.

And that’s it for the present. It could not be better.