Career Talk JDR

Recently, I took a day off to celebrate with my Dad for his 89th birthday.   As we are originally from London, but are both now US Citizens, I thought it might be fun to give him an “English Day” in Memphis.  Somebody asked me – how on earth do you spend an English Day in Memphis?  My response was, “easily”- here’s what we did.

We started out with lunch at Crumpets.  We had a very English fare – Cornish pasties, strawberry tarts and Earl Grey Tea!  We ate properly and slowly with our knife and fork and took our time to savor the atmosphere.

Next we went to Carrier Hall, a 17th-century English Tudor-style manor home in Central Gardens, with original historic character, plus some 21st century upgrades.  The home was built in 1923, which was 2 years after my Dad was born.  My parents were guests in the home twice before at English Speaking Union gatherings, when it was owned William Eubanks.  It was really great for them to see the place again and decorated for sale!  We roamed all over the home, looking at the hand-carved mantels on huge fireplaces, antique landscape paintings, old portraits and the 18th-century antique tapestry.  The grand ballroom is fabulous and we thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor gardens, fountain, gazebo house and modern full-size apartment above the garage.

From there, we went to see some English roses on show at the Dixon Gallery Cutting Gardens, which displays annuals, perennials, biennials and David Austin English roses in formal beds repeated around a central pool and rose garden.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the 10,000 Tulips Exhibition and felt totally relaxed by all of nature’s beauty on display right here in Memphis.

In the evening, we went to an English-Speaking Union meeting.  Founded in 1918, 3 years before Dad was born, the ESU works to promote “international understanding and friendship through the use of the English language.”  During our visit, the speaker was Oliver Everett, CVO and former Royal Librarian to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II.  He was responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of books and manuscripts owned by the Queen.  Oliver was also a previous Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales.  He had some fascinating tales to reveal and was gracious enough to spend time personally speaking with my Dad; they chatted about the East end of London, educational differences between the US and UK and of course, about cricket!

So, if you want to spend an “English Day” in Memphis, it can be done!