"Busy Being Tourists...."

By Lois

27th July 2004

Set off early to Coventry to see Hannah. Brilliant journey till we got to the M42 which luckily we didn't get onto because the traffic was stationary and drivers were out of their cars - the police were coning it off! So up to the M6 to loop back down, missed the junction but eventually made it to Cov, parked up and walked into the city.

What a lovely place! The few hours we spent there was not long enough. We met Hannah and she had a bag of goodies for us - kind girlie! Also brought The Mavericks Scrapbook to show Carol Lee. It was great the three of us being together - I'll explain about how we met later. We walked round the ruined cathedral (bombed during the war) and went into the modern one. Huge, magnificent tapestry of Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland (not Donald Sutherland as I said! I know, I know, 'Don't Look Now')and fabulous windows by John Piper. Then wandered down through the modern town to the old town, 1452 it said on one of the buildings. Took Hannah back home, met her mother, saw her lovely garden and house - fantastic room filled with interesting stuff and great posters - many signed.

I'd often visited and seen CL's pic on The Hanmade website and thought she looked an interesting and nice and fun person. Hannah asked for ideas for the site and I said 'how about a penpals section' and then said CL looked a nice person and did she want a penpal? Hannah didn't know but later CL and I met in the chatroom, we were so on the same wavelength and got on so well that we started emailing independently. I met Hannah at the Liverpool pops last year, then had a great night with her at Warwick (both times seeing the Mavs) then a superb night in Bristol seeing Kevin Montgomery. CL and I had been corresponding and that's how she came over here to England. It was great for the three of us to get together and spend time with each other - not long enough though!

Lois and Carol Lee outside Coventry Cathedral