***
One of my favorite stories with them was when we asked them to babysit Alice for the night. She was just two, sweet and had blonde pigtails. Pip and Emo were staying the weekend, and Steve and Jenny Marriott had asked us to come over for dinner. At first, the evening consisted of chasing her around the living room giggling. Then Emo played Magic Carpet Ride with her. Pip was in hysterics watching them as they slid down the stairs. Alice sitting on Emo's lap, securely in his arms. Over and over they played Magic Carpet ride sliding into the divan when they hit the floor. Alice getting up, excited waving her arms squealing, "Again, Again, Carpet me, Carpet me!" Eventually, Emo wanted to stop for she was getting rather over excited. He told her, "Alice, we have to stop now,"when she burst into tears. He didn't know what to do next as she sobbed uncontrollably in his arms. Suddenly, he was inspired with a fun solution. "Ahh, Alice let's play Magic Box,"while he gave instructions to Pip. "Pip, get the dust bin!" "Dustbin?" "Yes, the dustbin, quick!" Pip had to go out into the scullery to get it. Next Emo said,"Pip, get a bin bag!" "A bin Bag?" "Yes you idiot, a bin bag quick! Put it in it! We have to make a magic box!" "A Magic Box?" "YES! A MAGIC BOX!" Alice was still whimpering as she watched the show from Emo's arms. Finally, it was ready. He said, "Alice, we didn't have a real Magic Box so we made one for you." As he was explaining the plan to her, he was doing it. "The idea is, I will dip you into the MAGIC DIP BOX and I will lift you up HIGH FLY SKY WEE!" Her eyes filled with delight as her tears turned into laughter once again. So for the next few hours, apparently, this went on. Alice squealing, "Magic dip me! Dip me, Dip me! Fly me!" Needless to say, Pip was in hysterics rolling on the floor holding his heart pleading, "STOP, STOP, PLEASE." We returned to be greeted with a happy child. Still awake and standing in the dustbin grinning. Goodness. The boys did look rather guilty, tired and VERY Happy we were home. The End until the next adventure.
CHAPTER 65
A MAGICAL TEA PARTY
1989
It was May and the spring flowers were everywhere. Hayley Mills, a dear friend of mine was filming the Disney drama representation of the children's historical novel Back Home. She was at home and invited Alice and I over for a barbecue. It was a moment to enjoy the sunshine and the roses in her garden. Plus, she wanted us to meet some of her friends and cast. David was rehearsing and the other children, except for Alice, were with friends.
Hayley had been my favorite childhood actress ever since Parent Trap in 1961. It was an archetypal story that hit home and influenced my life greatly as a teenager. It was a touching story of identical twins separated when their parents divorced and then meeting for the first time, not knowing that each other existed.
Now life brought us together. I just loved knowing Hayley. We got on so well. I felt she was my sister in heart. We were almost neighbors. Actually, we lived a few villages apart from each other, but that didn't hinder our growing friendship. In England, that meant we were still neighbors, so long as it wasn't too far to drive. In the past, it would have been by horse, borrowing a cup of sugar or coming for Tea might not have been so easy. But by car, it was a short drive. I could still borrow the cup of sugar before my tea cooled. On the afternoon of the barbecue, we strolled amongst the flowers of her very English home, Whitehorse Yard, as she introduced Alice and me to her cast of friends. It was a very English affair at her home, soft furnishings and colors reflected the gentleness and joy of her heart. On this day, the meeting of Doreen Key, Hayley, her daughter and later Michael Benner, her husband, was to mark the beginning of several new friendships, which helped support me through many of life's challenges to come.
Hayley was playing the lead role in Back Home. Her role was Peggy, the mother, of a 12-year-old girl named Rusty, who during World War II, was evacuated from England and sent to America. When Rusty returns home after the war, Peggy must help her now very American daughter adjust to life in post-war England.
Watching the film, I discovered that during the war, many children in England were evacuated into the countryside for safety from the bombs. Apparently, some children ended up in America. A fact, which not many are aware of to this day. The displacement was difficult to adjust to for many young and old because they were estranged from their family in a world far from home.
The actress who played Rusty was a different Hayley, Hayley Carr. Her mother, Doreen Key, accompanied her because it is required for child actors to be with an adult when on set. In this case, it was her mom. At our first introduction, I knew that I found another kindred spirit of heart. Another sister here across the waters, English, but lived in California. We three giggled the whole afternoon and have continued to be BFF ever since. At the end of the afternoon, I invited them to come over to Monksbridge for a swim. We had an indoor swimming pool just off the kitchen side of the house. I thought it would make them feel at home having been away from California for a while.
As it turned out, Alice and younger Hayley went for a swim, while Adult Hayley, Doreen and I had a "Mad Hatter's Magical Tea Party,"out in the garden. To this day, Doreen still remembers my Alice in Wonderland teapot and little cups and our time together by the Thames as the boats went past on their travels. The English love to motor down the river on a balmy afternoon. Hayley said that as a child, she and her dad often cruised by Monksbridge on a summer's day and wondered who lived there.
Doreen's long-term companion, Michael Benner, was coming to the UK for a visit so I was graced to meet him as well. He had offered to give a meditation class for the crew so I suggested that they do it at our house. David was home, but had a meeting with representatives of the initiative ARC. We held the class in our piano room, which had room for many. The day was special as Michael guided us into our Inner Place of Being, where Eternal Tranquility lies. I will never forget our "Lady" dog sitting by the garden door scratching at the windowpane wanting to be with us too. Eventually she just laid down against the door and went to sleep happily.
They returned to California after the filming finished and we would not meet again until 1994 when Doreen returned to the UK with her dear friend Genevieve. They were visiting Princess Helena Montafian in Hampstead, when somehow my name came up in conversation. They both joyfully exclaimed in unison, "Oh my God, I know her!" Princess Helena asked Doreen, "Shall we call her?" I was home and was so pleased to hear from Doreen that I forgot about my dinner party in the other room (Oh dear). Doreen was flattered that I chose to speak with her so long. How could I not? She was one of my sisters from across the ocean. My guests did understand.
I invited them both to Brockhurst, since I had moved from Monksbridge by then. I am glad to say that from then on our friendship burned brightly. As I came to L.A. often, I stayed with Doreen and Michael for their home became my home. I grew very fond of those times and enjoyed listening to Michael on his radio shows. He was a DJ for KPFK Los Angeles, which is one of the only remaining non-commercial public supported radio stations left in the States. Jackson Brown said, "Yourprograms have always been a source of inspiration for me. I'm always amazed by how much focus and clarity and renewal comes from just a few minutes of what you have to say." I felt the same way about Michael's show. In addition, his voice could calm a lion to sleep.
"Inner Vision,"is what he named his show. He interviewed many well-known people from Timothy Leary to Martin Sheen, Fred Alan Wolf, Richard Bach, Marilyn Ferguson, Andrew Harvey, Laura Huxley; from Philosophy to the Spiritual to Rock 'n' Roll then back again. The list is long and so is his accumulated wisdom. He even invited me to be on his show twice, which is on my website if you care to listen to it. I must admit I was a bit shy, but Michael's guiding presence put me at ease, his Chuckle helped.
Today his latest Humanitarian adventure is teaching Self- Awareness and Emotional Intelligence. To guess whom? He is teaching at the Orange County Sheriff's Academy. Would you believe it? I hope you do because it is fantastic! Wow! Peace on the streets! I have to speak more of him, for he served twelve years as disaster chairman fo
r the Glendale Red Cross and did so many other acts of service for us all. He is one of the unspoken heroes of our time hidden behind humility and a tender caring heart.
Doreen has often shared the story of how she fell in love with Michael one afternoon as she was driving along the road in L.A. and heard Michael's voice on the radio. She was so touched by his wisdom that she just had to meet him! Their love story is another one that warms my heart, especially observing their closeness that continues on to this day. In April 1995, they married. As the announcement of their wedding became public, Marie Hall, the wife of Manly P. Hall, philosopher and mystic, offered them to have their reception in her L.A. Home Garden. Doreen had gotten very close to Marie Hall after Manley had passed and took care of herfor over twelve years. I was in L.A. at the time and I offered to have One Hand Clapping perform at the reception. It was a Buddhist Tibetan Bell ensemble, by a dear friend Yogi John Franzoni, who we had known since recording of the Wall in L.A.
Like Michael, Doreen takes a serious interest in the evolution of Humanity towards Peace. She hosted a radio series for KPFK called "Profiles in Peace,"where she interviewed fourteen leading activists of the twentieth-first Century. From Gore Vidal, Ray McGovern, Andrew Harvey to William Rodriguez. They are still available to listen to on www.profilesinpeace.com. The one that moved me the most was William Rodriguez. He was the keeper of the keys for the twin towers. His story is so moving and tragic but on the day of 9/11 he was brought back to God.
The buildings were falling. There was no way to save anyone else. He had been up and down the stairs repeatedly as the sheets of glass fell around him. People were diving out of the windows above crashing to the ground. The smoke blinded his way and hindered the work of the N.Y.P.D. When it was obvious he could no longer be of service opening the doors, helping many to evacuate, he sought refuge under a fire truck until the deluge ended. What seemed like an eternity, it finally stopped. As he emerged from the ashes, IT happened. A gift from God.
Just at the moment he left his place of safety, crawling in the rubble as the sirens echoed in the distance, the tires on the fire truck exploded. Just a few more minutes he would have been flattened under its 80,000 pounds of metal. He knew it was an act of God. It touched his heart deeply as a revelation. He said, "I returned to God again that day."
CHAPTER 66
WAITING IN GREECE
David was still on the Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour so I took all of the children to Lindos. We decided to stay at our home in Pefkas to be more with nature. Each evening we would come back from the beach, shower and watch the sunset. The Eucalyptus and Pine trees would impart their fragrance as the evening Cicadas sang, announcing the approaching night. We loved our miniature Italian Rhodian Villa, built in the twenties, with its pink bougainvillea's set against its ochre walls.
Many years ago, we used to pass-by with the boat on the way to our special places to snorkel along the coast. It had a magical mystique hidden behind the pine trees that framed its golden structure. There were plenty of stories amongst the villagers as to why no one lived there. Then one day, Andoni Mingos who worked with us in the restoration of our Lindos villa approached us. He was Major by this point, I think.
Apparently, the villa was for sale and he was wondering if we wanted to buy it. The family that owned it also owned many other properties of historical value on Rhodes including this one. They had a huge tax profile to pay and had to sell something. The family was scattered all over the world and had to come from far and wide to discuss this. They decided to let go of Pefkas, which is when Andoni approached us. The purchase took a little bit of negotiating, but we eventually became the new owners. I will never forget the day we got the keys and opened the creaking green Italian doors. It was dark and the smell of mildew was present. We entered the main corridor, which went from one end to the other revealing a wonderful view of the sea when we opened the other door. This corridor was not large and we had to walk around a table that we could barely see until the light of the day entered.
Our mouths dropped as we saw that the table was still set for breakfast and the newspaper open. It was spooky for we could feel that they had just up and left, locked the door never to return. One of the stories was that the family had definitely left the island long ago during the war. The house held the story silently until we entered that day.
I loved how it was set amongst a vineyard needing loving care with a desolate walk to a cliff edge overlooking a barren beach. We were alone except for the scorpions and the cicadas. The floors were magnificent mosaics straight from Italy. The main corridor we converted to a sitting room with traditional wooden day beds. The two rooms either side became bedrooms on one side and the other two we made into an open plan kitchen and dining room.
I stenciled every room with traditional Greece designs and one Art Nouveaux as the furniture we inherited was from that period. We made terraces of Kouklakis and placed terracotta pots with Oleander and grape vines to cover our new terrace to create shelter from the baking sun. The little cottage on the edge of the property was our nanny's delight. Little kittens hid in the drainpipes that the children always wanted to keep. Basically, we loved it! Often we would all go into Lindos for dinner at Mavrikos, the main family restaurant in the square. The children would run up to the kitchen to give both Michaelis and Dimitri their traditional hug. I would ask to see what fish was fresh for the others as I was still a vegetarian. We shared dinnertime with many of the local Italians who also had villas in the village. Each of us had our own long table under the fans, speaking in our mother tongue. We were growing old together as we watched our children, summer after summer, becoming adults, eventually going to the discotheques as their parents had.
Tourism and air conditioning were taking over but the memories were still reflected in the white walls around every corner. We now had mobile phones instead of going to Yani-ring ring near the square. Socrates Bar had moved again, but this time to the villa where David and I had had our honeymoon. Lindos even had a Spa where we could have a massage instead of within the walls of our own courtyard by a traveling good-natured masseuse. The temperature each summer was getting hotter or perhaps it was me. I found myself sitting in the shade of the trees or under the umbrellas that filled our once vacant beaches, instead of sunbathing. I watched from the beach restaurant owned by Papa George, as the kids played in the water. At sunset, the beach returned to stillness. The sun burnt tourists returned to their rooms to shower leaving us alone to savor its peace.
***
In later years to come, before going back to the villa Annette, my dearest friend from Denmark, and I would enjoy a George Special (a coffee and ice cream smoothie). George would often be playing backgammon with Socrates. Sitting there became a ritual, despite things had changed. We sat taking in the last remaining sun as her children, my baby dolphins played in the water. The jetty was gone from our favorite boat beach. There were more restaurants, cafes and tourist shops. George's hardly noticeable but still there. In addition, many more Yianni-speed boats and banana rides were rushing about the bay. We had to be very cautious swimming and diving, keeping an ear for the buzz sounds of the approaching speedboats.
One evening, when the children and I decided to stay at home in Pefkas, we received a very worrying phone call. It was a very dirty, threatening phone call. I was shocked and concerned. We were alone without any male support. I called Peter Long who took care of our houses. He came over in a shot and even slept on our couch for days until we were certain that it had stopped. He was a wonderful support to us, especially when David was away. I could count on him. Years later, as Matthew grew older, he often took him and his friends to the local miniature race car track. A substitute Uncle he was.
That summer, we waited for David to return and have our family united again. I was breast-feeding Matthew, which kept me occupied. Linda Hewitt and her daughter, Phoebe, came out for a few weeks, bringing extra sunshine to our group and an elegant flair of fabrics as
they walked down the beach in their sarongs. Phoebe was one of Alice's best friends and Linda was one of mine. The days were filled with friendship as the summer went by.
CHAPTER 67
JILL'S ACCIDENT
A MOMENT OF HEALING
We had invited Jill Robson and her two children, Angela and Myles to stay in our Lindos house while we were in Pefkas.
Andy, her husband, was busy in the UK and could not come. We were good friends and spent a lot of time together in England. Jill studied with Lily at the same time as Vicky, Jackie and I. In the first bloom of our friendship, Myles had a crush on Clare when she was five. I will always remember their early romance.
Clare with a temperature was lying on the kitchen bench and Myles sitting next to her on a chair wiping her forehead with a damp cloth. Ahh, the innocence of two young hearts that fades into friendship later. Angela and Alice were close friends and eventually shared a room in boarding school. Later after they left home, they shared a flat together. Angela is now an actress and married in NYC. Her stage name is Angela Dee and she seems to be doing well. David and I had bought a share in a sailing boat called the "Viking Girl." Part of the agreement was that for several weeks a year, we could schedule adventures around the Mediterranean. This year David was away so I organized brief trips just off the coast of Rhodos. We boarded in Lindos for our first excursion. We stayed over night cruising along the coast from beach to beach. The kids doubled up in the bunks and some slept on the deck for the weather was so warm. They played under the water like little Dolphins free of gravity. One with nature and the sea.
The day was falling beneath the golden sun on the horizon. We had to return. The water was flat as glass as we entered the bay using our engines for the wind was no longer. A day out on the water away from the clamor of the daily tourism always brought Peace to our hearts as we walked back up the hill home.
Memoirs of the Brightside of the Moon Page 30