A Special Day in the English Countryside

CHISWICK, WEST LONDON – A special day today…

First, my brother and I borrowed a car and set off into the English countryside.

We weaved our way down narrow lanes and through pretty, medieval villages until we got to Bognor Regis, a famous English seaside resort town.

Here I am looking at the chalk hills of the South Downs on our way there…

Bognor Regis was a place my mother enjoyed visiting on holiday as a child. Before she died, she asked us to scatter her ashes here.

Here we are…

On our way back to London, we stopped at Charterhouse, the 410-year-old boarding school we both attended in the early ’90s. (I wrote about my time at Charterhouse here, here, and here.)

We spotted a few improvements to some of the sports facilities, but otherwise, it looked exactly the same as it did when we left it.

We wondered how the experience had changed for the students since we were there…

Did “fagging” (meaning the youngest pupils act as personal servants to the eldest pupils) still exist? Or bullying? And did the kids still smoke cigarettes behind the cricket pavilion?

“They’ve probably cleaned all that stuff up now,” said my brother.

Finally, we went out to eat at a restaurant called Pizza Express as a way to toast our mother.

She used to bring us here whenever we came home from school to treat us after months of eating disgusting school food.

It became a family tradition.

The indoor sections of restaurants have been closed nationwide for more than six months due to COVID-19. They lifted these restrictions on Monday…

– Tom Dyson

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Today, a flood of letters from readers after Tom made a big announcement… that the Dyson family may trade in some of their gold to buy his mother’s house in London…

Reader comment: Congratulations for your greatest decision of your lifetime to keep your beloved mom’s assets. I truly appreciate you and Kate. Hopefully it will become history that would remind your future generations of their great ancestors!

Reader comment: Dear Tom, Kate, Myles, Dusty, and Penny, the four of you must have a very serious conversation with Tom, father, husband, and chief investor before it is way too late!

Kate, to own any kind of property, in that particular part of the world, is an absolute privilege! It is a golden egg in itself. London is never going to lose value, particularly property. I have followed you for five years now, and selling it is by far the laziest, unconsidered decision you have made so far! You just can’t buy memories. Simple!

The fine furniture, which you seem to plan to sell, is something which you should keep. Place it in storage. One day you will settle (I hope), use it then, and take care of it. Stop your blinkered view; it could end up ruined! I suppose the fact that I never had anything, no kind of inheritance, makes me a poor judge. Crack on though; it’s the best adventure I’ve ever read about!

You lucky children, you have the best, innovative parents ever! Enjoy yourselves (I know you do!).

Reader comment: My family was on the run for two generations, first from the Russian Revolution, then African dictators. I left South Africa when I could see a future that I would not like. Now, I am pleased to have a stable condo in New York. I feel proud to have a few of my mother’s, and ancestors’, possessions around me as I occupy myself with endless interests that are all right here at home. Stupid-19 made no difference to my life. Everything I see or touch makes me smile.

I am saying that if you can afford the carrying cost of your mother’s house, keep it (and her elegant possessions, which you can use and appreciate with your own family). They are your heritage and worth much more than the money you would have after the friction of selling them. Money is easy to find, but good possessions are not. It sure beats living in a mud hut in some other Hell-hole.

Reader comment: I suggest you keep the house and contents that you don’t want to part with. They are part of your “history.” All the gold you have can’t provide the comfort of this home and take the place of family history.

Reader comment: I think the Dyson family found a home. If you, Kate, and the kids are happy there, I think it would be a great choice. A house you can definitely call a home, a great neighborhood, close to many amenities, including one of the world’s great financial and historical centers. You’re also at the doorstep of Continental Europe, a close distance to Bill’s Agora Ireland location, and a safe alternative to the chaos that’s enveloping America. I say go for it.

Reader comment: Don’t sell the house; it is a part of you. Despite your globe-trotting lifestyle, you need somewhere to call home – and this is a natural answer to a call you already have within you.

My family spent the first 12 years of my life roaming the globe with me, my brother, and sister in tow. By the time I was 10, I had already been around the world 2.5 times (by cargo ship, as it was cheapest). I don’t regret a minute of it and neither will your kids. It will make them different from their friends for the rest of their lives, and they will always stand out (that’s what my two sons, who also live in London, tell me, too).

After a working life in Colombia, Argentina, Turkey, and Angola, we returned to London for a few years. My sons finished their university there, got good jobs, and are now settled to the south of the Thames. We are locked down in Colombia, where we settled, but will be popping over to see them whenever we are free to travel. We are looking to invest in something small in London because of the pull of blood, including a granddaughter.

You never know what you and your kids will do but you need a base. Old Blighty and Chiswick are already there for you. The house is already there. It is full of memories and an easy fit for you all, whenever you need it (like a pair of old shoes). Keep it, re-furnish it from IKEA, rent it out on Airbnb when you are not there, and, whenever you need, it you have a home. Easy choice… Talk to you over a pint sometime…

Meanwhile, one reader suggests Tom memorialize his late mother’s home… and another empathizes with losing a parent…

Reader comment: Why don’t you group similar items together (silver, photos, furniture, etc.) and take pictures with which you can make a scrapbook for Dusty, Miles, and Penny? Just 4×6 shots in one of those small albums one can buy. That way they could always remember her lovely apartment!!!

Reader comment: I, too, experienced the deaths of my elderly parents recently, and I empathize with your situation. It helped to tell myself that it’s OK and natural to be depressed. I didn’t try to fight it. You appear to have a great family, and I suspect you’re much stronger than you may believe. Get well.

Tom’s note: As always, thanks for your kind messages. Please keep writing us at [email protected], and I’ll do my best to respond in one of our Friday mailbag editions.