homecoming

The known facts are that 11 April 1998 was Easter Saturday, and I was living in Palmerston North at the time. Bronwyn and I had been married for just over nine months. I was just past the one-year mark in my doctorate. I had just finished the eighth week of my clinical placement at the private Paremata Psychologists in Wellington. The rest is speculation: Did we travel to Pirongia for the weekend, as we often did at Easter? What was the weather?

On that same day we do know however that someone visited the Southfields library and borrowed Anthony Hyman's biography Charles Babbage: Pioneer of the Computer. There is no indication it was renewed, so presumably it was back in their biography stores three weeks later. Where it sat. Until now.

I own a copy of that book, given to me by my (now deceased) Grandfather. The subject of the book is my great-great-great-great-grandfather. He was a most remarkable man. [You could read about him at the British Science Museum, or on Anthony Hyman's site at the University of Exeter.] Somehow in relocating to the UK last year my copy of Hyman's book was put in storage rather than coming with us. I knew the book included information about places Charles and his family had lived in Devon, and as we were planning an imminent trip, I wanted to get hold of a copy. Bronwyn's recent illness had caused us to put the trip on hold, but with her improve we'd decided we would go this coming week, as originally planned.

Saturday I found that in standard bookshops you couldn't buy Hyman's book even if I wanted a second copy. Our district library system did not have a copy. Ever hopeful of the potential of the internet, however, I found the “What's in London's libraries” web site, where you can search for a book in over 350 libraries at once. Behold! The long-forgotten copy, languishing unread in Southfields library since 11 April 1998, awaited me!

A short bus trip—it turns out Southfields is the closest library to us that is not part of the Merton Council region—and the book was in my hands. I filled out a membership form and without blinking they handed me a card. I can only presume they considered I lived close enough? The librarian had also dug out two other books on Charles: another biography, and a copy of his re-published autobiography, Passages from the life of a philosopher. To be completely honest, I didn't even really know Charles had written an autobiography as such, and I've not read it. A bonus.

So it is we set out today, propelled by the generous loan of a car from friends at church... we shall be in Exeter tonight and tomorrow, heading into Cornwall to St Ives on Wednesday. Thursday will see us in Teignmouth (where Charles spent much of his youth), at a B&B with sea views and a proprietor who most certainly recognised my name when we booked! We will break the journey home at Warminster—nothing to do with my quiet maze obsession, though it just coincidentally happens to be handy to the longest hedge maze in the world.

I am looking forward to treading on some old family turf.