A Hippo In Wales

Many readers of Going Gently may also follow the exploits of a certain death defying African entrepreneur who has recently suffered a hole in his thigh which is the size ( and smell ) of Rotherham.
HIPPO TOM, with all the pluck of Gladys Aylward, jumped on a plane and admitted himself to a London Hospital within hours ( and I am not kidding when I said hours) of very serious health problems.
Well today, as I was strimming the field borders, Tom gave me a surprise visit. A friend, who Tom is staying with before he flys home to Africa , had an appointment along the North Wales coast, and so Tom tagged along in order to buy me a non alcoholic pint in The Crown. A welcomed" thank you" for some on line advice giving.
Tom is one of those people who seems to have crammed half a dozen lives into just 50 years of his own. He is a talented storyteller and  raconteur, with a razor sharp wit , and after just the briefest time in his company , I felt rather staid and just a little" careful"
After all I doubt I would have had the chutzpah to perform minor surgery on myself after getting bitten by a puff adder in the garden!
So what did I do with the former bomb disposal man and Angolan troubleshooter?
I showed him the Ukrainian Village, Offered him a scotch egg ( which he enjoyed) and took him to meet Auntie Glad in her daytime pinny.

The Queen of Trelawnyd meets the king of the bush
Surreal or what?



86 comments:

  1. If I ever get there, those are the exact same things I hope we do. lw

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  2. Wow - he is real then?

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  3. Sounds like interesting company for both of you!

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  4. Happy to see Tom looking so well, after all he has been through.
    Auntie Glad and Tom....now there's a pair of troopers :)
    Lovely you were surprised with his unexpected visit.
    ~Jo

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  5. She'll be mad about the picture with the pinny!

    He looks good though for all he has been through lately!

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  6. Hurrah, I hardly dared to keep following Hippos London hospital stay. He is incredible and must have really appreciated your professional advice. What an accolade to get a visit before he returns to Angola. You may have very different lifestyles but both are enjoyable and illuminating. Hurrah he is well enough to return home!! Jan B.

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  7. Oh how wonderful - a trio of characters.......such a lovely visit for all of you.

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  8. What a nice surprise,,, meeting bloggy friends is great!

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  9. Anonymous5:12 pm

    If I ever get to Wales I would hope for the exact same treatment...after I met Albert and the dogs of course.

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  10. In the flesh, what a surprise for you John. After reading some of Tom’s posts I was glad I lived in Portland and have nothing more harmless than Garter snakes to deal with.

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  11. what a wonderfull day priceless

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  12. What a wonderful surprise that Tom popped by to visit you. And we get to see him and dear Aunt Gladys. Both icons which we've got to know through your blog! xx

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  13. This just makes me so happy....knowing that you two are half a world away sharing each other's day. So awesome!

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    Replies
    1. It didn't feel surreal at all..... Just interesting..... An African raconteur in Trelawnyd......... And one addicted to twix choc bars too!

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  14. What a pleasant surprise for you John! So Hippo Tom is a real, live human being!! What a treat to have met this fellow. You treated him well I see.

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    1. Jimbo
      He's real and as large as life as u probably imagine he is

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  15. How amazing to think of my two favorite bloggers in the same place!
    Kind of a "Livingstone, I presume?" moment.

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  16. That is just fab! It made me smile! :-)

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  17. What a fantastic surprise, John! Glad you two met up and it's good to see that Hippo is on the mend.

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    Replies
    1. I doubt it wil be the end of his adventures

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  18. I'm so excited about this.....makes my heart very happy! :)

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  19. Replies
    1. Btw
      Flower show meeting at aunti Glad's we'd 2nd July Hannah
      Can u and bump make it?

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    2. Sure can! What time?

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  20. Oh wow! What a treat. You obviously made an impression on the man for him to have come so far with a gammy leg to see you. Joking aside, continued good health for your friend and I bet he was just as envious of your parochial little village life. I am! x

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  21. oh god, tom is giving aunt glady the eye. he better not let her catch him doing that or he might end up back in the hospital!

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    1. Oh thank goodness someone else noticed too. I was going to write a comment as such and thought well no one else seemed to notice.

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  22. Oh John - yet another priceless blog - wonderful. Nice to see Aunt Glad looking so cheerful and well.

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  23. So glad he's better. Did he dispose of any of your bombs John?

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  24. A story of bloggers. It really can happen in real life. Nice.

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  25. Now Hippo Tom has met his match!... Auntie Glad I mean.

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  26. awwwwwww Perfect !

    cheers, parsnip

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  27. What a treat to meet the man himself, I have been following his progress.
    I'd love to pop in to see you but sadly the nearest I think I'll get is google earth. lol
    Briony
    x

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  28. The world is not as big as we think . Awesome that he is still alive to tell the tail.

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  29. Well now....the stars are all in alignment! We should all be so lucky to meet our blog friends!

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  30. Awww, that is so wonderful! So glad you two got to meet in person! Did the dogs like him? I hope Winnie gave him a big smooch!

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  31. A wonderful blog meet. I am very, very happy for you both.

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  32. Sounds like a perfectly wonderful day! Were you sporting your Walking Dead t-shirt and crocs?

    I should love to stop by, see the Ukranian Village, say hello to Auntie Glad, and eat a Scotch egg.

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  33. Wow, it's like having two tv shows suddenly merge universes. How unexpected and fun!

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  34. Anonymous8:50 pm

    Well, dead man walking. Or rather sitting next to the incomparable Aunt Gladys.

    Tom aka Hippo clearly has neither affection or courage and gumption to come and see me. Just as well. I currently am not receiving visitors. Mainly because I am not at home.

    Pray, tell: Is he as awesome as his bite? No, forget it. One hates to be disappointed.

    U

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    Replies
    1. He's exactly like his blog if that makes sense

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  35. Auntie Glad and Uncle Tom - they look so right together. Marcia should be very afraid.
    This tale of a real life meeting with another blogging legend is yet more evidence of what blogging can do to make our world a better place.

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  36. The two most famous people in either hemisphere. A good introduction.

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  37. Ah. Explains the recent disturbance in The Force. What a treat - for it to happen to you and for us to feel involved through both of your blogs. Cheers!

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  38. This is wonderful! How incredibly fun. Two of my favs together. (Sorry, Auntie Glad, I know you're wonderful, too, but I prefer a bit of vinegar in my greens, so to speak.) Thank you, John, for sharing this.

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  39. such a neat surprise---nice to glimpse some of our favorite blog subjects
    glad Tom is recovering--and Auntie Glad is always a treat

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    1. Tom asked specifically if he could meet her

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  40. Happy for Tom's swift treatment and meeting Auntie Glad has got to be good medicine!

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  41. I want to know why this historic meeting wasn't filmed for posterity?

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    Replies
    1. I am looking forward on tom' stake on the day

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  42. Hat off to you, sir! What an experience and packs at least 6 life experiences in to one life. It is like one of those TV programmes that gives you random things - scotch egg, living legend, auntie glad and her pinny. Chuck dogs, Ukranian village inhabitants in here as well and I think we are there.

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    1. And don't forget some twix chocolate bars and a randy turkey

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  43. A similarly interesting blog meet i know of was a seattle cop with a california weed grower. n both cases i would have loved to be a fly on the wall :)

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    1. Send me the link, it sounds interesting!

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    2. it was a long time ago, the cop has closed his blog and i cant find it on the other :(
      i think his blog is worth a quick look anyways
      whatdothevoicesmean.blogspot.com

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  44. What an exchange of minds and words that must have been!

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  45. Really good to see Tom out of the hospital. I've been following his ordeal, and couldn't help but worry.

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  46. Wonderful. I hope he's on the mend too.

    John, one day may we see more of the (blue jumper) painting on Aunty Glad's wall?

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    1. I noticed the painting too, Cro. I would like to see more of it.

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  47. a surprise visit... what a shock to the system! But at least you didn't have to Febreze the cottage beforehand... How about after?

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  48. A summit meeting of two blogging giants and the Welsh village matriarch. The power of the pinny!

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  49. My friend and I arrived back at his place quite late having taken the scenic route back from Trelawnyd.

    John is even better in real life. He's like the tasty scotch egg he gave me: he looks hard on the outside but he has a soft centre.

    Thanks for being a wonderful host, John, and give my regards to sharp-as-a-pin Auntie Glad!

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    1. Aunty Glad is an international Super Star.

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    2. I agree - he is better in real life xx

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  50. What an excellent surprise. At last the two of you meet ~ and what a thrill for Tom to meet Aunty Glad.

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  51. Oooh how exciting, meeting a blog buddy in the flesh! Thank god Tom had some flesh left..... I was following the disaster that was his leg closely and was a bit concerned I hadn't read an update for a few days, so was pleased he made a flying visit to the Trelawnyd bit of Wales and ate a scotch egg presented by yourself. I hope Winnie and the bunch behaved like they do on the blog... and Aunty Glad looks real pleased with herself in the pic.

    Jo in Auckland, NZ

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  52. What a lovely post! I am so glad that you got to meet each other and pleased that Hippo is out of hospital. Good of you to give up a scotch egg! Did Auntie Glad make any scones?

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  53. Probably the most auspicious meeting of bloggers since Yorkshire
    Pudding traveled to New Zealand and met Katherine DeChevalle, painter extraordinaire.

    John, I suppose it is too much to hope for that you and Chris will return the favour and spend your honeymoon at Tom's digs in Angola.

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  54. Smells like Rotherham! How very dare you Mr Gray! Unless you mean Blackburn Meadows! xxxx

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  55. This is so much fun. I'm sorry Tom had to be wounded for it to happen, though.

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  56. I was just a little scared for him recently, and I'm really glad that he didn't kick the bucket. He seems to be one of a kind. And how civilized and harmless he looks next to Auntie Gladys!!

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  57. and Tom Hippo has had a haircut. Bout time.
    Thanks for the visits. Both of you

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  58. I was pleased to see that Tom had posted on Cro's blog today, and then so pleased to see that he is well enough to be travelling around GB ! I wish I could have been there with you both…would love to meet either of you! If you read this Tom….come and see us in Harpenden. Not so far from London as N. Wales!!

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  59. Hippo Tom and Auntie Glad - what a team and what a fantastic surprise for you too.

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  60. Took a while to get my head around a Hippo in Wales but so pleased to see how well he looked even if a much thinner version of himself.

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  61. Anonymous2:39 pm

    The internet seems to have both fragmented and unified personal contacts in unexpected ways and distances. This is an example of a wonderful meeting between two different but each epic in their own ways.

    Seeing Tom "thank God he's still alive" Gowans, Auntie Glad and you together the lyrics from an old song came to mind. Something all of you seem to have in common.

    1953 Music by Johnny Richards & Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh.

    "Young at Heart"

    Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
    If you're young at heart
    For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
    If you're young at heart

    You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
    You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
    And life gets more exciting with each passing day
    And love is either in your heart or on it's way

    Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth
    To be young at heart
    For as rich as you are it's much better by far
    To be young at heart

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61HW8uxzEZs

    Mind you I wasn't born when this was composed/written but the tune is still popular in things like commercials here! :-)

    Leslie in NJ

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  62. What a brilliant conversation the three of you must have had. Did Auntie Glad know of Hippo Tom before his visit?

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