All images © James Sapsard.
Images may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright holder.

Missing the point
“Look! Can’t you see it? It’s completely overgrown!”
https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/56a0c71fe4b0b77990be069c/1898911

Moving up the property market
“Look, I like it but I’m sorry. Pink just doesn’t do it for me.”
https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/56a0c71fe4b0b77990be069c/1898913

Waiting for the bride
“Look, here she comes.”
https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/56a0c71fe4b0b77990be069c/1898916

All images © James Sapsard.
Images may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright holder.

Now where was I then?
Oh, I remember. Corfu wasn’t it? Turkey 3, Czech Republic 2 and Austria 0, Germany 1. https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/568cdd5ee4b02440900e0465/1898810

The lazy Oxford breakfast?
I wasn’t sure whether breakfast was served all day or whether it was just a huge breakfast. https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/568cdd5ee4b02440900e0465/1898806

A film every psychotherapist should watch, at least that’s my perception.
I watched a film on TV last night, ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’, made in 1988 and released in the UK on 30th June 1989. Michael Caine is an actor whom I admire immensely. I looked online for the script to discover that the film is a remake of the 1964 film, ‘Bedtime Story’ in which David Niven played the role reprised by Michael Caine and in which Marlon Brando played the role reprised by Steve Martin. I was able to find a passing decent copy on Youtube and watch it on my TV screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y75E5tBPzF0
I won’t recap the plot but merely say that I enjoyed both laughter and tears and the strongest feeling that I wished friends had been watching it with me. A film about deception, perception, camaraderie and friendship; for me, life as I have experienced it and I say that both objectively and subjectively.
The storyline takes place in Beaulieu-sur-Mer which is depicted in the film as Beaumont-sur-Mer. The opening scene is of the Château De La Napoule in Mandelieu-la-Napoule in the Alpes-Maritimes Department of France. The castle was built in the 14th century by the Countess of Villeneuve. In 1918 it was purchased and restored by American husband and wife Henry Clews Jr. and Marie Clews. In 1951, in memory of her late husband, Marie Clews founded the La Napoule Art Foundation, a non-profit organization which houses the Clews Collection and hosts international programs in the arts.

A still of the opening scene; a location I’ve visited and where I’ve taken photographs.

© James Sapsard
The photograph above has been published on the Guardian website. https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/55afb147e4b0571ff3516306/1652711
The walkway, with arched windows, is open to public access.

© James Sapsard
Today I waited expectantly for the postman who has long since been and gone. No sign of the book I ordered online yesterday, ‘Dorothy Bohm Colour Photography 1984-94; 1st Edition autographed by Dorothy Bohm’. A pleasure postponed or perhaps merely deferred; the latter suggesting only a brief hiatus, which is not quite the right word but I’m trying to flout the rigours and constraints of a sometimes oppressive education.
There was only one edition and I already have a copy, autographed by Dorothy Bohm with a dedication:, “For Martin and Annabel with best wishes from Dorothy Bohm Hampstead, May 1995”. It was published by The Photographers Gallery London to coincide with the exhibition of Dorothy Bohm’s photographs at the gallery from 7th October to 19th November 1994 when the gallery was housed at 5 & 8 Great Newport Street, London before its move, in 2012, to its current location, 16–18 Ramillies Street, London. http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/
I forget where I bought my copy. It was in the past two or three years and I paid £4 according to the pencilled price on the first page.
I was prepared to change my name to Martin but could find no one willing to change her name to Annabel. It never occurred to me to simply look for an Annabel. Multitasking has never been my forte.
I hung a trip in the ether; I’m sorry, I mean I checked the internet, to discover what my copy might be worth although I would never sell it, just treasure it more should it be priceless. Up popped another copy signed by Dorothy Bohm, in pristine condition, for £15, the one which I now await.
I rather like this whole business of using a computer to write about whatever subject one fancies. No noisy typewriters, fading ribbon or reams of paper piled high. One can even read one’s mail without moving from one’s seat, or do what I just did, a random check on Dorothy’s book. I now see another copy, unsigned , at £90. I suspect that such an optimistic endeavour may reflect an overinvestment by the seller. And the best part of writing? Merging fact with fiction.

In 2010, in a secondhand bookshop in Wimbledon, I bought a book of poetry by Lynda King, ‘Time At My Shoulder’. I was drawn by her name because Linda King is the name of Charles Bukowski’s widow and because of the similarity to Lindy King of United Agents, whom The Guardian regards as no.7 of ‘The 20 most powerful celebrity makers’.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jun/22/celebrity.media
The authenticity and emotional depth of the 150 pages of poetry in Time At My Shoulder was heartrending. The book bears no ISBN number and no publisher’s details. The only information was that it was printed in Geneva in December 1999 and is dedicated “for Henry and Françoise”.

I was to discover that Lynda King had been an actress with a minor role in the 1959 film, The Bridal Path, which takes place on the island of Eorsa in the Inner Hebrides, where Ewan MacEwan, a widower and father of two, played by Bill Travers, is looking for a wife. It’s based on a novel by Nigel Tranter and was produced and directed by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. It was shot on location around Oban, Easdale and Appin and premiered in Edinburgh.

Internet research disclosed nothing about Lynda. On 19th August 2010 I created a Lynda King Facebook page with the intention of putting some of her poetry openly online in the hope that a knowing eye would see it and contact me. There are eleven of her poems at:
https://www.facebook.com/Poetry.Of.Lynda.King
six of which I posted on 16th February 2012 and five on 22nd August 2015.

After Christmas 2011 I had made no progress with the Facebook page. On re-reading the book, I came across a poem called ‘Dordogne’, the first line of which reads “Robert and Stuart bought the Moulin Neuf”. I googled “Moulin Neuf” to discover that it’s a bed and breakfast establishment in the Dordogne region of France:
http://www.the-moulin-neuf.com/
I emailed Robert and Stuart on 18th February 2012 and received this reply from Robert on 20th February, “I find it quite extraordinary that you have found Lynda’s book and that you were then able, through the internet, to find the Moulin Neuf! I’m delighted that you enjoy Lynda’s poetry. She writes beautifully. I indeed have 2 copies of her book on my desk whilst writing to you. I could tell you lots about Lynda but the best person for you to speak to is Françoise Rodocanachi, who is a lifelong friend of Lynda and who lives in Geneva. See also page 125 of the book. [Page 125 has a poem entitled “THE RODOCANACHI HOUSE CHIOS”] Françoise does not have internet but can be contacted either by writing to her at [address withheld] or indeed you can phone her on [no. withheld]. I spoke with her on the telephone yesterday and told her of your interest.”

I telephoned Françoise Rodocanachi who is the Françoise to whom the book is dedicated. She told me that Lynda King was living in Canada and sadly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

She also told me that the ‘Henry’ referred to in the dedication is the actor Henry McGee to whom Lynda King was married until his death on 28th January 2006 and that Lynda was an actress.

Having learned that Lynda was an actress, I researched her on IMDB where I found this entry:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455023/#Actress

“The Bridal Path” is at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052649/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1

“Beyond This Place” aka “Web Of Evidence” is mentioned at:
http://www.listal.com/movie/web-of-evidence
where there is a link to the full cast list in which she is cast as Miss Williams. http://www.listal.com/movie/web-of-evidence/cast

“Sweet Revenge” is mentioned at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246965/
where there is a link to full credits where she is shown under ‘Other crew’ as ‘production controller’.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246965/fullcredits#cast

For some unknown reason, Lynda was not mentioned in Henry McGee’s obituaries in the Guardian, Telegraph or Independent:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/feb/03/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1509339/Henry-McGee.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/henry-mcgee-6110081.html

Françoise expressed surprise that I have a copy of Lynda’s book. She told me that 500 copies were printed in Geneva and that Lynda had been “ripped off” when she discovered the books bore no ISBN or publisher’s identity and consequently could not be sold in Switzerland. As far as she knew, the only copy in England was one which she and Lynda had smuggled into the library of the American Embassy in London in a whimsical moment and clandestinely planted in the bookshelves. She believes that is the book I have.

Lynda’s poem, “A Visit To Florence 1989” ends with the words; “A lot can happen even at sixty” suggesting that she is now aged about 86 and was about 30 in The Bridal Path.

Françoise flew to London in April 2012 and I met her for lunch on Wednesday, 25th April in the Capital Hotel in Basil Street, Knightsbridge. She had told me she would bring photographs and information about Lynda King. She very kindly gave me an additional 40 page booklet of more of Lynda’s poetry entitled ‘There is no more to say’.

Henry McGee is well known yet his marriage to Lynda was never revealed. After meeting Françoise I sketched out a brief documentary film treatment on the discovery of Lynda, her marriage to Henry McGee, her film work and her poetry but despite contacting several production companies there was no interest.

In the film, The Bridal Path, Lynda King plays Miss Ainslie, a bank clerk in the Bank Of Scotland in a three minute appearance some nineteen minutes into the film and is credited in the final credits as the ‘clerk’.

Françoise Rodocanachi was the second wife of Constantine ‘Kostia’ (Georges) Rodocanachi (born 2nd April 1908 in Marseille, France and died in September 1981 in Geneva, Switzerland). According to The Times dated 19th July 1935, Constantine Rodocanachi married his first wife, Domina ‘Domna’ (Emmanuel) Zervoudachi on 18th July 1935 in Oggebio, Italy. They were divorced on 2nd July 1954 in Marseille, France shortly after which he married Françoise whose maiden name was Ferguson:
http://www.christopherlong.co.uk/gen/vlastogen/fg03/fg03_408.html

The final image on this page shows Françoise Rodocanachi in the 1960’s:
https://emiliecousteauparis.wordpress.com/tag/vintage/

With so much history and poignancy flowing from this book, which so unexpectedly fell into my hands, it has become my most special book edition.