In 1990, I just managed to find a rare space on the heavily over-subscribed British Isles voyage on QE2, celebrating the much anticipated 150th anniversary of the Cunard Line.  No single accommodation was available; I had to share!  I remember not the name of my travelling companion.  He was Welsh, pleasant enough, snored like a road drill, and was travelling instead of his brother, who had passed away unexpectedly.  A – listers, e.g., Andre Previn, Roy Castle, Paul Daniels, were on board.  Pun not really intended, for this major celebration,  Cunard really did “push the boat out!”  Ye gods, that was 35 years ago.   I determined then that I would be there for the 200th anniversary in 2040. The only condition is making it to 91!  There were celebrations and massive crowds at each port of call.  Liverpool hosted the first ever Cunard Queen anchored opposite the Three Graces, one of which I am in right now attending part of Cunard’s 185th anniversary.  

At least, I was!  Never one to miss a marketing opportunity, the 185th anniversary is not going by unnoticed.  I have visited and enjoyed the photographic exhibition, which should have been opened by Princess Anne.  Serious unforseen circumstances caused this not to occur.  And, last year, it was suggested that the late Queen’s daughter could not attend the naming ceremony of Cunard’s Queen Anne because this took place after a General Election had been called.  (You couldn’t make it up!) 

Apart from travelling to Liverpool today, this will be the first Cunard anniversary I shall not be taking part in since prior to the 150th, as I say, thirty-five years ago. (My hair was plenteous and black back then!)   Most ships in the Cunard fleet are having at least one commemorative voyage.  There will be the usual themed gala nights, and I expect that I may well bid on a couple of items to further bloat my collection.

Some time last year, former and present customers of Cunard were invited to submit photographs and brief memories of travelling on Cunard ships.  The best of these would be selected for an exhibition “curated” by Beatles’ daughter Mary McCartney. (I think she is Paul McCartney’s daughter.)  I was surprised that the 10 day event was not staged next door in the Cunard Building.  Whether any of the thousands of images I had taken were worthy of inclusion, I actually doubt.  But, the exhibition made for an extremely well put-together architectural photo album.

The rail journey back to Buxton should have worked perfectly.  A train leaving Liverpool Lime Street at 15.51 hrs would pull into Platform 0 at Stockport just before 17.00 hrs, making an almost seemless change on to the 17.04 to Buxton.  So far, so good.  I legged it from the Liver Building to Lime Street Station, got ripped off £3.00 for a chilled bottle of water, and arrived at Stockport in perfect time.  God’s miracles didn’t stretch to the machinations of the Network Rail Infrastructure.  Or was it the ongoing staff shortages.  The 17.04 service was cancelled.  You couldn’t make it up!  Thankfully, the 17.34 was only three minutes late, leaving Stockport, and the half-hour wait was merely an inconvenience. Various signalling, track circuit, and points failures punctuated frequently the litany of arrivals, departures, and apologies over the station’s P.A. system. 

The weather feels almost tropical.  It isn’t!  However, it is respectfully humid, and I wish that I had left my rain gear in the car.  The forecast thunderstorms have yet to materialise. 

While still recognisable, Liverpool feels more  unfamiliar than when I used to visit frequently decades ago.  The walk to/from the Liver Building seemed to go on forever.  I took only a few photographs.  Nevertheless, in my own way, I made it to Cunard 185!

Thanks for reading, David, 22.26 hrs at home.