Friday, May 27, 2022

 

Rosa 'Sir Thomas Lipton' & Rosa 'Benjamin Britten' 27 May 2022

Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet KCVO (10 May 1848 – 2 October 1931) was a Scotsman of Irish Protestant parentage who was a self-made man, as company founder of Lipton Tea, merchant, philanthropist and yachtsman who lost 5 straight America's Cup matches.

He engaged in extensive advertising for his chain of grocery stores and his brand of Lipton teas. He boasted that his secret for success was selling the best goods at the cheapest prices, harnessing the power of advertising, and always being optimistic. He was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup yacht race.

Wikipedia

Sir Thomas Lipton & Benjamin Britten

In 1962 I met a friend at the University of the Americas in Mexico City. Andrew Taylor was Yorkshire-born and sometime later in the year he played a 45RPM record and asked me if I liked the singers. This was my first awareness of the Beatles.

In 1970 Rosemary and I moved to Arboledas, Estado de México. We lived near a posh closed development called Club de Golf Hacienda. Taylor lived there with his parents. His father, Colin Taylor was the first to expose me to English composers like Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippet. Not long after I was listening and enjoying the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams

 

Andrew Taylor, Esquire

 

In those days it was virtually impossible to buy good black tea. Sometimes we got lucky and some friend would return from the US with a box of Lipton’s tea bags. Rosemary and I would re-use these bags. I swore that if I ever left Mexico I would have the best tea and not drive a VW.

That is exactly what happened. Presently I drive a Chevrolet Cruze and I have at least 10 varieties of very good loose tea.

In this city that people say has no culture I was able to listen live, not too long ago Benjamin Britten’s string quartets. With my graphic designer friend Graham Walker we went to a performance at the Orpheum of Britten’s Peter Grimes with Ben Heppner in the title role.

Now in 2022 I would not be caught dead drinking Lipton Tea bags. But I long to visit Andrew Taylor in Guadalajara and take some tins of the best loose tea that is available here in Vancouver and not in Guadalajara.

Today my English Rose Rosa ‘Benjamin Britten’ was in bloom as well as a circa 1900 white rose Rosa ‘Sir Thomas Lipton’.

This will be a no nonsense blog about two Englishmen. And one more.