Doris Crockford

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 115648


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> 
wrote:
> 
Annemehr:
> Hi Geoff! I'm going for the "too many little coincidences" here.
> 
> I don't think Vernon works in London, just because "going up to
> London" (when they got Dudley's tail removed) seemed to be an 
unusual
> trip for him.  And would he drive to a job in London every day, or
> would he probably take a train? So Diggle (or Flitwick) being in the
> street just outside Grunnings would be quite a coincidence.  Heck,
> London's huge; even if Grunnings were there, it's not likely to be
> anywhere near the Leaky at all.

Geoff:
I wasn't implying that Vernon met Dedalus (or whoever) near the Leaky 
Cauldron; My meaning was that it isn't far from the London end of 
Kent to get into the centre or beyond.

There is an implication that Vernon's works is not far from Little 
Whinging..

'He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.......

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by 
something else. As he sat in his usual morning traffic jam, he 
couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely 
dressed people about.....

The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr.Dursley arrived in 
the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.'

(PS "The Boy Who Lived" p.8 UK edition)

But remember that it has been suggested that Little Whinging is north 
of the river not far perhaps from Heathrow in Surrey-that-was-
Middlesex-until-1965 and therefore virtually in Greater London 
(possibly even within the boundaries). London, as another poster has 
remarked is very big; 25-20 across, so you don;t have to go into 
central London to "work in London". I taught for 30 years in Greater 
London, 12 miles out from the centre.....

Since there were obviously wizard folk celebrating near Little 
Whinging, Dedalus (if it 'twere he) might have come over to turn a 
few cartwheels and knock back a few pumpkin juices with friends....

Geoff
Enjoy views of Exmoor and preserved 
West Somerset Railway steam at:
http://www.aspectsofexmoor.com