Meeting Owen and Zara at the Cowherds, Southhampton, UK

By Gary Davis

After spending two days in London, by Camden Market, Diane and Gary travelled south to Southampton, where Gary worked at the University of Southampton many years ago, and where we planned to board a cruise ship on Wednesday June 28. 

Gary wanted to show Diane around Southampton and the first evening we headed for the Cowherds Pub on the edge of the Southampton Common.

After ordering food and drink we were joined at the next table by a family of four: Owen, Zara and two of their children:

Owen was initially reluctant to sit next to us, saying the kids would be very noisy. Turned out, as he freely admitted, the adults – Owen, Zara, Gary and Diane – were much noisier than the kids, who barely uttered a word!

We learned that Owen and Zara lived just across the road from the Cowherds and eat there often. They run a tech recruitment business from home, and we had a wide ranging discussion about business, politics, and life in general. It was a real pleasure meeting such a vibrant and lovely family. Here’s hoping we are able to stay in touch with them.

One thing about talking with strangers is how easy it is to underestimate how much one can learn – and we learned a lot talking with Owen and Zara.