Right so Friday was a big day. Thinking back it seems like it passed in a blur, but I felt every minute of it. I think I’m still getting over it now.
On Friday I was planning on going into London in the evening with Chris. He booked us into the Tiffany exhibition at the Saatchi gallery in Chelsea, he also booked dinner at Bluebird in Chelsea for afterwards.
But on Wednesday last week I saw that Mrs Alice (the absolute table scaping goddess) was holding a sample sale in a pop up shop in the Kings Road.
Well, I really really wanted to go, I missed out on the pop up shop last year, as I wasn’t comfortable being back on public transport back then.
I’m not terribly keen on the idea now to be honest, the numbers are all on the rise again, and as I have avoided any covid infection for the last 2 and a bit years I don’t fancy getting caught out now.
But I really wanted to go to the Mrs Alice shop so I gave it a go.
I also planned to pop in for a cuppa with a friend who works for a Jewellers on Sloane Street too.
It was a pretty big adventure to be honest.
Dress from Monsoon, Shoes from Hermes, Bag from Goyard, Cycling shorts from Boohoo (and absolutely essential for ladies whose legs rub together like a bastard!). :)
So I got to the station for the 10 o/clock train.
Where we live in Braintree it’s like going back in time, the trains to London are hourly!?! Hourly?! What sort of Victorian nonsense is that?
I asked at the ticket office for a single to Liverpool Street.
…I am wild with rage about the cost of it…£28 for a single to London, on an hourly train, which is also pretty slow.
In 2019 I flew to Venice for lunch for £24 RETURN!! But a one way ticket to London (48 miles away) costs £28. I have no idea why anyone visits the UK, I really don’t.
Someone asked me if going to Iceland on holiday is expensive, my reply was, if you can afford to live here you’ll be fine there!
(Caveat to that - alcohol is super expensive in Iceland. We don’t drink so it wasn’t an issue for us).
Anyway, the train was at least air conditioned, which was a bonus as it was 35 degrees and I was melting.
The day I had planned required a bit of thought prior to leaving home.
Chris was coming up to London by car after work, so I packed a bag for him to bring up in the evening. With spare make up, spare bags and stoma supplies, spare dress and shoes, spare underwear. I like to pack for all and any occasion :)
But the bag I had with me all day needed to have everything I might need for the day. But not be too heavy for lugging around.
I have 2 hernias and no wish for any more.
I took the barest essentials with me;
2 spare stoma bags
1 release spray
1 room spray
3 perfume spray
6 plastic sacks
6 sheets of kitchen paper
Tissues
Purse
A lipstick and a comb, and a face mask for wearing on the Underground.
I arrived at Liverpool Street in just under the hour, I made my way over to Knightsbridge to see my friend. It was canny planning on my part really. I knew it was going to be a super hot day, so I drank plenty of water. But I also knew I’d need the loo. So visiting my friend at work served three purposes; 1, I got to see my friend - who I haven’t had a chance to catch up with this year, 2, I got to play jewellery shops for real (not just my home made version), and 3, I used the loo so I was fresh as a daisy for my visit to the Mrs Alice shop!
I had a lovely time trying on jewels. It’s one of my favourite pastimes. :)
I decided I wouldn’t walk to the pop up shop as it was at the far end of Kings Road, so I got a cab. I feel so decadent getting cabs. I’d never been in one till I met Chris. My options before that were public transport or walk.
It still feels like a treat to get one.
Well, it was worth the trip, the hot trains and the cab ride ~ the shop was heaven!
I bought a bit more than I expected (who am I kidding! I was actually quite restrained. We can at least eat for the rest of the month still, I didn’t blow it all!).
But as I had spent quite a bit I felt I’d best save the cab fair, and walk back to the other end of Kings Road, actually I was heading to Harrods, it’s a trek on a cool day, in 35 degrees it’s almost a killer.
So I stopped at a Gail’s for a cake, well, two actually, the girl serving even said “two cakes, just for you?”
“Yes actually judgey judgey-son! Two! For me!”.
In fairness it probably was a shock, I doubt very much the Chelsea set eat cake, let alone two in one sitting.
After my pit stop I headed further up the road towards Harrods.
I stopped to watch a wedding party that was leaving Chelsea registry office. I love the look of weddings and wedding dresses, I just don’t want to go to anymore weddings (my boys and closest friends the exception to this rule of course).
The bride looked stunning, if a little hot. Getting married in the UK is a minefield of avoiding rain, I doubt many of us consider it might be the hottest day of the year so far.
I then carried on my way. I did 14 thousand steps on Friday, in the heat. I don’t even walk that far in the cool. But needs must when you blow your house keeping on table cloths and candlesticks Hahahahaha.
I got to Harrods for a look around, not easy when you’re carrying 3 bags of goodies, and so hot, and then treated myself to a sit down in a cafe in there for a very refreshing glass of non alcoholic rosé. £12 a glass!! For not alcohol!!
Decadence is apparently my middle name!!
I waited in there, savouring my fizzy pink juice, with a tap water chaser, while I waited for Chris to arrive in London.
He was a bit delayed but it wasn’t a problem, I was in no great rush to venture back out into the heat again.
Chris text to say he’d arrived at the car park. So I headed over to meet him. To change my shoes to evening one and my knicks to fresh ones. I was very grateful to have packed a spare pair. I know ladies aren’t meant to sweat, but this one does! Hahahahaha
We then headed off to the Tiffany exhibition. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s wonderful. Packed full of beautiful pieces, stunning doesn’t come close to it.
There are quite a few interactive displays. My favourite was the spectacular yellow diamond lady GaGa wore to the Oscars. They have an interactive necklace, so you can see what it looks like on you. I thought it suited me but Chris wasn’t interested in spending the couple of mil it costs.
There’s a wall you can write any message you like and it floats across the wall and then disappears into a mass of ripples.
for anyone thinking of proposing this is a super cute way to go about it!
The writing’s on the wall, literally! This function would make a most excellent proposal I think.
We then headed to our final destination, Bluebird, the Chelsea restaurant we’ve been visiting for the last 20 odd years. Made even more popular recently by the filming there of Made In Chelsea (but don’t let that put you off, it’s a fantastic restaurant, one of our favourites).
We were running a bit late as we hadn’t realised how big the exhibition was, (We even had to rush the final 3 rooms, so we will go back again some time) we came out and caught a bus. Yes, me, on a bus!! :)
I’ve got to be completely honest. I think I may have fallen asleep a bit during dinner. I was so exhausted and possibly sun stroked.
We did have a fantastic meal though. I ordered a pasta and mushroom dish. I was a bit nervous that it would just be dry pasta with mushrooms dumped on the top like that dreadful meal I had in another Chelsea restaurant a few weeks back. But I needn’t have feared, Bluebird is top class and my pasta dish was delicious!
We had a wonderful evening. Even if I can’t quite remember it. I don’t drink, but I was so tired I can’t recall much about the day really.
And all that was just Friday!
Saturday we headed out to buy a child car seat for Daniel, the baby who’s coming to live with us sometime this week, with his mum, Olya.
There aren’t actually too many car seats that fit in a 911, so we bought the only one Halfords had. and then headed on to Suffolk for my best friend from childhood’s birthday drinks.
I had worked myself up into a bit of a pickle about Saturday’s drinks.
Stephen invited his friends, I’ve known all of them since I was about 16 or 17. But I haven’t seen them in about 10 years. I’ve changed a bit in that time. But then as it turns out, so had they. I needn’t have worried myself at all. :)
Once I was there I was fine. It was great seeing them all again. And it was lovely to spend Steve’s birthday with him.
We’ve known each other since we were born, well, since he was born to be precise. My mum was babysitting Stephen’s brother the day Steve was born. He’s a month younger than me. We’ve been buddies since then.
Dress from Jigsaw, Shoes from Valentino Rockstuds, Bag from Goyard.
Literally a lifetime…
We had such a lovely evening. And we were able to wish him a happy birthday in person.
Then Sunday was Father’s Day.
My dad was away camping, Sam was at his home enjoying his Father’s Day with his son, Ben was wiped out with either a tummy bug or sun stroke. (He went to Ascot races on Friday, the hottest day of the year, out in full sun all day with no shade. So we’re not sure if he picked up a bug or if he had a delayed reaction to the heat. He doesn’t drink alcohol so I didn’t think he’d have too much of a problem with the heat of the day out, but no shade probably wasn’t ideal).
So it was down to me to celebrate Chris’s day, I had planned to do a surprise fishing trip for him. But although I’d bought the fishing license, I couldn’t cobble together enough kit. He needs to take a bit of time to go through his gear, and probably buy some new bits too.
I did make him a lovely table display for breakfast though…yes, every man’s dream I know. ;)
He is an absolute beaut, so I wanted to spoil him. I bought him a stack of sweets.
Bacon sandwiches, fresh fruit…burnt and inedible croissants!
He’s a lucky man alright! Hahaha. Thankfully he didn’t marry me for my culinary skills, so he wasn’t shocked, surprised or disappointed by my offerings.
I suggested a trip to the seaside for fish chips to make up for a slightly unsuccessful breakfast.
Always take your own cutlery with you. Who wants to eat off those wooden prong things you get at the chippie?
And what in God’s name is this! How is this any way to pack a pickle? It looks like he’s won a goldfish at the fair!
We had a short but sweet stroll along the beach and then along the greensward.
Dress from Roman Originals, Joie de vivre - all my own work! :)
We ended up at the ice cream shop! What are the chances? Well, pretty high with me around. :)
Heaven. :)
***
Our guests are arriving sometime this week so I’m busily getting everything ready for them.
It’s a huge step for them to come all the way from Ukraine to the UK, just the two of them. I am full of admiration of them. We will try and make their stay as good and as enjoyable as possible in the circumstances.
It wasn’t plain sailing to get them here. It’s been a long and arduous process, with things taking a turn for the worse last Thursday.
I’ve never contacted my local MP before now, never had reason to. Although I’m not a fan of this government, I am grateful to my MP for sorting out a problem we had within 24 hours of contacting him.
We’re hoping to pick them up from an airport at some stage this week. And I’m very much looking forward to meeting them at last. :)