A Super Sunday in London: Churches, Friends, Shopping, Pub Grub...

 A Super Sunday in London: Churches, Friends, Shopping, Pub Grub... 

London

Sunday, May 8, 2022

    Another fabulous day saw me packing it in furiously. But then that's the story of my life: not just when I am in London, but in general! So, I awoke at 5.00 am, did some blogging, showered, went down to breakfast (a tad later than usual--so saw more traffic at the buffet bars: feasted on a Full English Brekkie for I will never tire of English bacon and bangers) and went walkabout!

Visit to my Former Parish Church of St. Etheldreda's:

    I walked briskly to High Holborn and jumped into the 8 to ride it two stops to Holborn Circle. From there, I walked to Ely Place, having the area entirely to myself as the rest of London snored during a weekend lie-in. It was past 9 am, but I was only there at St. Etheldreda's Church for a visit (for old times' sake)--I had been in contact earlier in the morning with friends (early risers like myself) and had fixed to meet them for Mass at their church at Knightsbridge. I was happy to get the last bits of Mass and to see Fr. Tom Deidun at the altar--yes, still there after all these years. Priests are never transferred in the UK or the US (unlike in India). 

     Praying at St. Etheldreda's is always special for me. For one thing, it is eerily historic! Dating from 1250 when the Bishop of Ely (then the most powerful prelate in England) received permission to build a church at Hatton Gardens, it is considered the oldest Catholic Church in the UK as it was the first church to return to Roman Catholicism (in 1620) after the horrors of the Protestant Reformation had subsided. Shakespeare might have worshipped here but Queen Elizabeth I most certainly did, in her younger, pre-Queen days. Of course, the neighborhood has changed enormously since the 13th century (this is, of course, one of the oldest parts of London) but the church itself is exactly the same--the imposing stained glass windows, the statues of important lay people from the Renaissance high on the walls, the old Baptismal font, etc. St. Etheldreda's earthly remains are on the right hand side of the high altar. I am always thrilled when I realize that the oldest Catholic Church in England was once my parish!

A Nostalgic Walk Around Holborn and Farringdon:

    With my visit done, I decided to take a walk around my previous stomping ground (I would only be meeting my friends at 10.30 am and had about an hour to kill). So off I went, past Hatton Gardens, towards Charterhouse. Along the way, I passed by the Victorian Central Cold Storage building which is now defunct as the famous Victorian Smithfield Meat Market (which had been in business for at least 200 years) closed shop. I recall waking at dawn, when I lived in the building across the street, to be part of the bustle of butchers and restauranteurs selling and buying stock for the day--not a pretty sight, but one of those weird London experiences that only insiders can have! I took a lot of pictures of the beautiful building because I love its dimensions and ornate wrought-iron cladding and decorative details.

    Then, I walked further into Charterhouse Square to take pictures of the Carthusian monastery that dates back seven centuries. Jam packed with religious history that spans Tudor, Renaissance and Reformation times, it is still a working monastery and has about 10 monks still in residence. I once had the privilege of getting an insider's tour of the premises from one of the monks (please look at a past blog post here) and had loved every second of it. Queen Elizabeth I prepared for accession to the throne from this venue.

    The Charterhouse Monastery overlooks Charterhouse Square which is famous for one more thing--less historic, more cultural: On it stands the modern Art Deco building that is the facade for the apartment of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in the TV series starring David Suchet as Poirot! I took a few pictures on a glorious day when sunshine filled the square and then made my way on.

    Of course, I had to go along Cowcross Street where I had once lived in a converted warehouse, occupying the entire floor of what, in New York, we would have been called a 'loft'--all 6000 square feet of it! Sadly, the friends who had given me their London pied a terre to live in for 3 months, no longer own it. But nostalgia was rife as I walked alongside it and took pictures of The Castle pub at the corner which also functions as a pawn shop, has a license to do so and proudly sports the three hanging golden balls that proclaims this fact. The story goes that one of England's erstwhile kings (I forget which one), in disguise during his more profligate days, entered the pub and into a gambling match with a bystander. He lost everything and in desperation left his watch as collateral with the publican. The next day, he returned with the money to claim it and walked out with it. The next day, he sent the publican a license for pawn-broking (as indeed that was what he had done--he had pawned his watch on the gaming tables). This makes The Castle the only pub in England that also doubles as a pawn shop! And this was once my 'local'! How cool is that???

En route to Knightsbridge:

    Well, just as I was musing upon all these things, Farringdon Tube station, entirely spiffied up to function as one of the stops on the new Crossrail that will be christened the Elizabeth Line, loomed in front of me. I jumped into a Metropolitan line train to get to St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, for Mass at 10.30.  I was actually going to meet my friends at the entrance to their building in Chelsea and we were supposed to walk to church together. But I soon realized that I would never reach there on time. I phoned them and told them to carry on and that I would meet them directly in church. And that was what I did.

    I had forgotten how disrupted the public transport is in London on a Sunday, but, nevertheless, I soldiered on. At Great Portland Street, I got off and jumped into the Circle Line train. I then got off at Edgeware Road to connect to the Piccadilly Line to get off at Knightsbridge. This I did, with a whole lot of annoying delays.  At South Kensington Station, I realized I could take a bus to Wilton Place where St. Paul's Church is located. And that was exactly what I did. A bus heading towards Hyde Park Corner came along and I got off just steps from the church. As my friends Michael and Cynthia were entering the church, so was I! They were flabbergasted...but you can only do this kind of transportation juggling if you know London as well as I do! We had a fond reunion (and, thankfully, we can now hug with impunity!) before we entered the church. There, I promptly met my friend Sarah who came across to hug me and say Hiya and Welcome to London.

A Mass to Remember:

    It is only when I am back in an Anglican Church for a sung service that I realize why I love Church of England worship so much and why I have such a hard time with church services in India. Everything about these churches--from their interior grandeur (this one is also neo-Gothic) to the splendour of the choir (music is an essential part of Anglican worship), the dramatic homilies from brilliant speakers that craft them with wit and humor and thoughtful quotations, the amazing sense of spirituality that engulfs me when I am in the company of worshippers who participate loudly and sing lustily and have no qualms about being a very vocal part of the service, are all the aspects of worship I miss in India. 

    There was a Baptism scheduled and I was surprized to find that the baby was almost two years old! I don't know if this is customary in the Church of England or whether the parents simply waited Covid out! Anyway, we all renewed our Baptismal vows with the baby's parents and then the service proceeded. New musical compositions were being tried out this morning with the composer, Kerensa Briggs, actually sitting in the congregation with us and listening to the power of her own stupendous work! 

    Mass done, there were drinks served to encourage socializing, but since I knew no one except  my friends, we decided to move on. Michael and Cynthia had invited me to their place for lunch and I thoroughly enjoyed the 15 minutes' slow stroll to Cadogan Square in Chelsea for we passed by the tony shops and restaurants of Belgravia and the home of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, last Viceroy of India, and his wife Edwina. I was most excited and took a picture in front of it. One of my favorite students (who now lives here in London) had once asked me for a recommendation so that she could apply for the Lord Mountbatten Prize. I had given her a glowing reference as she is one of the finest students I have ever taught, she got it, came to London, met her husband, had two children and remains a close friend! Llew and I will be having dinner with her family later in our stay. She always tell me that but for my course, she would never even have heard of Lord Mountbatten!   

    We arrived at Gloucester Court soon enough where my friends put a G & T in my hand and bustled around to put a simple soup and cheese meal on the table--sweet corn soup with buttered toast and cheddar cheese, lots of nibbles (peanuts, crisps, mango chutney, etc.--a real ploughman's lunch), a Quiche Lorraine and dessert of delicious fresh fruit salad. We had the best time as we caught up on so many things in our lives. What a great time I have every time I am with them! They are my closest friends in London and Cynthia and I consider ourselves to be sisters!  Eventually, however, I had to leave as I wanted to make the most of a gorgeous day and shopping on the King's Road at Sloane Square beckoned. I decided to be a cool Sloane Ranger for just a little while!

Becoming a Sloane Ranger:

    And so I walked down the King's Road on a day when a lot of other people had the same idea--everyone was enjoying the warm sunshine (I actually had to peel off my jacket). Chelsea has special significance for Llew and me as his brother had lived on Redesdale Street in a gorgeous house when he had been posted to work in London, many moons ago. For three years in a row, Llew and I had spent part of our summers in Chelsea and became well acquainted with its retail offerings. I bought a pair of ear-rings in one shop and moved on towards World's End to buy a bone china mug in another. Cynthia had directed me to a hair dresser she uses called Mahi in a salon called Greema's Hair Salon, but when I reached there, I discovered that Mahi would next be there only on Tuesday and that I would need to make an appointment to see her. I badly needed a haircut and I thought that London would be a great place to get one!

 Bits and Bobs on a Sunshiny Day:

    I them hopped into a bus getting back to Central London and thrilled, once again, to the joys of being on the King's Road. Just before leaving Sloane Square, I entered Peter Jones (Department store) as I needed a glass and chrome pump dispenser for liquid hand soap in my bathroom in India. However, the ones I saw were too plain and I will keep looking.

 By the time it arrived at Piccadilly, I had decided to hop off to see the special exhibition of English bone china manufacturers at Fortnum and Mason which is also one of my favorite shops in London. And that was what I did. I got off at Green Park, walked past the Ritz and arrived at my destination only to find a fabulous exhibition to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in the shop windows. They were simply splendid. I surveyed the offerings on the ground floor, of course, but I was mainly interested in the exhibition on the first floor--an absolute treat for any lover of painted porcelain and fine bone china. There were a couple of antique tea sets on display and for sale and I was sorely tempted to buy a Tea for Two set! But then I thought about what my current collection of porcelain teacups has meant--they will only be given away some day! So, I decided to restrain my impulse and move on. 

    I had the best time as I moved through the luxury items on this floor, curbing my enthusiasm at every turn. Eventually, I left the store and hopped into another bus to get back to my hotel as I thought it would be good to get a bit of a rest. I had chatted on the phone with my friend Rosemary whom I be meeting for dinner and we decided it would be at Bill's on Kingsway in Holborn. So back on the bus I hopped, got off at my hotel and had a very brief lie-down, but sadly no nap.

Dinner with Rosemary:

    I was at Bill's on schedule (only to find it temporarily closed--Covid has a lot to answer for!). After a fab reunion (she is one of my closest friends in London), we decided to try The Shakespeare's Head pub next door where they had a good deal: an alcoholic drink and a burger for under 10 pounds! It was indeed a steal and we had the same except that Roz had a glass of red wine while I had a pint of Guinness as I love it as a draft stout. Over our meal, needless to say, we gabbed nineteen to the dozen. Roz caught me up on all the doings in her life and we resolved to meet again (we will probably stay with her for one night just before our departure) once Llew gets here.

    We parted company at 9.00 am as Roz had a whiles to go to Battersea where she lives. And with that, as twilight fell most charmingly over the rooftops of the curving buildings on High Holborn, I made my way back to my hotel at Red Lion Street. 

    It was not long before I readied myself for bed and went straight to sleep. It will be my last night alone in the hotel as my friend Amy arrives from New York tomorrow to spend the next few days with me. I cannot wait to see her again!

    Until tomorrow, cheerio...      

  

Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Battersea, Becoming a Sloane Ranger, Exploring Paddington Basin, Little Venice & Fleming Museum and Dinner in an Italian Trattoria

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Sunday, August 11, 2019

London

Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Battersea, Becoming a Sloane Ranger, Exploring Paddington Basin, Little Venice, Fleming Museum and Dinner in an Italian Trattoria

     Hiya from London!

     There is no sweeter feeling, at least to my mind, than waking up to discover that you are in your favorite city in the world and have the entire day to do with it whatever you please. I awoke to the sounds of the overground train chugging outside my window at Battersea and the grinding drone of aircraft engines preparing for landing on the Heathrow flight path. These sounds, far from being a nuisance, are like music to my ears because I awake with a happy feeling.

Mass at St. Mary's Church, Battersea:

     So my day began with a cup of coffee as my friends Roz and Chrisite usually go to the 8.30 am Mass at Battersea followed by coffee at Queenswood, their local coffee shop. I have attended Mass at this church before--when I lived in London, ten years ago, I once met Roz at this venue, in keeping with my objective, at that time, of attending Mass at a different church each Sunday. 

    The church has a beautiful location--it is right on the banks of the River Thames and in early morning light, it looks gorgeous--its spire stetches towards the golden rays of the rising sun. Thames' waters are also usually placid and undisturbed at this hour of the morning. On the opposite (north) bank of the river, Chelsea continued to slumber as Londoners enjoy their weekend lie-ins.

     Mass was said by Canon Simon (whom I have also met before). There were only a sprinkling of people in the church--about 25 (what a contrast to my church in Bandra!!!) and we sat in the choir stalls as there is major renovation going on inside. This church has been associated with the painter Turner (who used to sit in it to paint views of Chelsea on the other side), with the poet William Blake who worshipped here and with Benedict Arnold--each of them have a stained glass window dedicated to him. 

     The Mass was interesting--in the High Anglican mode (hence very different from the ones I attend at St Paul's Cathedral which is very similar to the text used in Catholic churches). The sermon, as usual, was a pleasure to listen to. I have said this before (a million times) and I will say it again: no one can preach as well as an Anglican cleric (which is one of the reasons I love attending Mass in an Anglican church) and, by contrast, I will dare to say this too: there are no preachers more lousy than the ones to be found in the Catholic churches of Bombay! There! I said it! After a year of the most excruciating experiences of Indian Catholic priests and their shockingly terrible homilies, I can honestly say that I would pay good money to listen to someone like Simon preach every Sunday.  

     After coffee, about 15 members of the congregation adjourned to Queenswood, the coffee shop, in a pretty little square about 200 meters from the church, where, since they are all known to each other, they chatted over a variety of teas and coffee.  I had a decaff Americano and made the acquaintance of a handsome young couple called Jack and Lizzie with whom I had a nice conversation. 

    

A 'Full English Breakfast' in The Asparagus:

     Then, because Christie had told me that his local The Asparagus has a very reasonably priced 'full English' and because he enjoys hanging out there too, he took me to the place so we could both freely indulge. Roz pleaded laundry to be done and took the car to get home. Christie and I walked right past St. Thomas', Battersea, a private school dating from the 1700s in a building that wears its age on its sleeve--beautiful Tudor red and white brick creates diamond patterns on the walls that actually have very fetching stone plaques of knights in armor sticking out of them. I took a few pictures as we walked past because I loved the building--not so much because Prince George, son of William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, goes to this school and will be followed by his sister, Charlotte, who will start schooling here next month.

     In five minutes, past neat terraced housing (all very quiet as people slumbered) and streets devoid of any signs of humanity, we arrived on Battersea High Street. Life was just stirring in The Asparagus when we got there to find patrons ordering large pints of ale and lager--yes, at 9.00 am!!!! I ordered a  Traditional Breakfast while Christie got the Vegetarian one--he got mushrooms, I did not!!! The scrambled eggs were very poorly done and overall, I can say that you do get what you pay for. Let's put it this way: it was not like a Full English at The Wolsley!

     When we were done, we walked back home and I got ready for my day. Roz and Christie were making the trek to Greenwich to meet friends there--they were taking a bus and I got on with them. 

        

Being a Sloane Ranger:

     However, when we arrived at Sloane Street, I hopped off. I decided that I would do the rounds of the thrift stores on the King's Road. In the 1960s, when young monied folks discovered Chelsea and converted it into the chic residential and shopping paradise it is today, they were known as Sloane Rangers--think Mick Jagger, Mary Quant and Salman Rushdie! Llew and I were Sloane Rangers for three consecutive years in the summer when his brother Lancy was based in London and was given a splendid terraced home on one of the most exclusive residential streets in Chelsea, right off the Embankment. I am so glad we did take his brother and sister-in-law up on their generous offers to come and stay with them during those years because they treated us to some of our most lasting memories of London. 

     All these years later, I remember those summers with great affection--now that both Lancy and his wife are gone. I often go right by their home at 26 Redesdale Street which they had occupied and in which we had stayed in a room on the top level. Anyway...the years have gone by but Chelsea retains a special place in my heart. By the way, Chelsea Clinton was so named because her newly-wed parents, then in love with each other and London, had been strolling through the borough of Chelsea and Kensington when they decided that if they ever had a daughter, they would name her Chelsea!

     I enjoy nothing better than a poke in my favorite shops on The King's Road which is basically the high street. Apart from the supermarket Waitrose and the department stores Marks and Spencer and John Lewis, there are the coffee shops I love such as Paul's and a few lovely thrift shops that are my special joy. I love the Oxfam on Shawfield Road and the King's Arcade. Other than DVDs, I did not find too much this morning, but I stopped for a gelato at Ventri, a new Italian ice-cream parlor that has sprouted, took a turn around Partridge's, an upscale food shop and slowly but surely made my way to the Sloane Street Tube station on Sloane Square. I did miss my friends, the Colcloughs sorely, as they live in Chelsea but they are in Barcelona and I will miss them completely on this visit. Sad.

  

Off to Paddington:

     My next port of call was Paddington as I had picked up a brochure when I was passing through Heathrow last month that spoke highly of this part of London. As it is not a part of the city with which I am familiar, I decided to explore it more thoroughly. This meant taking a more round about way to get there as the District line going north was not working. Using the alternative Bakerloo line, I got to Edgeway Road eventually and asked around to try to find my way to Paddington Basin. 

     I had a fairly uninteresting time there...there is not really much to see at all.  After a long walk (that I much regretted), I managed to find it. It is basically a long off shoot of the Grand Union Canal that is much more evident after a ten minute walk as it curves towards Little Venice. I had already walked so much that I was worried about the impact on my feet (I am already fighting plantar fasciitis) and after taking pictures of the luxury high-rise buildings and the upscale shops at their base that surround this body of water, I really wondered what there was to see.  There is a Go Boat, a water taxi that ferries people for free from this spot, past Fan Bridge (which I did not see), that plies from Monday to Friday--sadly, it was non-functional today. 

     When I realized that I was close to St. Mary's Hospital (where, in the Lindo Wing, Catherine has had all three of the royal heirs to the throne), I decided to cross the bridge close to Little Venice and get back on the main road again. I'm afraid Paddington Basin did nothing to impress me and I was bitterly disappointed by the visit.

At the Fleming Museum:

     I was even more disappointed when I discovered that the Fleming Museum that is devoted to an exhibition of the wonder of the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming was closed. It is open from Monday to Thursday only from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm. However, I did actually enter St. Mary's Hospital to use the loo (a very solid Victorian building with wards and departments beautifully signposted inside) and then made my way to the entrance of the museum. Now that I know where it is, I shall try to return (maybe on my next visit to London as the time here is so short). I took a few pictures of the exterior and of the plaque that announces the location of the room in which the magic medication that saved the lives of so many soldiers during the wars, was discovered.

Back to Battersea:

     I was pretty exhausted by this time as, whether I like it or not, I always seem to end up walking far more than I had intended when I am in London. My legs were beginning to hurt and the disappointments of the morning were doing nothing to lift my spirits. Hence, I merely hopped into a bus I saw that was heading towards Oxford Circus with the idea of getting the Tube from there. And that was what I did. In about an hour, I was in Battersea where we had dinner plans. I was taking my hosts for dinner to our favorite Italian restaurant in the neighborhood called L'Antipasto, where I have eaten several times and where the proprietor Antonio is known to me, thanks to Roz and Chrisite who frequent this place pretty often. I had also invited Bande Hasan, who used to be a colleague of both Llew and Christie at different times during his banking career. I have met him for a meal many times in London and know him quite well.  He was expected at Roz's place at about 7.00 pm. I showered before his arrival and was ready to greet him warmly on a day that happened to be Eid (Bakhri Id as we call it in India where the Abrahamic tradition it taken literally and goats are actually slaughtered and eaten that day).

   Bande is a teetotaler but the rest of us enjoyed drinks and nibbles in the living room before we walked to the restaurant along Battersea High Street. Once assembled in a corner, where Roz's sister Sarah was awaiting our arrival, we had a lovely meal. A bottle of white wine was ordered for the table (which went into a second bottle). I had a Fresh Crabmeat Salad as a starter (it was served with avocado, tomato, lettuce and a Marie Rose Sauce--just delicious and bursting with crab meat) and shared a Pasta alla Siciliana with Roz (it came with linguine, prawns and cherry tomatoes--a tried-and-tested dish that I have had here before and always like). Some folks had pasta pesto with chicken and others had a starter as a main. For dessert, we shared tiramisu and also ordered biscotti with vin santo. It was a wonderful meal, as it always is, in this very reasonably priced eatery where you can be sure you will get a good meal without paying a fortune for it.   

     Christie had a very early flight to board tomorrow, so Roz and I walked Bande to the bus stop where we waited with him until his bus turned up. He has a nice flat in Central London and it was not long before, he was sailing off.

     What a great way to have spent Eid and what a lovely end to my day--a not too fruitful one, but the Italian dinner saved it, in the end.

     Until tomorrow... 

  

      

London, My London! How Fabulous to be Back Again!

Friday, June 7, 2019

London

London, My London! How Fabulous to be Back Again!

Hiya from London!

A new day dawned while I was airborne from Rio to London!

Arrival in Heathrow:

It was a smooth touch down into Heathrow airport at 12. 30 pm (scheduled time of arrival was 1.10 pm, so, to my good luck, we were 40 minutes ahead of schedule). I managed to speak to the British Airways stewardess who gave me a Fast Track pass that allowed me to glide through Immigration without waiting in an endless line—but, in the end, it was unnecessary. The Immigration procedure at London has been completely streamlined now and is all electronic if you have an American passport (among others, I guess). There is no need to pass through any human beings at all. I was out of there in no time—less than 10 minutes—and so excited to me back in my favorite city in the world after exactly two years! You can just imagine how thrilled and excited I was! Not even the dull grey typically soggy London summer weather could dampen my spirits as I went out to meet a new day in London. 

As I had checked my case through to Bombay, I had only a small backpack with me. Careful planning had led me to include a large black tote in my back pack (for the edible goodies I intended to buy). Making my way smartly out of Immigration, I was in the Arrivals Lounge of Terminal 5 looking for signs leading to the Heathrow Express (as I’d had the foresight to actually buy and print my tickets in Bombay before leaving). This saved me more valuable time in purchasing them.

Taking the Heathrow Express to Central London:

I had never taken the Heathrow Express before (it is expensive compared to the Piccadilly Line on the Tube) but since time was of the essence, I decided to splurge this time. I had about 9 hours to spend in London on probably the longest layover I have ever had anywhere—Moscow, a long time ago, was 8 hours and I had stayed at the airport then. Return fare on the Heathrow Express cost me 32 pounds because I booked two weeks in advance of travel. It can go as high as 50 pounds if one waits too long to book.

The terminal and the crowd taking the train are very disciplined indeed. It took me just 15 minutes to get to Paddington station and much of the journey was above ground which added to my excitement at being back as we passed through London’s western suburbs. I pulled out my black tote bag and organized the gift bags and the two kurtas I had bought from Bombay for Cynthia and Roz. 

Shopping at Paddington:

Arriving at Paddington concourse, I discovered, before I found the stairwell that disappeared into the Underground, that there was a massive shopping area at the station itself. With signs advertising both Sainsburys and M and S Simply Food, I decided it would be wise to pick up the goodies I wanted from here itself—this would save me time running along the King’s Road in Chelsea trying to find them later on.

So thinking on my feet, I disappeared into M and S and found the cookies I wanted. Alas, there were no chocolate eclairs. Next door, in Sainsbury’s, I found the Fruit, Seed and Nut Muesli (new, I believe, as I usually get the Fruit and Nut  one) and picked up one packet. Armed with these buys that went into my large black tote, I went down the stairwell for the Circle Line Tube—very pleased that, time-wise at least, I was still ahead of the game.

Of course, there had to be a glitch somewhere—and the Circle Line had earlier signal problems on the track that was delaying trains. I had to wait for over 10 minutes to get the train I wanted...but then inside I was and chugging off to my Sloane Street station. The rain had abated and while it was still cool and damp outside, at least it was not bucketing down.

I did not realize how long the stops are on the Circle Line and how long it took to get there. But I calculated 20 minutes.  Once off the train at Sloane Square, I braved the gentle drizzle (delighted again to be back in London as I dodged black cabs and red double deckers) and, five minutes later, my friend Cynthia was opening the door and letting me in at Grosvenor Court.

Great Union with the Colcloughs:

I had a great reunion with the Colcloughs after two years. And Biggest treat of all? I got to meet their new grand son, Michael, now 11 months old, and...get this...as I discovered, the little blighter shares a birthday with me!!! How cool is that? And, of course, he is adorable! Although there were a few tears when he first saw me, they melted away quickly enough and he became the friendliest little fellow. After hugs and kisses to Michael and Cynthia, I settled down to take in a sight of their living room which looks now exactly as if it has been taken over by a toddler. 

    Lunch was served soon enough and it was just delicious. Michael made a delicious Shepherd’s Pie for me with steamed broccoli and cabbage which we thoroughly enjoyed. Dessert was almond cookies with strawberries and vanilla ice-cream. We caught up on everything that has happened in two years time, on both our sides,  Needless to say, little Michael kept us on our toes as he joined us in his high chair for lunch and made sure he was a part of our conversation. Who knows where the time goes when one is having fun...but in the process, the rain dried up and the sun made a brave attempt to peep out, just in time for the second part of my afternoon’s plans—a meeting at M and S with my friend Roz with whom I planned to have Afternoon Tea.

I walked briefly into Jo Malone at the corner of the street as I can never resist going in there and since I had some time on my hands, I passed by Peter Jones/John Lewis department store on the corner and hurried towards the charity shop inside the arcade where I was very fortunate to find two DVDs for the huge price of 2 for a pound. I am cursing myself now that I didn’t buy Simon Shama’s History of Britain—they had the entire boxed set for just 6 pounds and I might have got them for three. But oh well! That would have been one more thing to cart off to Bombay and then to the US in two months’ time. I am pleased with The Riot Club and Philomena and hope that I do not have the latter already. 

Then, I hurried off to meet Roz who was in the store as decided. I nipped in, found my chocolate eclairs (a set of four) which I was pretty sure I would not be able to take through Security as they are full of cream. I would scarf them down on the Heathrow Express on the way back to the airport in the evening.

With my shopping done, Roz and I hurried off first to the Oxfam charity shop where I always find abs fab vintage jewelry for peanuts. No luck today! They did have a sterling silver cuff set with a large piece of amber (but it was 35 pounds--more than I wanted to spend!).  So it was off to Paul’s for Tea. I was sorry that Boots is no longer carrying Max Factor’s Max Express nail polish—I was so keen to pick up a few bottles, but neither the airport Boots nor the ones on the King’s Road carried them. Probably Superdrugs or some such place will. 

Roz and I then sat down for a natter. She treated me to Belgian Hot Chocolate and an Almond Croissant (my two favorite things to eat there) and she gave me the good news that she got married last week! Of course, I had to give her a hug and a big kiss and was so happy to hear everything she told me about the wedding. The lucky man is her partner of at least two decades! Indeed, what great news it was and how grand! I should now send a WhatsApp to Christie (whom I had last met a few months ago in Chennai) to congratulate him. Roz and I then took some pictures before it was time for us to part. She was very keen that I had enough time to get to the airport as neither she nor the Colcloughs wanted me to miss my flight.

Roz had an errand to run at Peter Jones/John Lewis on the way out and so we nipped in there at the corner of the King’s Road and Sloane Square while she bought the Thank You cards she needed. And with that we were out, in the light drizzle which began again. I was absolutely chuffed to be a Sloane Ranger again even if it was just for a few hours. Indeed, I got what I call “My London Fix”—it is time to get back there again soon, that’s for sure! 

Then after hugs and kisses, both Roz and I took the Tube from Sloane Square—she was off to the Tate Modern for a 7.00 pm appointment and I was off to the airport. The train was crowded at peak hour, but it calmed down soon enough. Laden with all my shopping, I paused again at Paddington and went and bought some more muesli from Sainsburys before I hopped into the Heathrow Express and 15 minutes later was at the airport—and yes, I did scarf down ALL my eclairs!--with an enormous amount of time to actually nip into Harrods and other duty free shops to do some browsing. 

And then I found my gate, made my way to it on the Heathrow Terminal Shuttle monorail and was soon making my way back to Bombay. 

Flight to Bombay:

My flight left London at 9.30 pm and offered different in-flight entertainment than what was available on my sector from Rio to London. Hence, I could not finish watching season one of Killing Eve and will have to find Episodes 5 and 6 somewhere else. Instead I followed the flight map and watched The Favorite. I did not quite make much sense of it—clearly it is a movie that must be seen on the big screen. But I can see why they gave the Oscar to Olivia Coleman who was wonderful. I also see that at the Queens Birthday honors (the Trooping of the Color) that followed a day after my departure from London, she has been made a Dame! Wow! When honors come, they flow right in. What a long way she has come since Broadchurch when we had all thought she was simply outstanding. I have also just finished watching a British TV series called Flowers on Netflix and she has a very important and good role in it as well. As usual, she has done a great job. It is funny how finally she has been recognized by the world for the fine actress she is. 

Until tomorrow...