Champagne Taste and Beer Money

We waited until after we had done the Swimathon with our friends yesterday before going home to change out of our of sports clothes and pick up the one little wheelie bag that we had minimally packed for a celebration jaunt up to London for a couple of nights. The monument above has this inscription along the base: From mud through blood to the green fields beyond and stands outside the Royal Horseguards Hotel.

We had all the tickets for trip neatly put into a folder and slipped into the top of the bag. We drove to Angmering Station where they stripped us of more then enough money to leave the car there until Tuesday lunchtime when we hope to be home.

The outing is to mark the fact that we have been together for forty years. It was not easy at first, in fact it was a bit of a battle and was more than a little bit spiteful from some quarters, through that first year. They really did say that it would never last, but having stuck it out through some real nastiness in the early days from so many directions, not only have we worked determinedly together but anybody can see that our bond has deepened with each passing year.

We caught an afternoon train to London that arrived an hour late due to the on going rail dispute but we made it the Royal Horseguards Hotel, in Whitehall by just after seven in the evening. We didn’t do very much last night because in the end we were a bit tired with the swim event and the journey but after checking in to this fabulous hotel, we went for a stroll around for a while to unwind before having a bite to eat in the hotel restaurant before returning to our smart room.

This morning we walked to The Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly and wandered in, tickets in hand for the Exhibition, ‘America Before the Fall’. That included the iconic painting American Gothic, by Grant Wood that along with other great art works like Daughters of the Revolution, was on its first trip outside the USA. We both enjoyed the exhibition immensely and found that there were very few works on display that we didn’t like. We managed to resist buying any of the books and prints even though we badly wanted a couple of them and only came out with a few post card size pictures.

We are the first to admit that we do suffer from the champagne taste and beer money syndrome and as if to press that point; when we left the Royal Academy, without conferring at all, we walked straight into Fortnum Mason which is directly across the road. There are some London stores that cannot be ignored when we have the time and it is just as well that we do only have beer money as we wander through this marvel of an old world top class department store. What with me stopping and stroking pretty things and saying “Ooooooo wanty-wanty-wanty” and Steve responding with “Noooooo, can’t havvy- havvy- havvy”. 

We do love to see all the classy goods and the unbelievable cakes, pastries, chocolate, fancy teas and biscuits all in smart boxes and tins. Even at a window shopping level, I think my favourites were the 10’ high gentleman chocolate bunny with his tail coat and trousers in dark chocolate, his face and ears in milk chocolate and his cravat and fluffly tail in white chocolate, standing in a plastic box with a £25 price tag on the bottom. There was another display of eggs that were total art works for £49, £55 and upwards as well as eggs-inside-eggs-inside-eggs-inside huge eggs that would cost and arm and a leg.

We toured most of the store and admired the art works hanging on the walls and down the staircase and made a trip to the Parlour Tea Room where we had coffee. After that little indulgence we walked back to the hotel, passing through the arch at Horseguards Parade where there was a heavy police presence who carried automatic machine guns, and appeared to be guarding the Horse Guards who were on guard. Helicopters are in the air too.

We are now taking a little rest and have booked to take afternoon tea in the hotel lounge; which is quite something, before getting ready to walk to the Royal Opera House for the main event this evening. Yes, we do know how to celebrate. It may not be to everybody’s taste but we share the same taste to a huge extent.