And Then: We Do Manage To Have A Celebration!

And Then: We Do Manage To Have A Celebration! 

Well, then, at least one of our best laid schemes came to fruition! With the postponement of the lifting of the remaining restrictions on 21 June, I had hardly dared hope this particular plan would actually go off alright. Weeks ago, I had booked a table at the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon in Fortnum and Mason, choosing 21 June for several reasons. 

1) It was a Monday, and therefore likely to be quieter than a day later in the week

2) It was the first day of the lifting of lockdown, and hopefully people might not be completely in the swing of booking such treats

3) I checked with the reservations team at Fortnum and Mason, and they had confirmed they were not fully booked on that day; social distancing would be maintained, and although full lifting of restrictions had been delayed for four weeks, afternoon tea was still being served

4) Rather than take public transport to get to Piccadilly, we had decided to drive into London and I booked a slot for four hours in the car park in Arlington Street, at the back of The Ritz. From there, it was a short walk to Piccadilly, and we would be in the fresh air. 

So: A gentle return for a celebratory get-together for us all!

The next consideration was the weather. After a cold month of May (one of the coldest on record), we then had a week of heatwave. The air-conditioning was full on in our house! and as we gently sweltered,  we started to think how nice it would be, if the weather cooled down again. Don't be silly, I said; that will happen soon enough! And indeed it did. We had a few nice days before the weekend of 19 June, with rain then forecast intermittently on Monday, 21st.

Heigh ho; I thought, there I would be, in posh frock, suede shoes, hair done up - actually loose and flowing, but I didn't need a windy afternoon to ruin the look - and I didn't need rain to wreck my outfit either!

Al drove up from Portsmouth to meet  us at home, and then we all piled into one car for the trip up to London. Wendy drove, and we arrived at the car park venue with three minutes to spare: Perfectly timed by Wendy. 

The car park is underground, and as Wendy turned the car into the entrance  at street level, suddenly we were faced with a very, very steep slope to drive down. I felt we were paused at the top of a rollercoaster! and even Wendy drew a deep as breath as she took in what she had to negotiate. I'm afraid I could not face it! and got out of the car at the top, whilst she then progressed slowly and carefully down the very sheer slope to the bottom. 

I waited until everyone else had got back up to street level, and then we walked to Fortnum and Mason. We were all well equipped with umbrellas, but to my delight, we didn't need to unfurl them; the weather was kind to us, and we didn't get wet.