We Meet Up With Dear Friends
28 April, 2023 - it was such an auspicious day! Apart from being what would have been Uncle John's 100th birthday - and a wonderful time to remember and celebrate his life - it was also the date we arranged to meet up with our dear friends who were in London.
Nancy and her daughter Kim are the daughter and granddaughter of Mum's dear friend, Gertie Reynolds; Nancy and her family live in America now, and it was just a flying visit, but we have always taken the view that if we have only 10 minutes to see someone, any effort made to get together, no matter for how short a time, it is worth every effort to be there!
As I have already written, our friendships go back a very long time, back to the 1960s, when Mum and Grandma lived in Stanbury Court in Durban, and we were so happy that we would all be able to meet up at last.
Bob did a preliminary "recce" to find us a nice restaurant - I'm a bit difficult to cater for, as I like my food very plain and not, in the expression of our northern roots, "All Mucked Abaht!" It can be quite difficult to find a place that does not think adding spices and goodness knows what else to a dish will improve it; that does not work for me! I like to see what I am getting, and the most I ever add to anything is perhaps a little salt on the side of my plate; once all the "extras" have been piled on top, it is quite ruined for me. I think it is because I quite like the taste of the food itself, and I also prefer everything well done; but sometimes I get the feeling a lot of chefs seem to forget that it is we who are paying the bill, and so my wishes should be respected.
Whenever I go for tea at Fortnum and Mason, I have to make sure my request for a platter of very simple, "plain white bread and butter, with just cucumber in them, sandwiches" is noted clearly on the reservations; they always produce what I like, but even then, I also request more butter, because there is never enough on the bread for me!
Bob found a restaurant called The Scarsdale Tavern that looked really nice: a proper English pub that hadn't been modernised, and turned into what we call a "chromium-plated modern pub" complete with name change! (Do we really want to eat in an established now rejoicing in the name of "The Slug and Lettuce?!") We don't often frequent pubs, but if we ever do, we prefer to be somewhere called "The Crown," "The Bell," or "The Royal Oak" - all names that mean something, and have an historical reference.
Bob had lunch at the Scarsdale Tavern, and pronounced it really good. On the menu is plain battered fish and chips, all well done, and no eyebrows raised at the order! So, we booked a table for 5 - Nancy, her daughter Kim, Wendy, Bob and me - and arranged to meet Nancy and Kim at their hotel at 12.00 o'clock.
...And the man in charge of the bar, Felix Wareing!
It was wonderful to see Nancy and Kim at last, and so good to have some gentle time over a leisurely lunch to catch up on each other's news and what we have all been doing during the intervening years.
It just felt like the time in between had simply slipped away, and we all remembered Durban, and Gertie, and my Mum and Grandma in Stanbury Court, as though it was yesterday.
I was so glad that Nancy and Kim also had the chance to see some of the wonderful decorations up in place for King Charles' Coronation - it was a shame they couldn't have stayed in London longer, to see the pageantry for themselves, but at least when they returned home, they were able to watch every minute on the t.v. - just like us, and we were only a few miles away from the centre of London!
Since Nancy and Kim returned to Florida, we are now looking forward to the next time when we can meet up and enjoy a happy reunion in London!
