west end girl…
So, a far less tardy contribution after arriving back from That London late Saturday night after a fun but frantic few days, bar an unprecedented break on one due to what some would probably call a Temporary Maintenance Issue (I can’t be the only person who would love to know when, and more pertinently why people started saying issue when they mean problem, but I digress), the ‘issue’ here being that the maintenance in question was being industriously carried out by men in overalls right outside my hotel room door and for most of the day. Gah.
Since I was needing a rest anyway, a pleasant and languorous afternoon on the settee with the dual entertainments of Beverly Hills Cop and a Sainsbury’s rotisserie chicken with potato salad and Coke Zero was the order of the day until normal service could resume in the evening (and eventually carry on rather later than anticipated, but only in the most enjoyable of ways). A fine time was certainly enjoyed by me although the same cannot be said for the chicken – apologies to those who were calling when the phone was off and I know folk missed out, but I’ll be back before long! On December 15th to be precise, and possibly even to Victoria, as well as my more usual stomping ground on the South Bank – details, as they say, TBC…
As those who know me will be well aware, the Christmas excitement is already beginning to overflow a bit and after checking out on Saturday I decided on an early festive trip to Covent Garden and the London Transport Museum prior to a catch-up lunch with (The Former) Kinky La Rue at Borough Market, not to mention the obligatory pork pie and brownie shopping at same. Sadly by the time I had wriggled my way through the crowds and past the huge and fabulous topiary Rudolph at the piazza, the LTM queue was prohibitively long and I had to content myself with a quick trip to the shop, where I picked up some proper glass Christmas tree ornaments (the Little London Bus, Taxi and Tube Train can be found on the website too) before forcing myself to leave, the clarion call of the moquette home accessories section being dangerously hard to ignore. Next time I’ll actually make it inside (and a full report with pictures will follow – tickets are £15 and include unlimited visits for a whole year, which is far, far less than a years’ worth of trips to Borough Market).
The Christmas page is also now up as promised, and I have had my very first mince pie of the year at Pret (it wasn’t bad at all, although some brandy butter wouldn’t have hurt) and I look forward to a Cooplands one in the week – may they be the first of many. The Melton Mowbray pie I bought from Mrs King at BM didn’t last long either, although longer than the dark chocolate fudge with honeycomb and almond nougat that crept up on me when I wasn’t looking, in that it at least survived long enough to make it back to the house. I’m trying not to think about the fact that I could just pick up more fudge this weekend – I will be back in town briefly, but in a Non Prossie Capacity (read: shopping, eating before heading for the Prince Charles Cinema and this year’s Quentin Tarantino Allnighter – woohoo!)
After all the fun, there was a definite chill in the air when departing the train at Scarborough (York station doesn’t count, given that the temperature within would seemingly never rise above two degrees even if someone set it alight) and since it’s clearly not going anywhere, the plan for the next couple of days is definitely not one which involves spending time outside if it can be avoided and gentle indoor activities, hopefully involving blankets, will be the order of the day. The only Scarborough appointments remaining are a single one on Wednesday lunchtime, following which I will be back over in York for Thursday and Friday shenanigans – yay!
More next week! Dublin and Belfast beckon soon too, but a spot of unashamed domestic goddess-dom comes first (and probably some more mince pies).
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