My last day in London was also my birthday. Claire had planned a special day months in advance so it turned out! Breakfast in bed at a respectable mid morning hour set the scene. After opening cards (from Australia and from her and Alan), reading emails and taking phone calls from my other children at home in Hobart, Claire suggested that jeans would not be appropriate attire for what she had planned for the day.
Being a dutiful and obedient mother (!) I unpacked my one and only slightly dressier outfit. The weather had turned grey so we were back to warmer clothes and coats. After a short bus trip on the 74 we arrived in Knightsbridge where Claire steered me into the
champagne nail bar at Harvey Nichols for us to both have manicures. Claire had prepared me for this by keeping my nails painted since I arrived in England (a rarity for me) and reassuring me that dark nail colour looks really good on slightly older women! My colour is appropriately
Picadilly Circus. Just as well there is not much gardening to do at this time of the year.
After that little piece of luxury Alan joined us and we proceeded to High Tea at the
Landmark Hotel in Marylebone Road. The setting was just lovely - a palm filled atrium with grand piano music playing at just the right level from a mezanine balcony. We began with champagne and then tea or coffee to accompany cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches which were followed by little French pastries and English cakes. After this they brought out scones with jam and double cream! A little birthday cake with accompanying Happy Birthday on the piano finished off the occasion. Needless to say the cake was packaged up for later and none of us needed much in the way of an evening meal.
What a lovely thoughtful set of birthday treats - our route even went past a few new pubs to take my final total to 155 - such a nicer number than 153 as it would have been.
I am nearly home having completed the longest leg of the journey - 13 hours from London to Singapore. There is a brief stop here before proceeding on to Sydney which is an 8 hour flight. Movies on demand from on own personal screen certainly make a difference to these long flights.
Qantas seems to have undergone a couple of changes since the trip over in March. In particular, laptop computers no longer have to be taken out of bags when you go through security at Heathrow.
Must go - QF32 bound for Sydney is boarding.
