Wow, what a week! On Thursday I got up at 5am to go and see the Olympic Torch in Camden. I love the fact that my local tube station in Highgate was all flagged up for the Olympics when I got there at 5.30:
The torch relay was coooooooooool. Then on Friday night I went up to my local People’s Palace which has been totally transformed into Holland House for the duration of the Olympics. What a joyful, fabulous thing – Alexandra Palace lit up orange, thousands of people wearing orange T-shirts dresses and tigers’ costumes and larking around.
What a fantastic experience it was to be there for the opening ceremony, me and James and Raphael watched it in the main hall with big screens somehow inserted into the pipe organ. MADNESS. I was so totally proud of my country. And so happy to be around so much Dutch beer.
I loved the whole shebang and laughed very loudly, many times. Bravo Danny! I spotted the footage of the 1948 Olympics I’d spent many hours talking to the IOC lawyers about for the last few weeks. That made me happy too. I loved the floating Olympic rings and agreed with my friend James that the decision to let a film-maker loose on the ceremony was the reason it was so epic and fabulous. The fact that DESMONDS was featured as one of the jewels of British TV made me so proud for Trix too.
During the rest of the weekend I spent time with 3 of my top 5 girl-chums. On Saturday night I saw Ptolemy, who was as drunk as a lord and very funny. On Sunday morning Cathy came round for brunch and on Sunday afternoon I went to Lady Jane’s hat exhibition at Fortnum and Masons – girl power x 3.
Here are Vincent’s eggs. I burned the toast and the accompanying roasted tomatoes because I was gassing with Cathy but the result was still good
Because I had some problems with one of my poached eggs Cathy made a toast tent to keep one warm while I did another batch.
That really tickled me. It was lovely to see her. She’s been working hard on the Olympics so it was a treat to have her round for a couple of hours. I think she’ll be more or less AWOL for the whole of August.
Jane’s hats were gorgeous and I am so proud of her being in Fortnums.
We wore hats and met in the Parlour for afternoon tea. We had drinks (I can recommend the Gin and Tonic Float which has G&T sorbet floating in it) and welsh rarebits on crumpets
then ice-cream sundae that goes by the name of “26 miles, 385 yards” which was bloody gorgeous
It really felt like a lovely self-indulgent afternoon but hell, we deserved it! It was really and truly a life-affirming weekend. I am planning to have a few more like these…
