Friday 11th December

I returned from a supermarket shop, late on Sunday afternoon there were two fire engines in the street, three police cars, and one ambulance!  A neighbours house from across the road had caught fire and it was billowing smoke out of the chimney.  Thankfully no one was hurt and the firefighters had it under control very quickly, but the whole area was cordoned off, whilst safety checks were made and it was several hours before the final fire engine departed. 

During the week, we had leaflets through the door about fires and to check Christmas lights and candles as it’s around this time of year that there are more fires. It’s a big wake-up call when something so close to home happens to a neighbour.  Last night a company called Mini Fire Fighter knocked on the door, I decided to buy some extinguishers as when I checked the two I had I found that they had just gone out of date!  So better to be safe than sorry…

This week I have been making small batches of Apricot Liquor, my trusted recipe for Limoncello and mince pies by the dozen. On the guest front, we had repeat guests this week who had come back down to London to celebrate one of their son’s birthdays who lives close by, they also went out for a family meal and attended the Sarastro Restaurant in Dury Lane.  The next morning they were raving about what an amazing evening, the  music was outstanding, the violinists were exceptional and the food was excellent.  

They also remembered that my son makes different styles of bags out of coffee sacks, they asked to see them and I am delighted to say that they purchased one as a Christmas present! For anyone else who wants to see his work here is his website… Hessian & Foe

The week has been busy with enquiries but all for next year, I have already taken bookings for February and May as I have clients who have already purchased their tickets for the Chelsea Flower show at the end of May. Although to be fair this is one of the best times to come to London and those tickets do sell out fast!

As usual, I go up to the West End on a Friday to have the pressures of my eyes checked and today I decided to not browse the shops but to walk through the back streets from New Cavendish Street, doing a bit of a sweep down memory lane to where I worked back in 1972 in Conduit Street.  

I weaved in and out of Saville Row, New Burlington Street and found myself besides the timeless Burlington Arcade, known for its luxurious and exquisite shops  – I could not resist snapping with my iPhone Ladurée shop front with its delicious macaroons.

Before I caught the tube home to go back to work I took a detour via the Ai WeiWei exhibition at the Royal Academy – a truly inspirational artist and humanitarian.