Happy Birthday Ally

When we celebrated Ally’s birthday this evening at the Ivy Asia opposite St Paul’s Cathedral, we were impressed with the opulent Eastern decor. There were fish painted on the ceiling, statues of herons, brightly painted vases, plants, a cherry tree with blossom (not real but very pretty), even a very striking luminous bright green agate floor. Even the chopstick holders on the table were little metal carp. A DJ played Eastern music on two turntables. Outside the window towered the white walls of St Paul’s, floodlit in the twilight. It was a lovely venue. There were five of us including Ally’s friend Iain, and we had a delightful evening. 

Earlier in the day, with Ally and Cat back at work because it’s Monday, James and I decided to go to Richmond to find a couple of the locations used in a tv series that we enjoyed last year; Ted Lasso. We found Ted’s local pub and the street that his house was in, which were both very attractive. Then we went for a walk along the river. It was yet another beautiful day and we had lunch sitting outside at a café beside the Thames. Interestingly, it seems to be a place with very high river tides, as evidenced by the levels marked on buildings, and a sign outside a pub exhorting people to use its side door when the river is high. We then walked along to nearby Twickenham which was another pretty riverside area, and had some smoothies there before setting off by tube back to the centre of London to meet up with Ally and Cat and Iain for the aforementioned dinner.