Coronation

The Coronation weekend started splendidly when on Friday afternoon I met up with Jennifer for birthday drinks (it was the day after her birthday.) We met in Covent Garden which was Coronation themed with much Union Jack bunting, and it was an attractive setting to laugh and chat. We met James and Cat for dinner before going to see Sheridan Smith playing Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York’s Theatre. I hadn’t realised that it was originally a one woman show (the film starring Pauline Collins includes all of the other characters) and Sheridan Smith did a magnificent job, she brought the story to life and had the audience spell-bound. She really is very talented. 

Today was of course Charles’ big day and we got thoroughly soaked in Hyde Park while watching the ceremony on the big screens there. With remarkable stamina, Ally arrived straight from the airport to join us. He had been wine-tasting with some of his clients in Bordeaux for the previous couple of days but nothing was going to stop him from celebrating the Coronation! Cat, Andrew and Iain were also there and we were a jolly if increasingly damp group. The atmosphere in Hyde Park was really good, we all cheered when Charles was crowned. I didn’t swear allegiance to him though when invited to do so by the Archbishop of Canterbury. I am pro monarchy but I’m not some sort of medieval serf! When the others headed for the Mall to watch the fly past I took myself back to the hotel to change out of my wet clothes and have a bath. It took ages to get out of Hyde Park because of the sheer volume of people. My timing was very good; I switched on the television in our hotel room just in time to see the Royal family coming out on to the balcony to wave to the crowds. Later we had a truly delicious curry with Ally and Cat at Mala at Canary Wharf; this will definitely be our go-to curry place when we are visiting Ally and Cat.