Good morning Fellow Commoners,
This lovely summer day started with torrential downpour leaving entirely deserted, the area surrounding Westminster Abbey from the usual tourist throng. Siobhan was able to get a series of beautiful shots of this magnificent building on our way to tour Parliament.
Turns out that Parliament, or to give it's actual correct name, Palace of Westminster, makes Lizzie's shack look totally povo by comparison. As blown away we were by the glitz of BP, Westminster is on a whole new scale of grand. The royals used to live there apparently until a small fire around the time of Henry VIII which he used as an excuse to decamp with the family and give it to the people for Parliament.
The even bigger Great Fire of London resulted in it being built again by a guy called John Barry - it is a totally impressive pile. We had this sensational guide Tom who in very theatrical style took us on the same journey that the Queen makes to open Parliament each year. We went into the "Robing Room" where she dons her second best hat and cloak and walks to the House of Lords, she summons the pollies from the House of Commons and they get standing room only to hear her open up proceedings. We went onto the floor of both House of Lords and House of Commons and it was just magical. The Westminster system of facing opposite each other, as opposed to the semi circle which most other countries use including us, means it is meant to be blatantly adversarial not conciliatory.
The tour ends at the Great Hall where tHe royals lie in state and even some Prime Ministers. When the Queen Mum died in 2002, 7 million filed through in just 3 days to see the long term preserving effects that daily gin had afforded her.
Then it was time to play Footballers Wives , Robyn Trebilco, as we headed to Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge for a champagne and a serious session of Ladies Who Lunch! We stopped off at Harrods, which quite frankly is gauche, tacky and feels like a Las Vegas casino without the opportunity. We headed to the Harvey Nichols 5th Floor to their champagne bar and restaurant, with Siobhan having made a slight detour to the Burberry section having eyed the most beautiful navy blue duffle coat with amazing tailoring and pleating. She decided to mull over the purchase and that of a pair of jeans over lunch. Over pistachio encrusted hake and some noice wine, we deliberated the relative value of a timeless coat. A very deep and meaningful analysis it was too.
Back shopping, Siobhan did purchase the lovely coat and will have to wait a whole year before she can wear it! What she doesn't know good people is that I intend to sew on the number 5 onto the back of it ! It is navy blue after all. That satisfying purchase ended our day but what still amazes us is that despite horrendous rainfall and a cool chill in the air these mad buggers still wander around bare armed and bare legged because it is SUMMER - despite all bloody evidence to the contrary.
Oh and in a terrible omission - forgot to tell you about the wedding frock which was displayed in the grand ballroom at BP. I have to confess that without the lovely Kate in it, it looked a bit plain close up. Siobhan thinks I am too critical because it has beautiful lace of the white English rose, the Irish shamrock and the Scottish thistle which was also the theme followed through on the five tiered cake made up of 17 separate fruit cakes...... But still I thought it was a bit ho hum.
We are off to Oxford and The Cotswolds tomorrow so let's hope the rain lessens off. A totally rain free day is simply too much to hope for here.
Toodle Pip
Kelly and Siobhan
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