A little background first.....
I had to pop into Leicester, to the excellent Pat Keeling Model Agency to have some more photographs taken. Whilst there I took the opportunity to go to John Lewis which is in The High Cross Centre. You know the High Cross Centre - it's the one I'm in the middle of the advertising picture for....
Haven't I mentioned it?
Anyway, I had picked up four champagne flutes to buy and was walking to another part of the store to buy something else. I was accosted by two staff. Now normally I really rate the service in John Lewis. I think it is exemplary, BUT..... whether or not these two women recognised me from the publicity (unlikely), or they felt that my advanced age and decrepitude rendered me unable to carry the glasses (sadly more likely), they descended upon me. They both grabbed the glasses at which point my phone rang. I tried to answer it. I ended up shouting down the phone, but at the ladies "Not now, leave them....." Heaven knows what the caller thought. In the end the glasses were wrestled from me. Thank heavens I wasn't buying trousers.
This ad is getting everyewhere! Take a look at this:
medieval, tent, medieval tent, hoistorical tent,It's a hoot!
Our newe tent has arrived in time for the sumer season. It looks pretty cool, but is ENORMOUS!
It was made by an ace company called Heritage Tents and I can see that it calls for a medieval party some time in the summer.
I am off to the Sofitel on Saturday to be Toastmaster at the wedding of Bhavini and Kushal. There will be about 500 people there so should be fun. Certainly Bhavini has been great to deal with so far - she is so well organised!
Summer is approaching and whilst we are doing pretty well there is no doubt that there are far fewer big summer events going on, especially those backed by local authorities. This is a massive shame, as once they have gone there isn't a chance they will return.
Amongst these casualties is Stourhead.
Image via Wikipedia
We worked the Fete Champetre at Stourhead Gardens for the National Trust for many years and made many amazing friends and have many incredible stories to tell.
I think my favourite is of an event about ten years ago. We had been working all evening and had a young Jack with us. We had sat together and watched the Fireworks and the evening was over. Now was the time for over 5000 people to try to exit through an exit the size of a five bar gate.
We, however, knew better. We were camping up at the house and knew a back way. This meant a walk up through the woods and over a gate at the top. It was dark. It was very, very dark. It was as black as your hat.
We puffed our way up to the top of the path towards the gate and as the trees thinned out and the moonlight filtered through, we saw a pale smudge on the ground ahead of us. As we got closer it became apparent that it was a couple making Shakespeare's two-backed monster. As we drew closer still the guy jumped up and shouted. "Just give me a bit of time - three minutes.....no two minutes....no a minute, just give me a minute!" In the meantime the young llady was up and dressed and running off laughing her head off, closely followed by the guy, hitching his trousers up as he went.
Jack (ten years old) asked "What were they doing?"
"Having sex" came the curt and simple reply.
"What OUTSIDE?!!!!!!!!" was his outraged response.
This wasn't the end of it though. Oh no. As they ran off Gayna started to get over the fence. She stood there with one leg either side of the fence and called down the path after the fleeing couple, "We're sorry to have disturbed you, but this is the only place we can get our leg over!"
Such moments life stories are made of.
Well gentle readers, enough for now. Must prepare everything for Bhavini's wedding as it is an early start - I have to be at Heathrow suited and booted for 9.30.
So, Live long and be Toastmastered
