What a very nice week, to say the least. Started off with a nip[ over to Walton, for Sarah Taylor's birthday lunch. Very good as it always is, to get some of the ex AV crowd together, blessed with some decent July sunshine and Sarah's excellent hosting. Cue lots of excited nattering and lucky Paul getting to cook us halloumi and sausages and then escape to the relative sanctuary of the inner house…
From there it was straight down to W.Sussex for a much looked forward to weekend at the cottage with J&R. Went to a really brilliant show at the small Minerva Theatre at Chichester to see something called Marie & Rosetta, a musical based on the life of a black singer called Rosetta Tharpe in the American South of the 1940s… Only two characters, played by Beverly Knight and another lady, both of whom were absolutely outstanding, especially in a smallish auditorium. Major standing ovation for that one!
Oh, and look, somehow some margaritas slipped into our hands to kick off Sat night. How does that happen?! Just needed Hawksey to come and shake them – my usual bartender is still away on the boat.
And for three nights this week I'vew been further westward ho, down near Christchurch in Helen Vickery's family holiday home. Somewhere she has described to the 'other Helen' and me many a time, so we called her on it this year and spent our little annual girls' trip together there.
It is a brilliant throwback to the 1970s mostly, with an orange and brown swirl carpet going up the staircase that immediately takes you back to childhood. As well as other utterly charming features such as this jolly hockey sticks mirror in the outside (yes, outside!) loo. If the house is ever sold, I've asked of first dibs on this one.. And fortunately there is also a full bathroom inside!
Beyond the house, the Helens and I plus Maddie headed down to the local beaches on two days, so we could have an ice cream and a good walk while Miss Mads had the time of her life leaping into the sea and swimming for her ball, over and over again.
Again, we were blessed with lovely sun, so could also sit in the huge garden, reading and chatting, while Maddie continued to eye us in time, hoping for yet more ball. Obsessed?! And the cocktail of choice for this trip was the pink Cosmopolitan, made with lighter cranberry juice than normal. Very nice if I say so myself.. And it still takes very little to get HV lightly sizzled, most pleasing.
We also treated ourselves to a fantastic dinner out at Vervain in Milford-on-Sea. Not perhaps where you might expect to find a brilliantly inventive and well executed tasting menu, but we did! Six courses that we opted for, plus three amuse bouches and a plate of five different petits fours with the bill. Not a bread roll in sight, mostly fish oriented and top notch. Loved the raw egg (that wasn't one but looked as if it was) and the beige ice cream on white powder that was instantly a Sherbet fFuntain, when you ate it! Really impressive – book it if you are in the area.. And check out those cute little fishlike parmesan biscuits – nom.
Back to Dora again now – and a quiet Saturday, phew x x