Standing on the forshore next to the salt marshes on the estuary at Blakeney in North Norfolk is the perfect time to reflect and catch up on the experiences and day dreams that have made up my summer so far.
The light is radient and the air is soft and clean. The small boats are making their way out on the high tide for the daily sail. Back in the cottage we have a delicious selection of garden vegitables - potatoes, broad beans and samphire waiting alongside a dozen pigeons that William Prideaux (aged 15) has shot for our supper - it is only worth eating the breasts which Sally has efficiently cut out of the carcus with a pair of scissors.
Samphire has become an incredibly fashionable must-have vegetable in quite a few London restaurants. Up here it grows on the shore like a weed. It is derived from the French for 'Saint Pierre'or is otherwise known as 'glasswort' as it used to be burned and the ash used as soda to be added to the mix of raw materials in making glass. This is particularly fascinating for me as I love samphire and have an interest in relaunching Whitefriars Glass in London in the late autumn. The designs are already being worked upon from our archives.
So here we are in blissful North Norfolk and I can take the moment to fill you in on whats being happening since our visit to the Take That concert at Wembley on the 1st July...
My lovely family-party of 10 from Argentina had a splendid experience of London. We started by walking in Hyde Park on their first afternoon in London. The children were thrilled with the Princess memorial garden in Kensington Gardens...the adults loved the Lady Diana fountain that I am so sure will become an enduring monument. Its sublty is remarkable and on a fine day pays a delightful compliment to the Princess.....who, love her or hate her, had some very fine qualities.
The next 10 days were filled with exciting and novel adventures. It was good to introduce the children to Kate Bernard - formerly arts editor for Tatler who helped them identify how they might exhibit their work in the UK. Kate's portrait that week was the poster for the exhibition at the Haunch of Venison gallery at the back of the Royal Academy in Vigo Street. Simon Woodruff of the Yo-Sushi and 'Dragon's Den' fame bought the picture to add to his art collection.
That evening we attended a party at Middle Temple to celebrate the inaugaration of my oldest friend Murray Shanks who was being sworn in as a Judge. It was amazing to get your letter of appointment from the Queen - and it was also countersigned by Jack Straw. I first met Murray on my first day at Worth Abbey senior school in 1973 and I am proud of the fact that we have remained friends for so long.
The following morning was full of sunshine at Hampton Court Palace and fun for the younger children to dress up in costume. Lunch at the Petersham Nursery Cafe was, as always, a great success. Every guest that I have taken there has wanted a part of it...they all say they want to steal the idea and take it back to their country to do the same on their farm or ranch. This particular day a large party who had booked an unusually late table arrived. The younger members of the party were unusually attractive and full of life. When I spotted Hary Soames I immediately guessed why. Mario Testino then took his place in the centre of the party. One of my extended group, seeing the next table, was about to hand over a camera and ask in a perfectly reasonable way that visitors do, if they would be kind enough to take a picture of our party at lunch...... what a splendid why to get a family portrait taken by the most famous photographer on the planet without even realising.
The youngest of the party headed off to town with their nannies and we went on to enjoy the splendours of Kew Gardens. I am thrilled that on a ranch in Argentina there are seeds from Kew and the Chelsea Physic garden being planted as I write.
That evening we went to the Church of St Jesus-the-Less in Pimlico to listen to the masterful Dominic Miller perform his recital for the Anglo Argentine Society...it was intimate and moving and magical. At the end (too late) he was joined by his daughter who sang to his guitar. The Quintessentailly Ball at the Orangery in Kensington Gardens was a glamorous affair at the end of a lovely day. We all danced and ate and had fun as William Cash refused to leave the dancefloor. Ben Elliot was the gracious host and the event was splendid.
As a keen shot and owner of a number of Purdey shotguns I arranged for my principal guest to visit the wonderful factory of Purdey in London's Hammersmith. Here we were able to witness a scene not often seen elsewhere in the UK. Craftsmen working with their hands to form and shape these instruments of almost unbelievable precision and quality. Every component is crafted by hand, from the smoothing of the barrels to the screws that make up the lock. It is an eye opening experience for any user of shot guns. I was particularly impressed that the manager was able to tell me, off the top of his head, the status of an order that I had made on behalf of a client more than 18 months ago....where it was in the production process. We were also able to see the artist working on a gun that the engraving alone was going to cost over £100,000 and take a few years. This is not a factory but an artist studio.
Prior to that we took the youngest - a keen motorist at 9 years old - to Berkley Square where as a guest of Rob at Rolls Royce London, and Paul Gardiner at Jack Barclay he had been a VIP guest...
Lunch at the Pigs Ear in Chelsea provided sustenence before hitting Hilditch and Key, New and Lingwood and then Fortnum and Mason.
Purple Dragon in Battersea is the most wonderful invention if you have young ones to be entertained in London. Even as a visitor you can get a day membership. It is innovative, inventive and exciting with wonderful food cooked to order. Our two professional nannies declared it a smart concept professionally managed... This freed up the adults to visit the Portobello market and the glorious Wallace collection.... followed by some time in Melt, tasting the fabulous chocolates and Emma Hope to shod our well worn feet. Merchant Archive on Kilburn Lane is a great discovery and we were able to find something vintage for each of the party that caused delight.
We had ten days of novel and thrilling experiences - the sensational Thames experience on the Rib at 50knots - Jude Law in Hamlet and Nobu as ever - never failed to delight. I was sorry to say goodbye to the lovely party but after ten days in my company, without a break, I am confident that they were ready to move on to Paris. I am so looking forward to seeing them again.
The overnight sleeper to Inverness from London still works its magic. Gone is the lovely maghogany cabin and the creaking floors. The overall experience is still romantic though. In the saloon bar you can get a good curry and a fine selection of drinks, including of course, some fine malt whiskeys. I sat opposite a man from MOD who was eating haggis and neeps en route to Lossiemouth to oversee some tantilisingly secret project that he was adament he could not share the details of.
The Cabin was clinical and plastic and at first it was daunting to negotiate ones way into bed. Once it it was absolutely comfortable with a proper mattress and luxurious sheets. I slept like a baby and woke at 7.30 to the exciting sight of conifers, lakes, baronial lodges complete with witches hats on a gloriously sunny morning. I stuck my head out of the window and saw that somehow we had morphed into a totally different train of only four carriages - designed for comfort and elegance.
Its not the cheapest way to get there but certainly the most charming and picturesque.
There to meet me at 8.30am was the driver from Focus with my long wheel base landrover Defender and I had a very enjoyable trip at the wheel up to Ullapool and into the East Rhidorroch Estate that I had rented for two week for some clients and guests. On the estate we had arranged a yoga teacher, a first class cook called Ross and a brilliant student outdoor coach called Richard Wormald. Richard came from Inverness and was running a program to educate the children in English but also to take them sailing and camping. Maddy Scobie was the hostess who arranged a wonderful selection of Highland experiences.
The fortnight was a great success and fabulous fun and I can confirm that the helicopter ride from Ullapool to Aberdeen is a lot faster than the A road.
After a good lunch in London with Mary Killen, the agony aunt from the Spectator, we headed up to North Norfolk for a couple of weeks exploring the coast, entertaining friends and painting pictures. Mary MacCarthy had the very sucessful opening of her exhibition at the Wiveton Hall Cafe where my friend Cosmo Studholme had celebrated his 16th Birthday with a lunch party just before....it was fun to see the people at this hugely successful farm eatery...which happened to include the Actor John Hurt who was left alone to enjoy a quiet lunch. Emma Bridgewater, who shot her catalogue at Wiveton Hall was also there with Kate Bernard and Julia Marozzi.
The light is radient and the air is soft and clean. The small boats are making their way out on the high tide for the daily sail. Back in the cottage we have a delicious selection of garden vegitables - potatoes, broad beans and samphire waiting alongside a dozen pigeons that William Prideaux (aged 15) has shot for our supper - it is only worth eating the breasts which Sally has efficiently cut out of the carcus with a pair of scissors.
Samphire has become an incredibly fashionable must-have vegetable in quite a few London restaurants. Up here it grows on the shore like a weed. It is derived from the French for 'Saint Pierre'or is otherwise known as 'glasswort' as it used to be burned and the ash used as soda to be added to the mix of raw materials in making glass. This is particularly fascinating for me as I love samphire and have an interest in relaunching Whitefriars Glass in London in the late autumn. The designs are already being worked upon from our archives.
So here we are in blissful North Norfolk and I can take the moment to fill you in on whats being happening since our visit to the Take That concert at Wembley on the 1st July...
My lovely family-party of 10 from Argentina had a splendid experience of London. We started by walking in Hyde Park on their first afternoon in London. The children were thrilled with the Princess memorial garden in Kensington Gardens...the adults loved the Lady Diana fountain that I am so sure will become an enduring monument. Its sublty is remarkable and on a fine day pays a delightful compliment to the Princess.....who, love her or hate her, had some very fine qualities.
The next 10 days were filled with exciting and novel adventures. It was good to introduce the children to Kate Bernard - formerly arts editor for Tatler who helped them identify how they might exhibit their work in the UK. Kate's portrait that week was the poster for the exhibition at the Haunch of Venison gallery at the back of the Royal Academy in Vigo Street. Simon Woodruff of the Yo-Sushi and 'Dragon's Den' fame bought the picture to add to his art collection.
That evening we attended a party at Middle Temple to celebrate the inaugaration of my oldest friend Murray Shanks who was being sworn in as a Judge. It was amazing to get your letter of appointment from the Queen - and it was also countersigned by Jack Straw. I first met Murray on my first day at Worth Abbey senior school in 1973 and I am proud of the fact that we have remained friends for so long.
The following morning was full of sunshine at Hampton Court Palace and fun for the younger children to dress up in costume. Lunch at the Petersham Nursery Cafe was, as always, a great success. Every guest that I have taken there has wanted a part of it...they all say they want to steal the idea and take it back to their country to do the same on their farm or ranch. This particular day a large party who had booked an unusually late table arrived. The younger members of the party were unusually attractive and full of life. When I spotted Hary Soames I immediately guessed why. Mario Testino then took his place in the centre of the party. One of my extended group, seeing the next table, was about to hand over a camera and ask in a perfectly reasonable way that visitors do, if they would be kind enough to take a picture of our party at lunch...... what a splendid why to get a family portrait taken by the most famous photographer on the planet without even realising.
The youngest of the party headed off to town with their nannies and we went on to enjoy the splendours of Kew Gardens. I am thrilled that on a ranch in Argentina there are seeds from Kew and the Chelsea Physic garden being planted as I write.
That evening we went to the Church of St Jesus-the-Less in Pimlico to listen to the masterful Dominic Miller perform his recital for the Anglo Argentine Society...it was intimate and moving and magical. At the end (too late) he was joined by his daughter who sang to his guitar. The Quintessentailly Ball at the Orangery in Kensington Gardens was a glamorous affair at the end of a lovely day. We all danced and ate and had fun as William Cash refused to leave the dancefloor. Ben Elliot was the gracious host and the event was splendid.
As a keen shot and owner of a number of Purdey shotguns I arranged for my principal guest to visit the wonderful factory of Purdey in London's Hammersmith. Here we were able to witness a scene not often seen elsewhere in the UK. Craftsmen working with their hands to form and shape these instruments of almost unbelievable precision and quality. Every component is crafted by hand, from the smoothing of the barrels to the screws that make up the lock. It is an eye opening experience for any user of shot guns. I was particularly impressed that the manager was able to tell me, off the top of his head, the status of an order that I had made on behalf of a client more than 18 months ago....where it was in the production process. We were also able to see the artist working on a gun that the engraving alone was going to cost over £100,000 and take a few years. This is not a factory but an artist studio.
Prior to that we took the youngest - a keen motorist at 9 years old - to Berkley Square where as a guest of Rob at Rolls Royce London, and Paul Gardiner at Jack Barclay he had been a VIP guest...
Lunch at the Pigs Ear in Chelsea provided sustenence before hitting Hilditch and Key, New and Lingwood and then Fortnum and Mason.
Purple Dragon in Battersea is the most wonderful invention if you have young ones to be entertained in London. Even as a visitor you can get a day membership. It is innovative, inventive and exciting with wonderful food cooked to order. Our two professional nannies declared it a smart concept professionally managed... This freed up the adults to visit the Portobello market and the glorious Wallace collection.... followed by some time in Melt, tasting the fabulous chocolates and Emma Hope to shod our well worn feet. Merchant Archive on Kilburn Lane is a great discovery and we were able to find something vintage for each of the party that caused delight.
We had ten days of novel and thrilling experiences - the sensational Thames experience on the Rib at 50knots - Jude Law in Hamlet and Nobu as ever - never failed to delight. I was sorry to say goodbye to the lovely party but after ten days in my company, without a break, I am confident that they were ready to move on to Paris. I am so looking forward to seeing them again.
The overnight sleeper to Inverness from London still works its magic. Gone is the lovely maghogany cabin and the creaking floors. The overall experience is still romantic though. In the saloon bar you can get a good curry and a fine selection of drinks, including of course, some fine malt whiskeys. I sat opposite a man from MOD who was eating haggis and neeps en route to Lossiemouth to oversee some tantilisingly secret project that he was adament he could not share the details of.
The Cabin was clinical and plastic and at first it was daunting to negotiate ones way into bed. Once it it was absolutely comfortable with a proper mattress and luxurious sheets. I slept like a baby and woke at 7.30 to the exciting sight of conifers, lakes, baronial lodges complete with witches hats on a gloriously sunny morning. I stuck my head out of the window and saw that somehow we had morphed into a totally different train of only four carriages - designed for comfort and elegance.
Its not the cheapest way to get there but certainly the most charming and picturesque.
There to meet me at 8.30am was the driver from Focus with my long wheel base landrover Defender and I had a very enjoyable trip at the wheel up to Ullapool and into the East Rhidorroch Estate that I had rented for two week for some clients and guests. On the estate we had arranged a yoga teacher, a first class cook called Ross and a brilliant student outdoor coach called Richard Wormald. Richard came from Inverness and was running a program to educate the children in English but also to take them sailing and camping. Maddy Scobie was the hostess who arranged a wonderful selection of Highland experiences.
The fortnight was a great success and fabulous fun and I can confirm that the helicopter ride from Ullapool to Aberdeen is a lot faster than the A road.
After a good lunch in London with Mary Killen, the agony aunt from the Spectator, we headed up to North Norfolk for a couple of weeks exploring the coast, entertaining friends and painting pictures. Mary MacCarthy had the very sucessful opening of her exhibition at the Wiveton Hall Cafe where my friend Cosmo Studholme had celebrated his 16th Birthday with a lunch party just before....it was fun to see the people at this hugely successful farm eatery...which happened to include the Actor John Hurt who was left alone to enjoy a quiet lunch. Emma Bridgewater, who shot her catalogue at Wiveton Hall was also there with Kate Bernard and Julia Marozzi.