Her Hats Both Days Have Been Outstanding «

Her Hats Both Days Have Been Outstanding

Thursday 21st April 2016

At last the day has come! I break from re-furb, garden, face, hair and outfit to think of Her, through 90 years always in an outfit, always finished, never a scratch on her handbag. How has she done it? 64 years on the Throne and never once stained. As Eve Pollard said all those years ago, commenting on Ascot Races: ‘Royalty are marvellous: they never cease or stain.’ That is her Reign in a sense. As you know, I recorded 40 minutes to camera for Dainty Lady TV‘s celebration of her birthday. She has never made the mistake of being too much of a person, more of a personage, yet not glacial, superbly minimal, no gushing.

I lunched at the Multis’ café. Did you know they’ve sprung up with another one? It was opened last week and I was graciously bidden to the opening. The Multis have not been seen for some time but surely they create a spectacle. The new café is emperor-style with streaked honey marble floor and counter as one massive piece and a gold mosaic back-wall. Contrasting are a motley of second-hand 50s tables and chairs and crazy hanging lights, including the very last white-feather pom-pom hanging light from B and Q. This café stands on a raised terrace at the end of a massive vista of newly-built modern flats. In fine weather, it can be opened on all sides and becomes a kind of miracle of marble and roof hanging there with nothing visible to hold it up.

But today the original café was offering a free glass of prosecco with lunch to mark the Royal Birthday. Val was unable to come owing to total lack of sleep and danger of collapse but he was comfortable in his armchair watching the Birthday on TV. So I lunched very well alone, nourished by Royalty and the free prosecco before going round to the new café where the Blond Multi was working on accounts. There I had a chocolate and almond cake to celebrate the Birthday and the new café and gave feedback on the cake. Elements of the service had to be attended to by the Multis. This café has only been open three days. They could have retired, you know, but no, like Her, they must go on.

Her hats, both days, I thought enchanting – most fanciful and extreme, as her hats always have been to give that little tug. The 1st day, it was an Easter bonnet really, with a slightly unhinged spray of flowers mounted at the front. The actual birthday hat had fabric tulips among other things – or perhaps they were real.