99 favourite things to remember

It had been a busy couple of days since we had arrived in England – first with a big family reunion and then the next day a meet up with one of my nephews and his wife and family at a fabulous National Trust property in Kent.

Jonathan and I had been joined on this trip by Hannah and Pieter and in between the family reunions we had been having a wonderful time staying with my sister Julia who lives in Beckenham in South East London. As usual she totally spoilt us with her warm hospitality and wonderful meals.

As our time in London was short we didn’t want to waste a minute so we followed the two full-on family days with a day of cultural visits in London.

Our first destination was the National Gallery which is situated in Trafalgar Square.

The wonderful thing about the galleries and museums in London is that they have free entry (except for special exhibitions) so you can go and wander around for a couple of hours without feeling the pressure to stay all day and get your money’s worth.

We had a lovely time browsing through the gallery and funnily enough (considering Hannah and Pieter live in the Netherlands) ended up spending much of our time enjoying paintings by some of the Dutch masters!

Our next stop was the wonderful Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. We always enjoy visiting this delightful and fascinating museum with its huge collection of innovative design and creativity throughout the ages.

Before we looked at any of the exhibits we had a quick lunch at the V and A cafe in the Gamble Room – one of the three glorious period tea rooms built in the Victorian era.

The Gamble room is a glittering expanse of colourful ceramic, glass and enamel and you always feel kind of special eating lunch in such glorious surroundings.

Hannah and I were fortunate enough to be able to catch the amazing “Divas” exhibition while at the museum.

At the entrance to the exhibition we were given earphones that magically played relevant music as you walked up to each exhibit.

The first exhibit was on opera divas and as we moved towards the showcase the sound of the ethereal voice of Maria Callas, in Bellini’s Norma, recorded at La Scala in 1954, came wafting through our headphones.

After the opera stars, the exhibition went on to celebrate divas of stage and screen throughout the twentieth century.

Then there was the upstairs part of the exhibition called “reclaiming the diva” in which we saw some fabulously glamorous stage costumes worn by an array of music artists including Cher, Rhianna, Lady Gaga and even Prince.

There were many very fabulous garments but the most glorious was the costume worn by Elton John for his 50th birthday in 1997 – a Louis XIV-inspired affair with a vast wig on which there sailed a silver galleon! I challenge any diva to top that one!

We couldn’t leave the V and A without afternoon tea and cake in another of its famous tea rooms – this time, the Poynter Room with its cast iron range and walls covered in vibrant blue and white tiles in the Dutch tradition – hand painted with representations of the months and seasons, as well as the signs of the zodiac. Elsewhere, fruit and flowers are interspersed among portraits of women from classical literature, including Helen, Venus, Medea and Sappho.

The following day Hannah and Pieter went to visit friends of theirs while Jonathan and I met up with my brother Pat and his wife Marie for a lovely lunch in a local cafe.

Then we were off to spend a couple of days with Jonathan’s brother Simon and his partner Ruth in their lovely home in Suffolk.

We had an especially enthusiastic welcome from Nero their black Labrador!

After a great couple of days of country walks and a pub lunch in a beautiful old country inn, Jonathan and I left to attend a wake for my uncle in Gloucestershire.

We set off early on a very cold and frosty morning but by the time we’d reached the outskirts of Cambridge the sun was out and it began to feel a little warmer.

By midday we had reached the county of Gloucestershire and before long we were driving through the narrowest of country lanes to get to the pub in the small village of Oakridge where my aunt and uncle and my cousins had lived for many years.

The lanes were only just wide enough for us to fit through with hardly any possible passing places. Fortunately we didn’t meet any oncoming traffic in the narrowest parts.

We eventually arrived in the village and ended up having to park some way from the pub as the lane leading to it was designated unsuitable for vehicles the size of our camper van!

Although a sad occasion, it was wonderful to see six of my cousins and too many of their children and grandchildren to count – as well as my eldest sister a Sarah and her husband Martin!

Some of the children I met for the first time and in the case of some of my cousins this was the first time I’d seen them for many, many, years.

Before he died, one of my cousins had asked his father to recall some of his favourite memories and achievements – and ended up with a list of 99 favourite things my uncle had done in his lifetime.

We thought this was a wonderful way of remembering someone and I think all of us there were surprised by some of the items but also could remember others with nostalgia. Maybe everyone should sit down and make a list like that before they die – it is such a great way to pay tribute to a person’s life well lived!