An Easter with Castles and Palaces
Browsing back over the last few website entries, it's hard not to notice that we've been feeling the cold. Well, that's all going to change. Spring's here, daylight savings has started, London's looking leafy, and we're working on our tans. Well, all but that last one.
But we have been to the beach! Over the Easter weekend, we took a couple of trips away, and one was to Brighton. Think St Kilda, Melbourne, but with pebbles instead of sand, Luna Park at the end of the pier, and instead of the Palais there's an outrageous Palace that's a tribute to royal decadence. Tara and Di came too, and we had a lunch of fish and chips by a big carousel on the beach. Actually, it was all slightly tacky, but good fun. It must be crazy there at the height of summer.
Our other Easter trip was to Hampton Court Palace - one of the first places King Henry VIII acquired after he decided to take out a vendetta on all things Catholic. Various Kings and Queens have made it their home since, up until the 18th century. It still has vast, manicured grounds, and much of the original decoration and furniture inside. Some people actually live there, due to receiving royal favours in the past. Lucky sods. We joined up with Brendan to have a look around and do the tours. We'd sung a concert with him a few days earlier, and decided to do some touristy stuff together.
It was a concert for the Red Cross, in aid of Tsunami Relief, organised by some London lawyers who just thought it would be a good idea. They put together a scratch choir and orchestra with five (optional) rehearsals to perform the Verdi Requiem. No auditions. No fees. The standard was extremely high, and I don't really know how we got in, but it was great fun to sing again.
The previous weekend we took ourselves off to Windsor to see where Charles and Camilla are going to get married. Not. Actually, there's a very nice castle there that you may have heard of. The day was gorgeous and it almost seemed a shame to be inside, looking at the rooms where current royalty have banquets and previous royalty hung priceless works of art. Afterwards, we had lunch outside in town, laughed at the Eton boys, and took ourselves down to the Long Walk where we could take our shoes off, lie in the grass, and read by the warming light of the sun.
Now stop emailing us with tales of how hot it has been in Australia!
- 29th March 2005
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This royal party-palace in Brighton still attracts the oggling riff-raff.
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