This week’s blog post is not a blog post but a VLOG post. For all those lovers of Ibiza and camping – watch and learn! Includes a special offer at Camping Es Cana for a ‘hobbit village’ dwelling in the month of September 2016. Enjoy!
Category: Life
Wondrous Stevie
As with the best holidays, the blues follow: They’re inescapable. And so it was for Stevie Wonder at Hyde Park. Such was the sublime soulfulness of Stevie and his band’s performance of ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ that the only way from such an up was an inevitable down today. But tonight when I listened to some of my recordings I felt the magic again.
The day had started inconspicuously enough. Meeting my cousin, we were excited at the prospect, but exhausted from a hard working week; keen for a catch up and a sit down.
With a mid forties average age audience, we remained seated during Corinne Bailey Rae and read the papers. Pharrell stirred us at 5.30pm and at 6.30pm we stood to attention to salut one of my all time favourite singers.
‘Songs in the Key of Life’ was the first (double) album I ever bought on cassette, and the first song I christened my first hi-fi with was ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. That’s a lot of firsts.
Through the humour and charm of his performance, frequently spouting ‘cockney’ and admonishing the crowd when they came in too soon to sing a long, Stevie had us all in the palm of his hand. And what a comforting and gentle hand it was too. He reminded us of the importance of love over hate and how we can all play a part in turning things around. His rendition of ‘Pastime Paradise’ gave me goosebumps – a gospel choir coming in strong with a heart-rending chorus of ‘We Shall Overcome’.
After he performed ‘Joy Inside My Tears’ he wiped his from mirrored-shades protected eyes. He wasn’t the only one.
Before he sang ‘If it’s Magic’ he told us that his harpist had recently died from cancer, and that the last backing track she had recorded to accompany this tune would be played with him now.
Through it all – from his array of stupendously excellent singers’ and musicians’ solos contributing to the democratic perfection of a truly beautiful and uplifting whole, the occasion was tinged with a bittersweetness. Bitter in that so many geniuses and legends of note have left us recently; a seeming rise in troubled times and uncertainty; sweet in that Stevie in all his magnificence continues to inspire – despite a debilitation that from birth must have challenged him in all aspects of his life.
His message was clear: If I can do it, you can: ‘We can all make a difference when we choose love over hate’ he said.
Poignancy infused this three and a half hour set in the most soaring way: Despite feeling ill that day, he’d arrived to be here, and as darkness fell he called out to the crowd: ‘We’ve got 20 more minutes before they close the park: Let’s turn it out!’ He didn’t want to go home, and neither did we.
All Creatures Great and Small
It’s not what you might expect, but, as soon as I walked the dusty sunny path to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from the station, entered the grounds and perused the catalogue, I knew what I wanted to see.
The show gardens are of course predominantly what it’s all about with prizes awarded to the most outstanding. Then there’s the rose marquee, various celebrity talks, plants to be purchased and delectable food and drink to taste. However, this year the flower show encompassed so much more – from cooking to dogs and butterflies. Yes, you heard me right.
‘If you head to the ‘DogsTrust: A Dog’s Life’ garden you should be able to see it complete with a few of its namesakes’ the press office told me.
I couldn’t get there fast enough. Past people carrying trundling boxes full of garden delights I did my best to make haste. But, the mood was relaxed, and I found myself slowing down: A couple stood looking over a show garden: ‘I think if we did something like that water feature dear – it could work – it’s just a small dribble’ one said.
‘We could give it a try love’ came the mellow response, made so by the warmth of sun shining and a precious day away from the norm.
Up ahead I spied a rectangular shallow pool overhung with various delicate plants and some sculptures of – were they dogs – wading through it? I had reached my destination and was soon chatting to Emily from DogsTrust. ‘We just won Gold last night’ she told me excitedly proceeding to fill me in on the whys and wherefores of this sensitively planned garden.
‘It represents the journey of every DogsTrust dog – making sure they’re as happy as can be. It’s got herbaceous borders, sniffer tracks, a pavilion for shade, tubes for them to run through, water and places to dig. But, it’s also about people being able to enjoy their garden with their dog – showing that it’s possible to make it work for both.’
I stroked Evie’s head – a quiet and restrained greyhound visiting from their West London centre for the day. ‘She’s been with us two weeks – often dogs come here when there’s a change in the family circumstances. She used to race.’ In the cool and gently scented garden a photo session followed.
Time was flying by and there was yet a final highlight to attend: In the Butterfly Dome, I couldn’t stop myself smiling – thrilled by hundreds of these most colourful creatures flitting about my head, landing on plants and occasionally my bare arm.
Without a doubt it had been a day to delight not just one, but all of the senses.
Very many thanks to RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
Inside and Outside
They informed me at the Press Office that I might be able to have a few words with Bjarke Ingels, architect of this year’s Serpentine Pavilion. I’d read about the unzipped wall and wondered how it would compare to past years’ structures.
I was also super keen to ask him about the unzipping part: In conceiving of these staggered cubes undulating from narrow to wide creating a different view from every angle, had he thought it male or female? Had he thought of no gender whatsoever? Are structures/buildings usually referred to as ‘she’ or is that just for sea vessels? I felt it could be an interesting conversation.
Walking through Hyde Park to get there, raindrops fell from tree branches, soft landings on my top, rippling outwards to create the occasional water mark.
Wandering in past the gallery, I moved slowly through the crush of people by the 2016 Pavilion. Wine gasses in hands, bottles of beer, interesting spectacle frames – coloured and otherwise surrounded me. ‘Isn’t it great to be out’ I overheard someone remark. Indeed it was, after a day of downpours the sun had finally granted us an audience, enabling outdoor pursuits once more and now setting on a city yearning for summer.
Serendipity Wins The Epsom Derby
“I had a dream” Clare Balding told me as I started to explain my win in the Epsom Derby. Poor Clare. I wanted to know, I really did but unfortunately with the overexcitement of the main race, I’d been reduced to a babbling mess. I needed to tell her the story of my day, which in racing terms had a magical twist of fate.
It had all started gently enough. Whilst waiting for my comrade in arms for Epsom at the train station a coffee truck pulled up and before you could say ‘Mine’s a cappucino’ I was chatting to the cab drivers, one of whom treated me to a latte: Things were looking good so far.
An hour later found us still struggling to find our carpark, but once inside the media tent all that was forgotten and the race was on.
A day at the track is like no other. Time flies but in the most surreal way. No sooner have you watched one race than horses parade in the paddock for the next. Bets are placed, champagne or beer is ordered, a roar comes up from the grandstand as you realise you’ve missed the 2.35 and need to get your act together for the 3.10.
Then, there’s the arrival of the Queen, just a week before her official 90th birthday, and you have to guess what she might be wearing, in French, with a party of that country’s finest gentlemen as you all endeavour to get a photo of her.
What seemed like moments later, I leaned across the railings next to a handsome man in a top hat chatting to his friend. “Where are you from in Ireland?” I asked.
“The Curragh” came his response.
“I’m from Meath – just next door – near Trim.”
“Oh yes, I know it. I used to have to drive through Trim all the time to get to Navan.”
“To the races?”
“Yep.”
I asked him what he was doing here today. “We’ve got a horse in the Derby – Harzand” he told me. “My Father’s the trainer.”
“Aidan O’Brien?”
“No! You don’t study the form do you?!” came the retort with a grin.
In fairness I hadn’t had time, but this was all I needed. “We must get to the Tote!” I said to Chloe. I’d heard first hand Frankie Dettori’s tips for the Derby (‘The main challenge for Wings of Desire is US Army Ranger’), and John McCririck had also weighed in with his comments before he waved me off and told me to ‘Keep blogging’. But this. This was pure gold.
Cakes and coffee by the winning post preceded an inspiring victory by Harzand with one of my each way bets coming in second.
On the train home I conversed with yet another fellow Irishman. We high fived our Derby success. “I won big” he told me.
“I broke even, and a bit more” I replied.
A bit of magic more in fact.
It all started with a coffee
Waiting for Frankie
The French were in town
Clare, the inimitable with Sir Tony McCoy
Mr Dettori and yours truly
This is what it’s all about
Mr McCririck
Mr Dettori. Again.
Pretty sure this is Postponed – winner of the 3.10
Seriously, I think my first ever racing win
Winner of the 3rd race: Postponed ridden by Andrea Atzeni
Clare you’re a legend. Already.
Nice spectacles. CWS approves
Cakes and coffee pre Derby
Pat Smullen, winning jockey of the Epsom Derby 2016
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Aga Khan, Dermon Weld
Kieren Fallon
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II looking spectacular in hyacinth blue
Nice pic by Getty Images
Chloe Haywood Milliner extraordinaire. Hats off after this pic. It’s been a great day!
Very many thanks to Epsom Derby, JSC Communications and Chloe Haywood for a magnificent day.
Conversations with Strangers 