Sweet and Savory are open again and London part 2

Yes great news – so happy to be able to tell you that Sweet and Savory are open again. This is a very popular spot for lunch – and it is just wonderful that they are serving up our favorites as well as some new items.

Bob and I shared a hot sandwich on a multigrain roll with turkey, cheese and caramelized onions – there was something else as well but I can’t remember what it was but it was absolutely delicious ! So welcome back to Stephanie and Johnathan – making us all very happy …..

Now for part 2 of our London trip. Last Wednesday we both had an exceptional massage and facial from our incredibly talented friend Anastasia Achilleos which was heavenly. After that we picked up a rental car and headed off to Oxford. But let me just tell you that the traffic was a total nightmare – just getting out of London was horrible – so it was a good job we were both feeling pretty zen after the massage.

We stayed in Oxford overnight with my dearest friend Jane and her husband David. We had a very tasty supper in the house with them washed down beautifully with a couple of bottles of champagne – the time was all too short but it was a huge treat to be with her in person rather than just seeing her on FaceTime. To spend time with our best friends is such a gift and one that we truly appreciate after lockdown and all it’s implications.

Anyway the next morning we set off to Stratford on Avon for Bob to have a reiki treatment from another old friend – Ian Spiers. He is also a very talented McTimoney chiropractor – he used to treat Bob when we were living in the UK . We then ate lunch with him and his lovely wife Celia – and again caught up on so much – it was 9 years since we last saw them. Later that afternoon we drove down to Hertfordshire to stay overnight with Bob’s best friend Ashley and his gorgeous wife Jilly. It was Bob’s birthday and we went out to celebrate with an Indian meal which I am sure you know is a huge favorite of mine. Well we ate far too much as usual but had a great time eating, drinking, laughing and catching up.

Friday we drove back to London – oh my goodness how people manage with that level of traffic congestion I just cannot imagine. It is soul destroying and so stressful. So stressful in fact that we had to go out and eat fish and chips again that night. This time we went to Seashells in Lisson Grove. The chips were better than those the week before but the batter on the fish was not quite as light so it all sort of levelled out in the end….. But let me just reassure you that both lots were fantastic – just doing a bit of critical nitpicking !

Saturday we had a lovely family gathering at Sami and Billy’s house with plenty of family and another new family baby – Francis who was born a week after Cece. London is a terrific city with many incredible things to see and do – but on Saturday there was a rail strike so it was chaos getting around. Uber upped their prices because of the demand and all journeys took at least twice as long as usual. We all know that nothing is perfect in life – but the daily grind of difficulty in getting around such a city can make you lose some of the delight of being there.

Suddenly it was Sunday and time to get packing for our return flight on Monday. The staff at the Ham Yard Hotel were just brilliant – so friendly kind and thoughtful throughout our stay there – if you ever find yourself in London then I highly recommend this hotel.

And so we flew back home to Eleuthera – so happy to have had the chance to see so much of our family in person and so tired because actually we had done just that bit too much ! But most people find traveling a strain these days. It was great to land back in Nassau and to find out that we no longer have to wear masks – nor is there any testing needed now for travelers coming to the Bahamas.

Have a good weekend and treasure the times that you can spend with friends and family – they are our greatest riches in life …….