Happy Thanksgiving from the Colmans Back in Eleuthera

Happy Thanksgiving to all our US readers from the Colmans now back in Eleuthera.

Well one of the things that we will be giving thanks for is a lovely – if very chilly – time with family and friends in the UK. We really had a great trip with plenty of fabulous food and great times with those we love.

London looked beautiful with lots of decorations for Christmas but one of the most amazing places was a Thai restaurant called Poppys in Hammersmith. We ate there will Billy and Genevieve and the meal was sensational. But the decor is something else – I can’t even remember if there were any Christmas decorations or if it was just the usual decor – over the top doesn’t even begin to describe it – there isn’t a square inch that isn’t festooned with something. Maybe a giraffe with a monkey on its back or a chandelier hung at waist height ? Anyway we ate thai fish cakes, the best pad thai any of us have eaten in a very long time, green shrimp curry, and several other dishes I can’t recall. You take your own beer or wine and the price is so reasonable it is ridiculous.

On Friday we met up with our son Joel and his son Ethan at the Tate Modern art gallery. He is a delightful little 3 1/2 year old and we really enjoyed our time with them. There was an installation in the Great Turbine Hall by a member of the  Scandinavian Sami tribe. It was made with materials that surround and sustain her reindeer herding community – very interesting and quite a spiritual experience. It was a treat to see Ethan also enjoying the Nigerian Modern Exhibition there as well – Joel wanted him to experience it as his mother is Nigerian. We sat and had some lunch in the Gallery cafe after and Ethan had a lot of fun drawing in his sketchbook.

Bob and I had the necessary Indian meal on Friday night at a small restaurant in Kew – I was absolutely determined to get one in while we were away !

On Saturday Billy took Bob to a football ( soccer) match at Fulham – this is a team that Bob has supported since he was 11 years old – but only the second live match he has attended. It was cold and rainy but they managed to have a good time and thankfully spent some time under cover !

While they were doing that I met up with my dear sister Jane in central London and took her to a lovely restaurant in Claridges for a birthday lunch. In fact it was her 70th birthday the following day but we celebrated in style with a delicious glass of champagne and rounded the lunch off with a complementary birthday desert. Thank you Claridges ! Afterwards we did a little light shopping – I had forgotten how busy central London is on a rainy Saturday afternoon 4 weeks before Christmas. But we had a great time before parting late afternoon…… To have this time with her was very precious – just the 2 of us enjoying a few hours together.

On Sunday 10 of us met up for a roast dinner in a pub near to where Sami and Billy live. Again – just being able to spend time together was a special gift – and there were roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding as well as great conversation and Rudy cuddling ! This visit I have really been able to enjoy talking with Genevieve and Sophie – our 2 eldest granddaughters. Seeing Gen as a mum of 2 now but holding her own as a woman and not just being a mum was a joy. Sophie is more of a career woman but she totally dotes on her niece and nephew and spends as much tome as she can with them. I am so proud of the women they have become and wish I could spend more time around them.

One evening Sami and Billy took us to a very interesting restaurant. It is called The Pillars and is the restaurant of the University of West London where chefs are trained and hospitality students serve the first class food. Apparently sometimes the service is not what it could be as the students get nervous – but we were served by a delightful young woman from Nepal. She had only been there a couple of months but her English was first class and her waiting skills were very good. The food was extremely good and it was a great experience.

We had a final lunch with Sami, Cassius and Indi on Monday before going out to Heathrow Airport to stay at the Sofitel Hotel. It is a ritual that we always stay there the night before flying back to the Bahamas. It means that in the morning there is no worrying about getting caught in early morning traffic.

We flew back on Tuesday and both enjoyed a good few hours reading our books on the plane. Thankfully we made the connection and got a flight back to Eleuthera and arrived home about 5pm. Reunited with Brian and Rudge all is well with our world….

So many , many things to be thankful for from our trip to the UK – lots of really good food but even more importantly such lovely times with our friends and family. Memories that will give us joy throughout the months until we see them again.

Do enjoy your own Thanksgiving celebration – no matter how elaborate or simple it is – just remember to spend some time thinking about the good things and people in your life and share them – whether in person or in a message or phone call. Thanksgiving is a celebration we all need to do more often. With love to you all from the jet lagged Colmans, happy to be home and in the glorious warm climate of the Bahamas.