Each year I know I WANT to go to Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon and Glyndebourne.... and what happens each year? I forget to buy tickets early enough of course, and miss out on these events.... been doing this for years.
Now this year, today, in fact it all worked out rather differently. After a 9am meeting at Tower Bridge, ( I know, why? I wondered that too.) I was chatting about my inability to plan ahead, when my colleague suggested I just go along to Chelsea, hang about and try to buy a ticket from a ticket tout.... This sort of thing simply doesn't happen in Arundel, my dear!
Anyway I made my way to the main gates, looked around for a few minutes, pretending I was waiting to meet someone and realised no tout would be touting right there in front of all the police... so I wondered off a bit further and immediately a rather shady chap muttered under his breath to me to follow him... Very cloak and dagger. We walked, pretending we weren’t walking together to a tiny cafe, the address of which I cannot divulge here for obvious reasons... and in this aforementioned cafe, I commented that he might be a plain clothes policeman, or that I too might be, well a plain clothes policewoman, of course. He roared with laughter and we began to discuss pound notes.
He started at a silly price and as luck would have it I only had about half his opening offer about my person, your honour.. Of course he accepted, I left with the grand total of £3 in my purse but clutching my ticket to glory and colour and inspiration...... What fun and he said I could ask my friends if they wanted tickets too!
Got through the gates with not even enough to buy a Pimms, but had the best, best time. It truly is wonderful to see the real thing after the TV coverage, isn’t it? And such clever stuff there to admire (or sometimes dislike), all laid out there as though by chance, all the effort so carefully hidden . And on my way to the tube, as luck would have it, I bumped into my new friend having a pint! Told him that today actually meant much more than just a happy day out, because, the last time I went to Chelsea was with You Know Who before he died... Hey ho, memories and sunshine mixed together today - great memories and great sunshine...
Now this year, today, in fact it all worked out rather differently. After a 9am meeting at Tower Bridge, ( I know, why? I wondered that too.) I was chatting about my inability to plan ahead, when my colleague suggested I just go along to Chelsea, hang about and try to buy a ticket from a ticket tout.... This sort of thing simply doesn't happen in Arundel, my dear!
Anyway I made my way to the main gates, looked around for a few minutes, pretending I was waiting to meet someone and realised no tout would be touting right there in front of all the police... so I wondered off a bit further and immediately a rather shady chap muttered under his breath to me to follow him... Very cloak and dagger. We walked, pretending we weren’t walking together to a tiny cafe, the address of which I cannot divulge here for obvious reasons... and in this aforementioned cafe, I commented that he might be a plain clothes policeman, or that I too might be, well a plain clothes policewoman, of course. He roared with laughter and we began to discuss pound notes.
He started at a silly price and as luck would have it I only had about half his opening offer about my person, your honour.. Of course he accepted, I left with the grand total of £3 in my purse but clutching my ticket to glory and colour and inspiration...... What fun and he said I could ask my friends if they wanted tickets too!
Got through the gates with not even enough to buy a Pimms, but had the best, best time. It truly is wonderful to see the real thing after the TV coverage, isn’t it? And such clever stuff there to admire (or sometimes dislike), all laid out there as though by chance, all the effort so carefully hidden . And on my way to the tube, as luck would have it, I bumped into my new friend having a pint! Told him that today actually meant much more than just a happy day out, because, the last time I went to Chelsea was with You Know Who before he died... Hey ho, memories and sunshine mixed together today - great memories and great sunshine...
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