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Our First Christmas Without Dad at Home - November & December 2021 and January 2022 - Shrewsbury & London

2/1/2022

With so many complex gifts, Maria needed her full concentration during our Christmas Day lunch.

November & December 2021 were a whirlwind. The fact I signed the contract for my new banking job at The Rosewood Hotel, London, and started my new role in Canary Wharf in December, means 2022 should start well for me.

November 2021 included a meeting at The Guildhall to represent Barbican residents; a visit to The English National Opera to see HMS Pinafore; a Chinese breakfast at Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square before The Lord Mayor's Show etc

December included seeing The Dior Christmas Tree at Claridge's; being given the 2021 Harrods Christmas teddy bear by the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park; trying the new scones at Four Seasons on Park Lane before their public launch; Christmas shopping for Maria at Hamleys etc

Christmas itself was our first without dad at home. However, mum & I were able to visit him on Christmas Eve & again before I returned to work in London. His granddaughter Maria flew in from Moscow again and we had a very special family Christmas with her.

Hope the photos below convince you it has been a '7 teddy' few months, despite COVID-19. I am double vaccinated and have had my booster shot & flu jab.

Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog. I really value all your support.

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Another Birthday Under Coronavirus/ COVID-19 - London/ Shrewsbury - March 2021

24/3/2021

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I cannot say enough good things about Guy's Hospital & the NHS.

29 March 2021 will be my second birthday 'celebrated' under COVID-19.

I have already had some amazing birthday presents. The main one was having received my first Coronavirus vaccine shot. This, combined with news that Nuffield Health plan to reopen The Barbican gym, gives me hope that we are, finally, returning to 'normal'.

I am thinking about Paris & their latest lockdown at present. Stay safe & strong everyone.

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Coronovirus/COVID-19 - When Will All This End? - May & June 2020

10/6/2020

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I decided to name the bellboy teddy bear Claridge's sent with my Daniel Humm take-out dinner Thomas, after their GM I met.

Despite experiencing Fortnum & Mason & Avanti West Coast First Class train travel alone; a Daniel Humm Claridge's Fried Chicken dinner at home; showers with Aromatherapy Associates oils, my Frette sheets & my Dorchester hotel bed here in my Barbican London place; seeing a Red Arrows display on VE Day by Palace of Westminster; another spectacular Dorchester hotel roses bouquet specially created for me by Philip Hammond; walks in St James's Park looking at the black swans & Buckingham Palace etc, the UK lockdown since 23 March 2020 has been too long and the UK's new travel quarantine rules wreck www.sifrew.com and so many of my work plans.

My dad's birthday next weekend, & a 'physically distanced' picnic in Green Park with friends from my Qatar days, has made me think how much a miss hugging my mum, swimming & my personal training. Look forward to answering questions about the photos below, when we next meet!

Off for another walk now to try to drop some of the weight gained in the last few months.

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I Really Do Have The Best Parents in The World! - London, UK - July 2019

4/8/2019

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I am so lucky to still have both of my parents. They decided to visit me in London. It was the first time they had stayed at my Barbican place since my days working for the Bank of England and I decided to show them 'Si Frew's London'.

This included lunch at The Ned hotel; Veuve Clicquot champagne on the balcony at my place; cocktails at the pop-up at Four Seasons @ Ten Trinity Square with breathtaking views of London; dinner outside by the river at Le Pont de la Tour; mum & dad also staying at The Farmers Club; dad & me having Scottish breakfasts at The Farmers Club; seeing 'An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection'; shopping in Heal's with mum; and checking out the window boxes at Rules in Covent Garden with mum & dad.

It was a '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) experience, with '7 teddy' parents. Hope the photos below do justice to all this.

At the Four Seasons @ Ten Trinity Square pop-up. We walked through a David Linley furnish Residence to get there & this ex Qatar guy had stories about The Shard to tell.

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show & My Barbican Window Boxes - London, UK - May 2019

28/5/2019

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The mother of my awesome godson. We have been friends since our Bank of England days & she took me to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

My Barbican window boxes are now looking, & smelling, fabulously thanks to the geniuses at Nurture Landscapes. The smell comes from rosemary & French lavender and the bees already love the latter. My original window boxes were based on work done at Four Seasons at Park Lane but this year's are inspired by Rules, the oldest restaurant in London.

The day before the work on my window boxes I visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Before this I walked through Mayfair to see Annabel's & smell the flowers at The Connaught and had lunch with astonishing friends from Shropshire at Four Seasons at Park Lane.

Hope the photos below help to evidence the '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) life I am living here in London.

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Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park is Back & Better Than Ever - London, UK - May 2019

16/5/2019

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Remarkable GM Amanda, my stunning breakfast view of Hyde Park and the Plaza Hotel, New York Merrythought teddy bear that got me think about my London - New York Concorde flight.

I have settled back into my London life. Personal training with Bart at Virgin Active, Barbican and enjoying my swims there.

I am living in my redecorated Barbican place again, with its Dorchester Hotel bed, personalised Frette sheets from Harrods, new Ligne Roset table from Heal's etc. Just the 'Four Seasons at Park Lane' window boxes to recreate again.

Since I moved back to London Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has officially reopened. I visited on the day this occurred. On that, notable, occasion I met Rodolphe & Marco in the Mandarin Bar and was served a divine truffle gin martini that was not yet on the menu. Legendary GM Amanda also came for an inspiring chat.

On my second visit I brought one of my unbelievable friends from Shropshire and got to try more cocktails and snacks being developed for the menu and was presented with a Mandarin Oriental teddy bear, MO tie pin and MO key ring, to add to my MO clufflinks from Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.

On my latest visit I decided to try their Hyde Park breakfast with Moet champagne, a choice of truffles or caviar and a spectacular view of Hyde Park. Breakfast ended up being better than I could possibly have imagined. Even the bellhops on the lobby stairs greeted me by name, the gorgeous dining room is so bright and impressive, the other guests as refined as I found before the deeply unfortunate fire and Amanda and her staff (eg Silvia the House Manager) seem reinvigorated/improved, what a contrast with when The Savoy in London reopened.

Hope the photos below help you to understand why it was such a special day.

A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) hotel, with '7 teddy' staff and a '7 teddy' champagne/truffle breakfast.

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the luxury travel blog

Our First Christmas Without Dad at Home - November & December 2021 and January 2022 - Shrewsbury & London

Another Birthday Under Coronavirus/ COVID-19 - London/ Shrewsbury - March 2021

Coronovirus/COVID-19 - When Will All This End? - May & June 2020

I Really Do Have The Best Parents in The World! - London, UK - July 2019

RHS Chelsea Flower Show & My Barbican Window Boxes - London, UK - May 2019

Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park is Back & Better Than Ever - London, UK - May 2019

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