Life

Wednesday 28th April 2021

Desperate for rain but why is it so cold?

I haven’t much time. Robert Nevil and the Nizam are coming back tomorrow, I believe. I must get the fridge wiped with fridge wipes bought from the passing orphan on the day-release scheme. The drawing room silver needs to be cleaned and there’s a mark on the kitchen floor. If not done, we’ll never hear the end of it.

Life is now mentioned, although I must still turn my back on any TV screen broadcasting ‘news’ and go round the long way in the mart to avoid the newspapers with their headlines. Nerves.

I lunched in an outdoor restaurant with Lord Arrowby, Rufus Pitman and Raj Zoraster. None of the conversation can be repeated. Either confidential or unrepeatable. It’s astonishing the luxury of the luxury complex being build around the new American Embassy. There’s a bridge of Sighs way up as high as you can go, connecting two luxury blocks of luxury flats but it isn’t a Bridge of Sighs, it’s a swimming pool. We had to endure a crane’s engine roaring during lunch, tending to the swimming pool. Lord Arrowby was furious.

You’d have thought they could have got it finished in time.

Last Friday was Lionel Moore’s 100th birthday. There was a party. Passers-by might have wondered why numbers of household names were walking up and down on Vauxhall Bridge singing Happy Birthday. ‘Isn’t that Maggie Smith?’ Eddie Sedgwick said. ‘Perhaps not,’ as an anorak-ed woman passed. But it was Patti and Anne Reid. Eddie managed to speak to Anne Reid although it wasn’t until afterwards that he could remember who she was. She’s been writing her autobiography for 12 years apparently. Patti had the most marvellous actress hair. Once Patti did a perf of Little Night Music for me, although she didn’t know it.  When they were at the National, Judi would say each night as they were waiting to ‘go on’, ‘Who are we doing it for tonight?’ Sometimes it would be Mick Jagger (‘He’s in, you know’) or Mrs Bousfield, one of them’s cleaner. Anyway, on this occasion, they couldn’t think of anyone to do it for, so a nearby actor who happened to know me said, ‘Adrian Edge is in. Do it for him.’ So they said, ‘All right then. We’ll do it for Adrian Edge.’

Lionel appeared on the balcony of a flatti in a block hard by Vauxhall Bridge. A lot of people didn’t believe it was him. It wasn’t even his own balcony but one selected to be nearer the bridge. Then we went and hung around the front door of the apartment building.  You could go in and sign a book. There was some idea of champagne and that Lionel would come down, neither of which happened, although boxes of champagne were seen going in and out. It was a party though: interesting strangers, two young men on bicycles. The older looking of the two was 24 and the other was 40. Unbelievable glamour on bicycles. From the auction world, they said. How on earth do they know Lionel? They seemed to think the auction connection explained everything.  But so typical of Lionel at 100 to have befriended the best-looking couple for miles around.

The former MP for Whirly and Lorraine was there. He was harking back to Spanish flu days, which his grandmother only just survived. She overheard the doctor saying she wouldn’t and was having none of it. A red-faced man appeared with champagne boxes which he put in an old Porsche. Plus some luggage. Outrage. Luggage, these days, isn’t at all proper and never seen. He appeared to know Lionel, in fact was of the flats’ block. It turned out to be Tim Yeo, former minister and figure of scandal.

So there we are. I call that a party. It had exactly the qualities one looks for – big names, sex appeal and a certain randomness. Canapés and glasses would have added little really. Just bother.

Lionel Moore Makes a Balcony appearance on his 100th birthday

Lionel Moore Makes a Balcony appearance on his 100th birthday

Household Names

Household Names

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith

 

 

Posted Wednesday, April 28, 2021 under Adrian Edge day by day.

Leave a Reply