Fashion, food and fun- why I still get a thrill from London city...

LAST Saturday darling Derry and I travelled to London f or my cousin’ s 60 th birthday. We met lots of people we knew on the very full flight to London City Airport, many on their way to the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United.

They were all excited and, no matter which team they were rooting for, were full of banter while we waited to board. The running joke among us was that we were actually off to the royal wedding!

Once in London, our hotel was a five-minute walk away from Bank Station. We stayed at the beautiful Threadneedles Hotel on the street of the same name.

This was the Tailoring district many moons ago, and its narrow streets and little alleyways are still a big feature in this part of the city.

Bespoke tailors continue to operate in this area today. There are lots of banks and offices and the streets were very quiet as this is a business district which bustles during the week but goes to sleep at the weekend.

We had travelled very early and the sun was shining with temperatures of 24 degrees. So we went for a walk along the Thames to soak up the celebratory atmosphere and see the sights.

Between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, there were Union Jacks flying on all famous landmarks, and people dressed in their finery with banners wishing Harry and Meghan well in their married lives.

Wedding fever was all over the city — and by the sounds of it, in many other places across the world too — not just in Windsor. Everyone was in great spirits.

I must admit, the first thing I did when we arrived at the hotel was put on the TV as I wanted to see The Dress. And wow — the new Duchess of Sussex looked just like a princess.

Her dress was simple and so elegant. I love the tiara she wore which once belonged to Queen Mary, mother of Elizabeth. Harry looked very handsome —and after all, every girl loves a man in uniform. The whole coverage was great to watch and it seemed like everyone was ready to party. We found a really wonderful bar right on the riverbank called the Coppa Club where we had drinks and a bite to eat. Under the sun, sipping wine — you wouldn’t have gotten nicer in the south of France.

It was wonderful to see people simply sitting with picnics on the public benches enjoying the wonderful weather on our walk back to the hotel.

I felt sorry for the people queuing to get into the Tower of London just around the corner in the sweltering heat. My cousin’s party was in the amazing Leadenhall Building – a skyscraper in the middle of London. It was on Landing 42, which is right up at the top of the building. You had the choice of going all the way up in the glass lift – or there was an enclosed one for those who don’t like heights.

Views are spectacular — you can see the Shard and the Gherkin Building so clearly. Magnificent vistas — and that was just from the elevator!

The party room was all glass so we gazed out the window at the different panoramic views until the sun went down, and then partied on late into the night. It was a Seventies and Eighties music extravaganza and the theme — Glamour and Glitz — saw everyone make a real effort to shine.

Occasions like this are rare and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Not many people throw parties like this any more, and we were delighted to be included. We had brunch in Wheelers Bar before jetting home and considering we were only gone one night, we packed as much as possible into our short stay.

And I can hazard a guess that the guests at Harry and Meghan’s wedding party had a suitably sublime evening. They gave us all a good excuse to celebrate with them anyway!