My Birthday Treat

Nov 1st, 2016

My Birthday Treat

Well this week is a very special occasion for me as it is my 50th birthday (I could lie but I won’t). About six months ago, R told me he had something very special planned, but wouldn’t tell me what it was, so I guessed at loads of things. One thing he would tell me is that I would need fancy clothes “you can’t be too smart” – and as I’m not normally someone for anything more formal than jeans and trainer, it was pretty much essential to give that away. So then I thought of all kinds of options; a special train journey (Tornado perhaps, or even the Orient Express), or a cruise to Scandinavia (Bergen had very much impressed me when I was there a year or two ago). But then R commented that I might need to bring Wellington boots which completely threw me off the track. I mean what could possibly need both evening dress and wellies?
But then he told me and I was amazed and delighted – we were going down to London to stay at my favourite hotel (the Royal Horseguards) and then the next day we were going on the Orient Express to Venice. The reason for the wellingtons was that Venice at this time of year often floods.
So I had a week to prepare, and as the train is all 1920s design, I broke out my flapper style dress I bought for a party about 10 years ago and never wore because it was cancelled. I bought a matching headband and finished off the ensemble with a pair of elbow-length satin evening gloves.
I’m really excited and looking forward to this as it is something I have always wanted to do (being a lover of the period in general). I have been reading “Murder on the Orient Express” as a taster – though unfortunately I’m sure I must have seen one of the movies of it as I didn’t get beyond about the second chapter before I realized I already knew “whodunnit”. It is pretty good anyway and I will force R into reading it too.

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