As soon as November arrived, even before all the leaves had fallen, the world began to light up with Christmas decorations.
Amidst the merriment that accompanies this time of year, we also took a moment to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. On Remembrance Day, we visited the Animals at War memorial to pay our respects.
The Ever After Garden at Grosvenor Square is once again lit up with 25,000 white roses. Last year, Mum and I dedicated a rose for Darcy, and this year, we brought Lulu so she could do the same.
And we remember too our friend, Bobby who left us all too soon.
We also remembered those less fortunate than us, participating in an auction at Panther & Hall Gallery to raise funds for the Wild at Heart foundation. The talented artist, Sam Toft, generously donated some of her pieces for the auction.
And Sam did little sketches that evening – and we now have a piece on our gallery wall.
Speaking of our gallery wall, since September, we’ve added several art pieces! We added more when Anabela Chan Joaillerie rescheduled their event, originally planned for the canceled Chelsea Dog Day in September. Lulu had her portrait drawn by Chloe of Pet Portrait Illustration to join the pieces she had done of Darcy and George.
At Hermes, the incredible silhouette artist Alison Russell, drew with her scissors! Take a look at these depictions of Lulu, Darcy, and me!
Throughout our various activities throughout the month, we found moments that made us reminisce about Darcy. Visiting the Tower Bridge was one of them. Darcy and I had visited back in 2016. This time we took Lulu to and we did the glass walk together. She wasn’t in the least afraid.
We had explored the beautiful Cotswolds with Lulu last month. In November, we took her for her first beach run at Salcombe, staying at the very dog-friendly South Sands Hotel.
Back in London, we enjoyed a weekend staycation at the much-anticipated Jean-Louis Costes hotel in the heart of Chelsea …AtSloane, bringing a touch of Parisian flair to London.
While …At Sloane, we dined at the exquisite French restaurant on the top floor.
This was just one of a whole bunch of new dog-friendly restaurants we have visited in November.
We had brunch on the weekend at The Aubrey in The Mandarin Oriental. The Aubrey is an award winning Japanese restaurant and bar serving high quality Japanese food favourites.
When Mum’s friend, Karen visited London, she invited us to dine at Brooklands, the latest of three restaurants at the newly opened Peninsula Hotel in Grosvenor.
We also recently discovered that Afternoon Tea in the Drawing Room at Brown’s Hotel is dog-friendly.
And so excited that Dishoom at Battersea is dog-friendly! We love Dishoom but have never managed to dine in any of their other branches.
Finally, Le Robuchon Deli on King’s Road has opened. From freshly baked bread and tartines, to rotisserie chicken and fresh salads – they are open from morning to late evening. We have always enjoyed the one at Picadilly but now they have opened one just down the road from us.
And with all these new places to dine at, we still keep going back to one of our favourite places, Villa di Geggiano. It was a dogs night out and their humans!
Our friend, Rusty turned 12th on the 29th and we all gathered for an Afternoon Tea Party. Amazing to think Mum have known Rusty for almost 12 years ago. We met when Mum used to organise the Hyde Park Cockapoo meets.
I didn’t get to go but Mum took Lulu in her handbag when she visited the Gucci Cosmos exhibition at 180 Studios, London. The guide hadn’t even noticed she was in the bag till the end of the tour – and it wasn’t a problem.
The exhibition is an immersive experience envisioned and designed by contemporary artist Es Devlin. It presents era-defining pieces curated by fashion theorist Maria Luisa Frisa to recount the heritage-infused narrative that the House has crafted from 1921 to present day. It is open till the 31 December at 180 Studios.
We also did our part in modelling some doggy jumpers for Salvatore Paws.
And some amazing new creations from Wondercoat at the Design Centre’s Twinkle Christmas Fair from the 30th November till the 2nd December.
November brought friends …
And of course a month doesn’t go by without a visit to Darcy’s bench – we remember. This time Cheryl and her granddaughter Corine visited from Michigan. We were honoured.
November was a month of Thanksgiving, remembering to be grateful for all that we have and for our friends.
May’s comment: The leaves have fallen and the winter lights have appeared. We finish the eleventh month of this year … and Christmas merry making has begun. Enjoy the festivities with your friends and family – cherish the time together and make memories as we welcome December.
